Fire resistant

Eribel manufactures and installs a wide range of fire doors and other fire-resistant interior joinery. Fire resistance is intended to limit the spread of a fire within a building for a certain period of time. With Eribel fire-resistant doors, windows, and walls, we can contain fire for up to 120 minutes, in accordance with both Belgian and the new European standards.

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Until now, the fire resistance of interior joinery has been assessed in each country based on a national standard. In Belgium, fire resistance is defined as the time (Rf, expressed in minutes) during which the joinery simultaneously meets the criteria of flame tightness (E) and thermal insulation (I).

For example, an Eribel fire door can have an Rf value of 120 minutes, meaning that this door can contain a fire for up to two hours. Fire-resistant doors are also sometimes referred to as Rf doors.

For several years, we have been transitioning to a European standardization. The European classification system is structured somewhat differently. It refers to several performance metrics determined by three main criteria: flame tightness (E), thermal insulation (I), and radiation (W).

Flame tightness (E) is determined based on three measurement criteria:

Cotton wads placed close to the door must not ignite.
No continuous flame (longer than 10 seconds) should form on the protected side of the door.
There must be no opening larger than 25 mm in diameter and no single opening larger than 150 mm at a height of 6 mm.

Heat radiation (EW) is measured as a radiation flux on the protected side at 1 meter from the element being measured. The result of this measurement must not exceed 15 kW/m². This parameter (W) is never indicated alone but always in conjunction with the flame tightness criterion (E).

Thermal insulation (EI) is a parameter that measures the temperature rise on the protected side of the door. To measure this temperature rise, thermocouples are placed at various standard locations on the joinery. Insulation (I) for doors is further divided into two categories: I1 and I2. The I1 tests are more stringent than the I2 tests.

EI2 (for doors)

Maximum temperature of door leaf = 180°C (measured at 100 mm from the edge)
Maximum temperature rise of frame = 360°C

EI1 (for doors)

Maximum temperature of door leaf = 180°C (measured at 25 mm from the edge)
Maximum temperature rise of frame = 180°C
Maximum average temperature = 140°C

For example, an Eribel fire door with an EI1 value of 120 minutes can withstand fire for up to two hours. Another term for fire doors is therefore 'EI1 doors'.

Fire resistance standards per country:

E: Anglo-Saxon countries, France

EW: Netherlands, France

EI: Most EU countries including Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, etc.

EI2 (Doors): France, Germany, Italy, Spain, etc.
EI1 (Doors): Belgium, etc.

Fire resistance test

The standard describes the general conditions required for conducting fire resistance tests. To ensure consistent results across European laboratories, the test conditions are identical: thermal load, overpressure in the furnace, oxygen content, etc. During the test, we simulate a fire and study the response of the construction in terms of Flame tightness (E), Heat radiation (EW), and Thermal insulation (EI).

	Europe							Belgium
Standards	Doors or Door and window combinations				Fixed Windows/Glazed walls			Doors or Door and window combinations	Fixed Windows/Glazed walls
	EN 16034 EN 15269-3 (Exap) EN 1634-1 (Test) EN 13501-2 (Classificatie)				EN 14449 EN 15254-4 (Exap) EN 15254-5 (Exap) EN 15725 (Exap) EN 1364-1 (Test) EN 13501-2 (Classificatie)			NBN 713-020 + Benor/ATG	Europese klassering
Classes	E 30 E 60 E 90 E 120	EW 30 EW 60 EW 90 EW 120	EI2 30 EI2 60 EI2 90 EI2 120	EI1 30 EI1 60 EI1 90 EI1 120	E 30 E 60 E 90 E 120	EW 30 EW 60 EW 90 EW 120	EI 30 EI 60 EI 90 EI 120	Rf 30 Rf 60 Rf 90 Rf 120

Secondary performances

Our fire-resistant products can be enhanced with one or more additional performances: acoustic, intrusion-resistant, airtight, smoke-resistant, radiation-resistant, thermal insulation, and water-resistant.