BRITISH STANDARD

Classification of fires

The European Standard EN 2:1992 has the status of a

British Standard

BS EN 2:1992

BS EN 2:1992

Cooperating organizations
The European Committee for Standardization (CEN), under whose supervision
this European Standard was prepared, comprises the national standards
organizations of the following countries:
Austria
Belgium
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom

This British Standard, having

been prepared under the direction
of the Fire Standards Policy
Committee, was published under
the authority of the Standards
Board and comes into effect on
Amendments
15 December 1992
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The following BSI references
relate to the work on this
standard:
Committee reference FSM/2
Special announcement in
BSI News December 1992
ISBN 0 580 21356 0

Amd. No.

Oesterreichisches Normungsinstitut
Institut belge de normalisation
Dansk Standardiseringsraad
Suomen Standardisoimisliito, r.y.
Association franaise de normalisation
Deutsches Institut fr Normung e.V.
Hellenic Organization for Standardization
Technological Institute of Iceland
National Standards Authority of Ireland
Ente Nazionale Italiano di Unificazione
Inspection du Travail et des Mines
Nederlands Normalisatie-instituut
Norges Standardiseringsforbund
Instituto Portugus da Qualidade
Asociacin Espaola de Normalizacin y Certificacin
Standardiseringskommissionen i Sverige
Association suisse de normalisation
British Standards Institution

issued since publication

Date

Comments

BS EN 2:1992

Contents
Cooperating organizations
National foreword
Foreword
Text of EN 2
National annex NA (informative) Committees responsible

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Page
Inside front cover
ii
2
3
4

BS EN 2:1992

National foreword
This British Standard has been prepared under the direction of the Fire
Standards Policy Committee and it is the English language version of EN 2:1992
Classification of fires, published by the European Committee for Standardization
(CEN). EN 2 was produced as a result of international discussions in which the
United Kingdom took an active part.
BS EN 2:1992 supersedes BS 4547:1972, which is withdrawn and from which
there are no technical differences.
A British Standard does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a
contract. Users of British Standards are responsible for their correct application .
Compliance with a British Standard does not of itself confer immunity
from legal obligations.

Summary of pages
This document comprises a front cover, an inside front cover, pages i and ii,
the EN title page, pages 2 to 4 and a back cover.
This standard has been updated (see copyright date) and may have had
amendments incorporated. This will be indicated in the amendment table on
the inside front cover.
ii

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EUROPEAN STANDARD

EN 2

NORME EUROPENNE
October 1992

EUROPISCHE NORM

Replaces EN 2:1972

UDC 614.814.41

Descriptors: Classification, fires, fire-fighting, vocabulary

English version

Classification of fires

Classes de feux

Brandklassen

This European Standard was approved by CEN on 1992-10-21. CEN members

are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which
stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a
national standard without any alteration.
Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national
standards may be obtained on application to the Central Secretariat or to any
CEN member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French,
German). A version in any other language made by translation under the
responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the
Central Secretariat has the same status as the official versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium,
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy,
Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and
United Kingdom.

CEN
European Committee for Standardization
Comit Europen de Normalisation
Europisches Komitee fr Normung
Central Secretariat: rue de Stassart 36, B-1050 Brussels
1992 Copyright reserved to CEN members

Ref. No. EN 2:1992 E

EN 2:1992

Foreword
This classiciation of fires was first established by
CEN in 1968 in the Unification Document
CENTRI 2/U1. It was subsequently submitted to
ballot in November 1971 with a view to its
translation into a European Standard, and adopted
by CEN on 21 June 1972. On 19 March 1984 CEN
adopted an amendment to EN 2 consisting of an
addition of an introduction which has been
extracted in whole from ISO 3941 (1977). This
amendment was considered useful and was
requested by CEN/TC 70 at its meeting
on 25/26 March 1982 in Milan, as certain countries
use or have used a specific class of fire to designate
fires in live electrical installations.
At its meeting held in Paris on 29/30 January 1992
CEN/TC 70 has reconfirmed EN 2 without
modifications.
This version supersedes EN 2:1972.
In accordance with the Common CEN/CENELEC
Internal Regulations the following countries are
bound to implement this European Standard:
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy,
Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal,
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
This European Standard shall be given the status of
a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by
April 1993, and conflicting national standards shall
be withdrawn at the latest by April 1993.

Contents
Foreword
0
Introduction
1
Scope
2
Definition and designation of
classes of fires

Page
2
3
3
3

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EN 2:1992

0 Introduction
This standard defines classes of fires according to
the material undergoing combustion.
In consequence it does not define a particular class
of fire involving an electrical risk.

1 Scope
The present document classifies in four categories
the different kinds of fires which can be defined in
terms of the nature of the fuel. Such a classification
is particularly useful in the context of fire fighting
by means of an extinguisher.

2 Definition and designation of classes

of fires
The following designations are for the purpose of
classifying fires of different natures and of
simplifying spoken and written reference to them:
Class A: fires involving solid materials, usually of
an organic nature, in which combustion
normally takes places with the formation
of glowing embers.
Class B: fires involving liquids or liquefiable
solids.
Class C: fires involving gases.
Class D: fires involving metals.

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BS EN 2:1992

National annex NA (informative) Committees responsible

The United Kingdom participation in the preparation of this European Standard was entrusted by the Fire
Standards Policy Committee (FSM/-) to Technical Committee FSM/2, upon which the following bodies were
represented:
Association of Metropolitan Authorities
British Aerosol Manufacturers Association
British Fire Consortium
British Fire Services Association
British Telecommunications plc
Chief and Assistant Chief Fire Officers Association
Consumer Policy Committee of BSI
Department of the Environment (the Buying Agency)
Department of Transport (Marine Directorate)
Fire Extinguishing Trades Association
Health and Safety Executive
Home Office
Independent Fire Equipment Distributors Association
Institution of Fire Engineers
London Fire and Civil Defence Authority
London Regional Transport
Loss Prevention Council
Ministry of Defence
National Association of Fire Officers
Society of Chemical Industry
Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Limited

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BSI
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London
W4 4AL

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