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.