This service offers comprehensive testing and classification of construction materials and products with respect to their reaction to fire performance, in accordance with European and international standards. Carried out at NTUA’s accredited Reaction to Fire Laboratory (certified under ELOT EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017 – Certificate No. 1191), the service enables manufacturers, researchers, and developers to validate and certify the fire safety characteristics of their materials, both at component and building envelope levels.

Reaction to fire refers to how materials respond when exposed to a flame or heat source, including their ignitibility, heat release, smoke production, flame spread, and potential for producing flaming droplets. These parameters are essential for determining the classification of a material according to the European Construction Products Regulation (CPR), particularly under standards like EN 13501-1 and EN 13823 (SBI test).

The testing campaign includes several complementary methods, depending on the intended use and nature of the sample:

• Cone Calorimeter: Measures heat release rate, ignition time, and combustion behavior on small flat samples.

• Ignitibility Test: Assesses the ease with which materials catch fire when exposed to a small flame.

• Bomb Calorimeter: Calculates the total heat of combustion of the material in powder form.

• Non-Combustibility Test: Evaluates whether the material can be classified as A1 or A2 (non-combustible) under the Euroclass system.

• Single Burning Item (SBI) Test: Full-scale reaction to fire test for wall and insulation systems, performed in a corner setup, to simulate realistic fire exposure in a building.

Samples can include individual materials (e.g., insulation, coatings, mortars), composite products, or full envelope systems (e.g., wall assemblies with support structure, insulation, and finishing). The SBI test in particular evaluates material systems in their assembled configuration and delivers a classification useful for CE marking and regulatory compliance.

The laboratory facilities are equipped to handle both research-level testing and standardized certification procedures, offering support from early development to market deployment.