BRITISH STANDARD BS ISO TR

14697:1997

Fire tests —
Guidance on the choice
of substrates for
building products

ICS 13.220.50; 91.100.01

BS ISO TR 14697:1997

National foreword

This British Standard reproduces verbatim ISO TR 14697:1997 and

implements it as the UK national standard.
The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted by Technical Committee
FSH/21, Reaction to fire tests, to Subcommittee FSH/21/9, Conditioning and
substrates, which has the responsibility to:
— aid enquirers to understand the text;
— present to the responsible international/European committee any
enquiries on the interpretation, or proposals for change, and keep the UK
interests informed;
— monitor related international and European developments and
promulgate them in the UK.
A list of organizations represented on this subcommittee can be obtained on
request to its secretary.
Cross-references
The British Standards which implement international or European
publications referred to in this document may be found in the BSI Standards
Catalogue under the section entitled “International Standards Correspondence
Index”, or by using the “Find” facility of the BSI Standards Electronic
Catalogue.
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 ISO title page, pages ii to iv, pages 1 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.

This British Standard, having

been prepared under the
Amendments issued since publication
direction of the Health and
Environment Sector Board, was Amd. No. Date Comments
published under the authority of
the Standards Board and comes
into effect on
15 February 1998

© BSI 04-1999

ISBN 0 580 29231 2

 BS ISO TR 14697:1997

Contents

Page
National foreword Inside front cover
Foreword iii
Text of ISO/TR 14697 1

© BSI 04-1999 i
ii blank
BS ISO TR 14697:1997

Contents
Page
Foreword iii
1 Scope 1
2 Definitions 1
3 Guidance rules 1
4 Storage of reference substrates 3
5 Methods of application to the substrate 3
Annex A: Bibliography 4
Table 1 — Reference substrates 2
Table 2 — Combustible reference substrates 3

Descriptors: Buildings, fire protection, building components, substrates, tests, fire tests, rules
(instructions), selection, use.

ii
 BS ISO TR 14697:1997

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide
federation of national standards bodies (ISO members bodies). The work of
preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO technical
committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented in that
committee. International organizations, governmental and non-governmental,
in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards, but
in exceptional circumstances a technical committee may propose the publication
of a Technical Report of one of the following types:
— type 1, when the required support cannot be obtained for the publication of
an International Standard, despite repeated efforts;
— type 2, when the subject is still under technical development or where for
any other reason there is the future but not immediate possibility of an
agreement on an International Standard;
— type 3, when a technical committee has collected data of a different kind
from that which is normally published as an International Standard (“state of
the art”, for example).
Technical Reports of types 1 and 2 are subject to review within three years of
publication, to decide whether they can be transformed into International
Standards. Technical Reports of type 3 do not necessarily have to be reviewed
until the data they provide are considered to be no longer valid or useful.
ISO/TR14697, which is a Technical Report of type 3, was prepared by Technical
Committee ISO/TC 92, Fire safety, Subcommittee SC 1, Reaction to fire tests.

© BSI 04-1999 iii

iv blank

1 Scope
This Technical Report gives guidance on the choice
of substrates for building products when carrying
out reaction-to-fire tests.
Many building products are produced and used in
combination with other materials; for example,
wall-coverings are adhered to many different
substrates, which vary in their thickness, density,
thermal conductivity and flammability
characteristics. When selecting a substrate on
which to fix a sample of building product for
reaction-to-fire testing, the guidelines given in this
Technical Report should be followed.
2 Definitions
For the purpose of this Technical Report, the
definitions given in ISO/IEC Guide 52 together with
the following apply.
2.1
assembly
fabrication of materials and/or composites
NOTE This may include an air gap.
EXAMPLE Dry wall partition.
2.2
coating
product applied as a liquid or a powder to a
substrate which will cure or dry into a continuous
protective facing to the substrate
2.3
composite
combination of materials which are recognised in
building construction as discrete entities
EXAMPLE Coated, faced or laminated materials.
2.4
exposed surface
that surface of the product subjected to the heating
conditions of the test or fire in end-use
2.5
facing
thin pre-produced sheet material which is applied to
the substrate using an adhesive or the self-adhesive
properties of the substrate or fixing
2.6
material
single basic substance or uniformly dispersed
mixture
2.7
product
material, composite or assembly about which
information is required
© BSI 04-1999
BS ISO TR 14697:1997
2.8
spacers
non-combustible material applied in the form of
edge strips to a non-combustible substrate to
provide an air gap behind a product for testing
purposes
2.9
substrate
material which is used or is representative of that
used immediately beneath a surface in end-use
EXAMPLE Plasterboard beneath a wallcovering.
NOTE This definition of a substrate is different from that given
in ISO 2424. For textile floor coverings, the substrate is
considered to be part of the floor covering assembly below the use
surface. In the context of this fire testing standard, the substrate
should be chosen to represent the type of floor on which the
textile or non-textile floor covering is placed.
3 Guidance rules
3.1 Rule 1: In all cases, end-use substrates are
preferred
The term end-use substrate applies not only to the
material immediately beneath the surface to be
tested, but also to the method of attachment which
must also be end-use in terms of the type and
application, where appropriate.
If the product has both primary and secondary
substrates in end-use practice, the test specimen
should be prepared to incorporate both substrates
(the second substrate may be an air gap); e.g. a
paint coating to a steel plate which has an
insulation substrate beneath as in a sandwich panel
construction. The paint layer in this case should be
tested together with the steel and the insulation.
NOTE 1 The test method will define the required specimen
dimensions.
NOTE 2 In no test method should water or another highly
conductive liquid be used as a secondary substrate.
This requirement for end-use testing is necessary
since underlying layers of material and also various
methods of attachment are known to have a
profound effect on the fire performance of the
surface product. The effects are more pronounced
when assessing some parameters than others; for
example, the choice of substrates when assessing
the spread of flame performance of a material can
make the difference between having the lowest or
highest level of performance for the same surface
material. Choice of the method of attachment can
also effect performance since partial delamination
can create a significantly worse fire performance
due to the insulatory air layer created between the
material and the substrate.
1
BS ISO TR 14697:1997
Table 1 — Reference substrates
Reference substrate Density
(kg/m3)
a) Fibre cement board 1 800 ± 100
b) Calcium silicate board 750 ± 100
c) Gypsum plasterboarda 800 ± 100
d) Mineral wool rock slabd 50 ± 10e
e) Steel sheet 7 850 ± 50
f)Aluminium sheet 2 700 ± 50
a With paper not exceeding 300 g/m2 on either side.
b CFE = Crucial flux at extinguishment
c Qsb = Heat for sustained burning
d Mass loss less than 3 % at 550 °C (ISO 1887).
e Purchase density.
In some actual uses, the substrate may be “air” since
an airgap is formed in the construction of the lining
to wall, ceiling or floor surface, by the use of
battens, etc. If an airgap is used in practice, then
this should be simulated in the preparation and
testing of the specimen.
3.2 Rule 2: As an alternative option, for
non-combustible (i.e. PCS1) = 0 when tested to
ISO 1716) substrates or substrates of limited
combustibility (i.e. PCS1) < 1,0 MJ/kg when
tested to ISO 1716), the following reference
substrates may be used to represent end use
substrates having a density which is equal to
or more than the nominal value of the density
of the reference substrate (see Table 1)
The substrates all have very little contribution to
the “fire” itself in terms of combustibility but all
effect the fire characteristics of the surface product
due to their different thermal inertias.
Gypsum plasterboard has been included despite its
similar density to calcium silicate board due to its
different fire performance properties and the
differences exhibited by various surfaces
particularly in terms of spread of flame when tested
using the two different substrates.
Gypsum plasterboard due to its water content tends
to yield a slightly worse fire performance when used
as a substrate when compared to calcium silicate
board; the water content increasing the probability
of a reduction of adhesion between itself and the
upper surface layer.
1)
PCS = gross calorific potential
2 © BSI 04-1999
Fire performance when
Thickness Thermal inertia assessed to ISO 1716 or
ISO 5658-2
(mm) (W2·s/m4 K2)
6±1 about 9,0 × 104 PCS = 0 kJ/kg
11 ± 2 about 9,0 × 104 PCS = 0 kJ/kg
12 ± 1 5,8 × 105 CFEb > 15,0 kW/m2
Qsbb > 3,2 MJ/m2
20 ± 5 about 1 × 103 PCS < 1 000 kJ/kg
0,8 ± 0,1 2,4 × 108 Inert
3 ± 0,5 4,7 × 106 Inert
In some countries plasterboard is considered to be combustible.
3.3 Rule 3: Reference substrates may be used
to assess surface coatings (e.g. paint) but
where a product in its end-use form provides a
multilayer (i.e. surface, adhesive and
substrate) end-use substrates and methods of
attachment must be used (see clause 5)
A study on a number of reference substrates
(see reference [1]) has been conducted which
provides a theoretical and practical understanding
of the problem of substrate selection. It concludes
that the outcome of the test should reflect the fire
behaviour of the real product in practical
applications. Therefore, the substrate of the test
specimens should be as representative of the
common use as possible: The report goes on to
identify areas where substrates have no effect on
the results and these are mainly where:
a) the testing time is short;
b) the specimen is fairly thick.
3.4 Rule 4: Where the substrates used in
practice are combustible, the material should
preferably be tested together with its end-use
substrate and method of attachment
The use of reference substrates should be avoided
since it is not possible to predict how the underlying
combustible substrate (and its method of
attachment) will influence the fire behaviour of the
surface product.
 BS ISO TR 14697:1997

3.5 Rule 5: Where a standardized combustible 5.2 Joints

substrate is required, then the recommended For intermediate-scale and for large-scale
reference substrate may be used to represent testing (e.g. ISO 9705), the influence of joints within
end-use substrates which have a density the assembly on the burning behaviour of the
which is equal to or more than the density of product should be assessed by reproducing the
the reference substrate (see Table 2) end-use joint. For small-scale testing, the influence
of joints cannot be accurately assessed and the
4 Storage of reference substrates relevance of test results obtained should be
Reference substrates should be stored in a considered; usually a clear statement must be made
conditioning atmosphere at a temperature in the test report whenever this situation occurs.
of (23 ± 2) °C and a relative humidity of (50 ± 5) % 5.3 Edge covers
(ISO 554) until constant mass is achieved, at which
time they are ready for use. The substrate should In some end-use assemblies, the edges of a product
only be stored for a maximum of 3 years after which are covered by structural elements of the
time it shall be discarded. The substrates should be building (e.g. steel beams, concrete pillars) and it is
discarded after test and not reused. difficult to reproduce end-use conditions in the
laboratory. Some small-scale
NOTE When testing involves the assessment of mass loss,
considerable error can be introduced due to the moisture content simulations (e.g. application of siliceous coatings to
of the substrate. It is therefore recommended that the substrate the edges of the substrate and its surface-covering)
be dried at a temperature of (105 ± 2) °C for 24 h prior to use on may be permitted provided the type of coating, its
these tests. Alternatively, a control test using the substrate alone application procedure and conditioning treatment
can be conducted to determine the effects of moisture content.
prior to reaction-to-fire testing are stated in the test
5 Methods of application to the report.
substrate Where a product in its end-use form is always used
with covered edges, the product should be tested
5.1 Methods of attachment with its edges covered by the method used in
Wherever possible, the method of attachment in end-use, e.g. by sealing strips, etc. Where a product
end-use practice should be reproduced in the is used with a substrate and the edges of the product
preparation of the specimen for test; i.e. end-use and its substrate are both covered, this should also
adhesive and end-use quantities, etc. If the order in be reproduced for the test.
which the attachments are conducted is known, this 5.4 Construction of air gaps
should also be reproduced in the test
specimen; e.g. if the adhesive is applied to the An air gap is normally constructed by placing the
substrate and not to the surface product in practice, specimen over spacers mounted around the
then it should be applied to the substrate during test perimeter of a non-combustible board so that an
specimen preparation. The same or greater time for enclosed air gap is provided between the unexposed
curing and drying as used in end-use practice should surface of the specimen and the non-combustible
also be allowed. board. The thickness of the spacers used should be
representative of the end use air gap. The spacers
In some instances, with certain methods of
should be constructed from non-combustible board.
attachment or due to the size of the
specimen, e.g. for ISO 5660-1 where the specimen
size is 100 mm × 100 mm square, it may not be
possible to fix as in practice; e.g. if the specimen in
this case, is nailed. It is therefore recommended that
the specimen is attached in an appropriate and
representative manner.
Table 2 — Combustible reference substrates
Reference substrate Density Thickness Fire performance
3
(kg/m ) (mm)

Particle board, not fire 680 ± 5.0 15 ± 5 CFE $ 5,5 kW/m2

retardant treated, for Qsb $ 2,35 MJ/m2
internal use in accordance when assessed to
with ISO 820 ISO 5658-2

© BSI 04-1999 3
BS ISO TR 14697:1997

Annex A Bibliography
[1] Keski-Rahkonen, O. Effect of the substrate on the results of the fire tests on thin layers of floor, wall
and ceiling coverings. VTT Publication 111, 1992, VTT, Espoo, Finland.
[2] ISO/IEC Guide 52:1990, Glossary of fire terms and definitions.
[3] ISO 554:1976, Standard atmospheres for conditioning and/or testing — Specifications.
[4] ISO 820:1975, Particle boards — Definitions and classification.
[5] ISO 1716:1973, Building materials — Determination of calorific potential.
[6] ISO 1887:1995, Textile glass — Determination of combustible-matter content.
[7] ISO 2424:1992, Textile floor coverings — Vocabulary.
[8] ISO 5658-2:1996, Reaction to fire tests — Spread of flame — Part 2: Lateral spread on building products
in vertical configuration.
[9] ISO 5660-1:1993, Fire tests — Reaction to fire — Part 1: Rate of heat release from building products.
[10] ISO 9705:1993, Fire tests — Full-scale room test for surface products.

4 © BSI 04-1999
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BS ISO TR
14697:1997
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