In the cases of emergency, every minute counts. Fire rated birch plywood is a strong material treated with flame retardant to slow the spread of fire on its surface and prevent ignition. Thanks to its properties, fire rated plywood increases the time available for the safe evacuation of people from a burning building. It slows down the spread of fire and produces far less smoke.
As a rule, FR plywood has to pass many tests to be approved and classified. The classification of fireproof plywood gives a general idea of how the treated material behaves in case of fire. Some certificates and approvals require tests that refer only to the speed of fire spread, rate of fire growth and total heat release, while others also require measuring the smoke density and toxicity as well as ignition time. It is very important that the reaction of the material to fire shall be predictable.
The known indicators of plywood behaviour refer only to the plywood applied individually. If FR plywood is used as a part of composite material, the whole material shall be tested and certified again.
The spread of fire is now measured according to the European Standard EN 13501-1, that replaced British standard BS476-7 (Class 1 and Class 0 of fire-retardant plywood). Pursuant to EN 13501-1, FR plywood can meet Euro class B or Euro class C. The requirements for fire-retardant plywood Euro class B are more strict than the ones for Euro class C. Therefore if the material conforms to Euro class B, it also conforms to Euro class C.
Before placing fire rated plywood on the market, the manufacturer shall also make sure that his product complies with the requirements of the applicable EU directives and obtain the CE Mark. It also proves that the fire-retardant plywood goes along with its Declaration of Performance (DoP), a document providing information on the performance of fireproof plywood.
Fire-retardant plywood of Plyterra Group conforms to Euro class B and has CE mark.