Standards tell you what.
We help explain why.

Understand how fire and materials requirements apply to your product or material choices.

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Understand how fire and materials requirements apply to your product or material choices.

Request Assessment

Standards by fire performance

Reaction to fire
Fire behaviour & flammability

Reaction to fire
Smoke emission

Reaction to fire
Toxicity

Fire resistance
Cable & systems

Reaction-to-fire testing can be used to examine how readily a material ignites, how flame develops or spreads, how much heat is released and other aspects of its behaviour during fire exposure.

Selected standards and methods include:
BS 476-6 — Method of test for fire propagation for products (established/legacy)
BS 476-7 — Surface Spread of Flame (established/legacy)
BS EN 13823 — Single Burning Item (SBI) Test
BS EN ISO 11925-2 — Ignitability – Single-Flame Source Test

BS EN ISO 1716 — Gross Heat of Combustion
BS EN ISO 1182 — Non-Combustibility Test
IMO MSC 307(88) Part 1 — Non-Combustibility Test (established/legacy)
BS 476-4 — Non-Combustibility Test (established/legacy)
ISO 5658-2 — Lateral Spread of Flame
IMO 2010 FTP Code Part 5 — Surface Flammability Test
ISO 5660-2 — Heat Release Rate – Cone Calorimeter
ISO 4589-2 — Oxygen Index – Ambient Temperature
ISO 4589-3 — Temperature Index
UL 94 — Flammability of Plastic Materials

The quantity and density of smoke produced during combustion can be a significant consideration, particularly within enclosed transport, infrastructure, marine, defence and aerospace environments.

Selected standards and methods include:
BS EN ISO 5659-2 — Determination of optical density by a single-chamber test
ASTM E662 — Specific Optical Density of Smoke
DEF STAN 02-711 — Smoke Index of Products of Combustion (Legacy)
IMO 2010 FTP Code Part 2 — Smoke and Toxicity Test

STANAG 4602 AFAP-2 — NATO Reaction-to-Fire Tests for Materials – Smoke Density
BS EN 3475-601 — Aerospace Series: Cable Smoke Density
ABD0031-7.3.1 — Airbus Smoke Density Test
BS 6853 Annex D.8.3 — Smoke Density – Mass (Legacy)
BS 6853 Annex D.8.4 — Smoke Density – Area (Legacy)
BS 6853 Annex D.8.6 — Smoke Density – Flooring (Legacy)
BS 6853 Annex D.8.7 — Smoke Density – Cables (Legacy)

Understanding fire behaviour can also require examination of the gases and fire effluents produced during combustion.

Selected standards and methods include:
EN 17084 Method 1 — Toxicity of Fire Effluents – Smoke Chamber/FTIR Method
EN 17084 Method 2 / NF X 70-100 — Analysis of Toxic Gases from Fire Effluents
BS EN ISO 5659-2 with ISO 19702 — Smoke Generation and Fire Effluent Analysis
DEF STAN 02-713 — Toxicity Index of Combustion Products
EN 45545-2 / EN 17084 — Toxicity of Fire Effluents for Railway Materials and Products

IMO 2010 FTP Code Part 2 — Smoke and Toxicity Test
STANAG 4602 AFAP-3 — NATO Reaction-to-Fire Tests for Materials – Gas Toxicity
BS 6853 Annex B.1 — Toxicity Assessment of Fire Effluents – Area
ABD0031-7.4 — Airbus Toxicity Assessment of Fire Effluents
BS 6853 Annex B.2 — Toxicity Assessment of Fire Effluents – Area
BS EN 60754-1 — Halogen Acid Gas Content from Cable Materials
BS EN IEC 60754-2 — Acidity (pH) and Conductivity of Cable Materials

Fire-resistant cables and systems can be required to maintain circuit integrity during fire exposure, sometimes alongside additional mechanical or water conditions.

Cable and system requirements include:
BS 8592
BS 7629-1
BS 7846

Associated specifications include:
BS 5839-1
BS 5839-8
BS 5839-9
BS 5266-1
BS 8519

Selected standards and test methods include:
EN 50200 — Circuit Integrity of Cables Under Fire with Mechanical Shock
BS 8434-2 — Fire Resistance of Cables with Mechanical Shock and Water Spray
BS 6387 — Circuit Integrity of Cables Under Fire, Water and Mechanical Shock (CWZ)
BS 8491 — Fire Integrity of Large-Diameter Power Cables
BS 8519 Annex D — Fire Resistance Test Methods for Category 3 Control Cables
IEC 60331-3 — Circuit Integrity Under Fire – Cables Tested in Metal Enclosure

Current evidence. Legacy standards. New requirements.

Standards by sector

Requirements differ considerably between industries, geographical markets and individual operators. Explore some of the key standards, specifications and codes we work with across our core sectors.

Standards information last reviewed: September 2026. Applicability is assessed in context and standards may be revised or superseded.

Europe & UK

EN 45545-2
Fire behaviour requirements of materials and components.

EN 45545-3
Fire resistance requirements for fire barriers. Our expertise also extends to other applicable parts of the EN 45545 series, according to the product, application and assessment required.

London Underground

LU S1085
Materials used in stations and tunnel infrastructure.
LU S1180
Materials used in rolling stock. We also work with other applicable London Underground rolling-stock requirements.

North America

NFPA 130
Fire Protection for Fixed Guideway Transit and Passenger Rail Systems.

ASTM E2061

Fire Hazard Assessment of Rail Transportation Vehicles. Our experience also encompasses applicable FRA requirements.

International & other markets

Rail products can be subject to national, operator and project-specific requirements beyond the standards listed above. We can review the intended application and market to establish which requirements need to be considered.

Legacy railway requirements

Historic standards remain relevant when assessing older products, vehicles, approvals and existing test information.

Our experience includes:

BS 6853 — UK
DIN 5510-2 — Germany
NF F 16-101 / NF F 16-102 — France
UIC 564-2

We support both current and legacy railway fire requirements, particularly where existing test evidence needs to be considered against current requirements or historic vehicle approvals are being reviewed.

Fire safety codes, standards & guidance

Our work covers fire safety requirements used across buildings, major infrastructure and construction projects.

Approved Document B
Fire Safety in Buildings.
BS 9999
Fire Safety in the Design, Management and Use of Buildings.
BS 9991
Fire Safety in the Design, Management and Use of Residential Buildings.
BS 9992
Fire Safety in the Design, Management and Use of Rail Infrastructure.

Fire performance & classification

We also work across product fire-performance and classification requirements, including:

BS EN 13501-1
Fire Classification of Construction Products – Reaction to Fire.
BS EN 13501-5
Fire Classification of Roofs – External Fire Exposure.
BS EN 13501-6
Fire Classification of Electric Cables – Reaction to Fire.
BS 476 series
Fire Tests on Building Materials and Structures.
BS 8414 series
Fire Performance of External Cladding Systems.
Alongside other applicable EN fire-test and classification standards

Defence applications can bring together national standards, NATO requirements and specifications developed for individual platforms, equipment or programmes.

We work with applicable UK Defence Standards (DEF STANs), including platform and application-specific fire safety requirements, alongside relevant land, air and equipment specifications.

Key requirements include:

STANAG 4602 (NATO/NSA)
Assessment of reaction-to-fire of materials.
DEF STAN 07-247
Selection of Materials on the Basis of Their Fire Characteristics.

The applicable requirement can depend heavily on the product, platform and intended application. We therefore consider the wider context rather than treating a standard in isolation.

Marine and naval products may need to satisfy international maritime codes, UK requirements and, for naval applications, applicable defence or platform-specific specifications.

Our experience includes:

SOLAS
International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.
IMO MSC 307(88) Annex 1 FTP Code
International Code for Application of Fire Test Procedures.
IMO HSC Code
International Code of Safety for High-Speed Craft.
MCA requirements

UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency requirements. We can also work with other applicable Defence Standards and platform-specific requirements relevant to marine and naval applications.

Aerospace fire and materials requirements can vary according to aircraft category, product, manufacturer, platform and programme.

Our experience includes:

CS-25
Fire and materials requirements applicable to large aeroplanes.
14 CFR Part 25 / FAR 25
Fire and materials requirements for transport-category aeroplanes.
ABD0031 Aircraft Material Fire Test
Airbus standard.

We also work with applicable platform and programme-specific fire-performance specifications.

Standards are only useful when you understand how they apply

Fire and materials requirements can change according to the product, material, application, sector and market. Add historic approvals, legacy test data and operator-specific specifications, and establishing how they’ll perform is not always straightforward.

Optimi Global works across current and legacy standards, specifications and codes to establish what applies, interpret the requirements and examine how your existing technical information fits against them.

Our role is to help you understand what a standard means in your specific application, for the product in front of you, and what your existing data supports, plus what may still be required.

Independent technical assessments & interpretation

Optimi Global provides independent technical assessment and interpretation of fire-performance evidence against recognised national, European and international standards, or their equivalents.

We assess standards in context. A test report alone does not always confirm product suitability. Optimi Global reviews the product construction, test specimen, field of application, manufacturing continuity, product-family scope, installation context and end-user requirements to determine whether the evidence supports the claimed performance.

Our standards expertise covers reaction to fire, fire resistance, smoke emission, toxicity, flame propagation, cable fire performance, railway rolling stock, underground infrastructure, construction products and specialist safety-critical applications.

Inclusion of a standard on this website does not mean that every product is assessed against every listed standard. The applicable standards and assessment route depend on the product type, intended application, sector, available evidence and customer requirements.

What happens when the standard changes, but the product does not?

Products, systems and assets can remain in service long after the requirements against which they were originally tested have changed.

This can leave you, as manufacturers, operators and asset owners, needing to establish how historic results relate to a current specification, whether other evidence remains relevant and what further work may be necessary.

Optimi Global can examine legacy test information alongside current requirements, identify relevant differences and establish what the available data can reasonably support.

This is particularly relevant across long-life sectors such as rail, infrastructure, defence and marine, where products, vehicles and systems may continue to operate against historic approvals.

Selected standards, not an exhaustive list

The standards, specifications, codes and test methods shown here represent examples within our areas of expertise. This is not an exhaustive list.

The appropriate requirements and assessment route will depend on the product, material, construction, intended application, sector, available evidence and performance claim.

If you cannot see the standard or specification you are working with, get in touch.

Not sure which standards apply?
Bring it to us.

Start with the product, not the standard. You do not need to arrive knowing the exact standard, test method or assessment route.

We can establish the applicable requirements; review the information you already have and help determine the most appropriate next steps.

Talk to our experts