Construction Products Directive (CPD)
26 October 2007 BCA statement
REACTION TO FIRE OF CABLES – EUROCLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO THE CONSTRUCTION PRODUCT DIRECTIVE
BCA STATEMENT OF POSITION
Electric cables have finally obtained a European
Classification for their Reaction-to-Fire (*) performance.
The Decision n.2006/751/CE was published on the
EC Official Journal on 27 October 2006.
The cables will be grouped in 7 Classes, A, B1, B2, C,
D, E and F. Their contribution to fire, measured by heat
release and flame spread, is the main classification
criteria, but the emissions of smoke and its acidity are
considered as additional classification criteria.
To enable Notified Bodies (third party bodies recognized
and notified by any Member State) to issue certification of
product conformity, it is necessary to prepare European
Harmonized Product Standards (ENs) and other
supporting standards under Mandate of the European
Commission.
It is the job of CENELEC to develop and publish the
necessary test methods, classification, extended
application rules and product standards to enable
product certification. It is expected that this process
will take place over the next 2 - 3 years.
At present (October 2007) and until the time of the
publication of the Mandated standards mentioned above,
it is not possible to issue any certification for CE marking
according to the CPD for cables. Any “CPD approved”
reference on cables is incorrect, misleading and has to
be interpreted as an inappropriate attempt to influence
the markets and National Authorities.
National Authorities will, where appropriate, include the
classification into National Regulations indicating which
Class is mandatory when applied to a particular
Construction. In these regulated applications, only
CE marked certified cables should be used.
The present position of the UK government is not to
include reaction to fire for cables as a mandatory
requirement in the Building Regulations.
We will inform all interested parties in time on the further
steps of implementation.
26 October 2007
(*) The response of a material under specific test
conditions in contributing by its own decomposition
to a fire to which it is exposed.