BRITISH STANDARD BS EN

3-4:1996

Portable fire
extinguishers —
Part 4: Charges, m i n i m u m required fire

The European Standard EN 3-4:1996 has the status of a

British Standard

ICS 13.220.30

NO COPYING WITHOUT BSI PERMISSION EXCEPT AS PERMITTED BY COPYRIGHT LAW

BS EN 3- 4:1996

Committees responsible for this

British Standard

The preparation of this British Standard was entrusted to Technical

Committee FSH/2, Fire extinguishers, upon which the following bodies were
represented:

Association of Metropolitan Authorities

British Compressed Gases Association
British Fire Protection Systems Association
British Fire Services' Association
Chief and Assistant Chief Fire Officers'Association
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
Fire Brigades Union
Fire Extinguishing Trades Association
Home Office
Institution o f F i r e Engineers
London Fire and Civil Defence Authority
Loss Prevention Council
Society ofMotor M a n u f a c t u r e r s and Traders Ltd.
Trades Union Congress

This British Standard, having

been prepared under the
direction of the Health and
Environment Sector Board,
was published under the
authority of the Standards
Board and conies into
effect on Amendments issued since publication
15 May 1996

© BSI 12 1998 Amd. No. Date Comments

The following BSI references

relate to the work on this
standard:
Committee reference FSH/2
Draft for comment 93/301891 DC

ISBN 0 580 25856 4

 BS EN 3- 4:1996

Contents

Page
Committees responsible Inside front cover
National foreword ii
Foreword 2
Text of EN 3-4 3
List of references Inside back cover

©BSI 12 1998 i
BS EN 3- 4:1996

National foreword

This British Standard has been prepared by Technical Committee FSH/2 and is
the English version of EN 3-4:1996 Portable fire extinguishers — P a r t 4: Charges,
minimum required fire, published by the European Committee for
Standardization (CEN).
EN 3-4 was produced as a result of international discussion in which the United
Kingdom took and active part.
Together with BS EN 3, BS EN 3-1 to BS EN 3-6, BS 7863 and BS 78671* it
supersedes BS 5423 which will be withdrawn on J a n u a r y 1st 1997.
The Parts o f B S EN 3 Portable fire extinguishers are as follows:
— Part 1: Description, duration of operation, class A and B fire test;
— Part 2: Tightness, dielectric test, tamping test, special provisions;
— Part 3: Construction, resistance to pressure, mechanical tests;
— Part 4: Charges, minimum required fire;
— Part 5: Specification and supplementary tests;
— Part 6: Provisions for the attestation of conformity of portable fire
extinguishers in accordance with EN 3-1 to EN 3-5.

Cross-references
Publication referred to C o r r e s p o n d i n g British S t a n d a r d
EN 3-1:1996 BS EN 3: Portable fire extinguishers
Part 1:1996 Description, duration of operation, class A
and B standard fires
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.

C o m p l i a n c e with a British S t a n d a r d does not of itself c o n f e r i m m u n i t y

from legal obligations.

S u m m a r y of p a g e s
This document comprises a front cover, an inside front cover, pages i and ii,
the EN title page, pages 2 to 6, an inside back cover 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.

A
In preparation.

ii © BSI 12 1998
EUROPEAN STANDARD E N 3-4
NORME EUROPEENNE
EUROPAISCHE NORM F e b r u a r y 1996

ICS 13.220.30

Descriptors: Fire fighting, fire equipment, fire extinguishers, movable extinguishers, portable equipment, designation, loads, forces,
performance evaluation, dimensions.

English version

P o r t a b l e fire e x t i n g u i s h e r s
P a r t 4: Charges, m i n i m u m r e q u i r e d fire

E x t i n c t e u r s d'incendie p o r t a t i f s — Tragbare Feuerloscher —

P a r t i e 4 : C h a r g e s , f o y e r s m i n i m a u x exigibles Teil 4: F u l l m e n g e n , M i n d e s t a n f o r d e r u n g an das
Loschvermogen

This European Standard was approved by CEN on 1995-09-14. 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
Comite Europeen de Normalisation
Europaisches Komitee f u r Normung

Central Secretariat: rue de Stassart 36, B-1050 B r u s s e l s

© 1993 Copyright reserved to CEN members

Ref. No. EN 3-4:1996 E
EN 3- 4:1996

Foreword Contents
This European Standard has been prepared by Page
Technical Committee CEN/TC 70, Manual means of Foreword 2
fire fighting equipment, the secretariat of which is
1 Scope 3
held by IBN.
2 Normative references 3
This European Standard supersedes EN 3-4:1984.
3 Charges and filling tolerances 3
This European Standard is one Part of EN 3
3.1 Nominal charges 3
prepared by CEN/TC 70.
This European Standard EN 3 consists of 6 Parts 3.2 Filling tolerances 3
and has the generic title Portable fire extinguishers 4 Minimum fire performances 3
and the following different subtitles: 4.1 Minimum performances on
— Part 1: Description, duration of operation, class A fires ,1
class A and B fire test; 4.2 Minimum performances on
— Part 2: Tightness, dielectric test, tamping test, class B fires I
special provision;
Annex A (informative) Italian national
— Part 3: Construction, resistance to pressure,
deviation 5
mechanical tests;
Table 1 3
— Part 4: Charges, minimum required fires;
Table 2 3
— Part 5: Specifications and supplementary tests;
Table 3 3
— Part 6: Provisions for the attestation of
conformity of portable fire extinguishers in Table 4 4
accordance with EN 3-1 to EN 3-5.
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
August 1996, and conflicting national standards
shall be withdrawn at the latest by J a n u a r y 1997.
According to the CEN/CENELEC Internal
Regulations, the national standards organizations
of 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.

2 © BSI 12 1998
 EN 3-4:1996

1 Scope 3.2 Filling t o l e r a n c e s

This Standard specifies the charges of portable fire The actual charge o f t h e extinguisher shall be equal
extinguishers and the minimum required fire to the nominal charge within the tolerances given
i.e. the maximum quantity of extinguishing medium in Table 2.
that is to be used for the extinction of a givenfire Table 2
size. Powder C 0 2 — Halons — W a t e r and water
based m e d i a f o a m s
2 Normative r e f e r e n c e s
1 kg ± 5 % + 0%, - 5 %
This European Standard incorporates by dated or
2 kg ± 3 %
undated references, provisions from other
publications. These normative references are cited > 3 kg ± 2 %
at the appropriate places in the text and the
publications are listed hereafter. For dated 4 Minimum fire p e r f o r m a n c e s
references, subsequent a m e n d m e n t s to or revisions
The maximum allowable quantity of extinguishing
of any of these publications apply to this European
medium required to extinguish specified test fire
Standard only when incorporated in it by
sizes shall be as given in Table 3 and Table 4.
amendment or revision. For undated references the
latest edition of the publication referred to applies. 4.1 M i n i m u m p e r f o r m a n c e s on class A f i r e s
EN 3-1:1996, Portable fire extinguishers — Table 3
Part 1: Description, duration of operation, class A M a x i m u m c h a r g e of e x t i n g u i s h i n g m e d i u m
Fire
and B fire Test. sizes ABC P o w d e r Water based media (inc.foams)

3 Charges and filling t o l e r a n c e s kg 1

3.1 N o m i n a l c h a r g e s 5A 1 3

Nominal charges ofportable fire extinguishers shall 8A 2 6

be equal to one of the values given in Table 1, 13A 4 9
according to the nature of the extinguishing
21A 6 -
medium.
Table 1 27A 9 -

Powder 34A - -

Recommended Tolerated CO., Halons Water, 43A 12 -

values values water based

media and 55A - -

foams NOTE The numbers in these columns indicate in litres or

kilograms the nominal charge of each type of extinguisher in
kg kg kg kg 1 the following countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy,
1 1 Netherlands, Portugal, Spain.

2 2 2 2 See annex A
3 3
4 4

6 6 6
9 9

12 - - -

©BSI 12 1998 3
EN 3-4:1996

4.2 M i n i m u m p e r f o r m a n c e s on c l a s s B f i r e s
Table 4
Fire size Maximum charge of extinguishing medium
Designation Min. d u r a t i o n of Powder co 2 Halon Water b a s e d
operation including foams

s kg kg kg 1
21B 6 1 2 1 -

34B 6 2 - 2 2
55B 9 3 5 4 3
70B 9 4 - 6 -

89B 9 - - - -

113B 12 6 - - 6
144B 15 9 - - -

183B 15 12 - - 9
233B 15 - - - -

NOTE 1 The numbers in these columns indicate in litres or kilograms the nominal charge of each type of extinguisher in the
following countries: Belguim, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain.
NOTE 2 The minimum time given in column 2 relates to the fire on the same line in column 1. It is intended that the minimum
duration of operation should in all cases be as given in Table 1 of EN 3-1:1995

4 © BSI 1998
 EN 3 4:1996

Annex A (informative)
Italian national deviation
NOTE See Table 3 clause 4.
The following is given for information only without
specifications of a transitional period taking into
account that this does not constitute a barrier to
trade.
4 kg and 6 kg halogenated hydrocarbon
extinguishers are also admitted in Italy on class A
test fires with minimum ratings
respectively 5A and 8A.

©BSI 12 1998 5
blank
 BS EN 3-4:1996

List of references

See national foreword.

©BSI 12 1998
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