Do You Need Fire Rated Notice Boards For Offices?

Where Do I Need Fire Rated Noticeboards?

Fire-retardant notice boards are highly recommended for use in corridors, escape routes and large unsupervised areas in public buildings and institutions – or any location where there are 25 people or more present at one time. This applies to offices, schools, colleges, universities, nurseries, training centres, libraries, medical facilities, government buildings, town halls and community centres.

Browse our full range of fire rated notice boards

Understanding Fire Ratings

The fire ratings system can seem complicated and difficult to understand; so we’re here to break down the jargon for you into simple, easy-to-understand points.

British Fire Rating Standards

The British fire rating standard is called BS 2476. It rates products from class 0 to class 4, with class 0 being the highest (safest). The British test covers the spread of flame and is designed to ensure the product won’t contribute to the growth of a fire.

As a part of the certification process for British Fire Rating Standard BS 2476, notice boards are tested under two other certifications:

BS 5897 part 2 1980 - this refers to the type of fabric
BS 476 part 7 - this refers to the lateral spread of a fire after 1.5 – 10 minutes

Once BS 5897 and BS 476 have been tested and passed, the product is then subjected to two further tests:

Igniting a fire directly at the front of the board
Lighting the bottom edge of the noticeboard

These tests determine how the noticeboard affects the spread of a blaze under the BS 2476 standard, eventually leading to an allocation of Class 0- Class 4..

European Fire Rating Standards

The European fire safety standard is called BS EN 13501. It rates products from class A to class F, with class A being the highest (safest). There are currently no UK notice board suppliers who manufacture noticeboards higher than class B. The European test looks at what happens when the noticeboard burns and seeks to identify which – if any – harmful fumes, energy and smoke is emitted from the noticeboard when it is alight.

More Information

In addition to the fire rating standards (both British and European) listed above, you will also find other classifications listed on our notice board technical specifications. The ONLY classifications that pertain to fire retardancy are the BS 2476 and BS EN 13501 mentioned above. All other classifications cover different tests, such as the reaction of the fabric to artificial light or natural daylight, colour fastness and fading, etc.

Flameshield Tamperproof Class 0 Noticeboards

Flameshield Fire Resistant Noticeboards Aluminium Frame

What Kind of Fire Rated Noticeboard Should I Choose?

Our Flameshield collection of notice boards are the safest and most effective fire rated notice boards available. They are certified under both UK and European fire safety regulations, meaning that both the central board and covering felt fabric are flame retardant according to British Standards BS 2476 - Class 0 and European Standards BS EN 13501 - Class B (the highest available in the UK). This rating essentially means the entire board is non-combustible, and they emit little to no toxic fumes, energy or smoke. As a result, they are the safest solution you can buy for schools, hospitals and other public spaces with a footfall exceeding 25 people.

Some of our Flameshield products, such as our Tamperproof Flameshield Notice Boards, have a plastic door. It is not possible to get plastic that is completely immune from fire; the only way to achieve this would be with glass, but glass is exceptionally heavy and poses its own health and safety risks. The plastic door on our Flameshield products is rated 1Y, which complies with all British and European safety standards. This means that in the event of a fire, the door is designed to simply fall away from the board.

All of our Flameshield notice boards can be used with pins or Velcro tabs to display items. They are available in a range of different size options, and can be mounted in either portrait or landscape orientation. Choose between blue, grey, green or red fabric finishes - or speak to our team for bespoke options.

Smartshield Notice Boards

Our Smartshield notice boards are certified under both UK and European fire safety regulations, meaning that both the central board and covering felt fabric are flame retardant according to British Standards BS 2476 - Class 0 and European Standards BS EN 13501 - Class B (the highest available in the UK). They fall under the Flameshield category of notice boards.

Alternative Notice Boards

We sell a wide range of different fire-retardant notice boards, all of which are compliant with British Safety Fire Rated Standards.

For more information on fire rated noticeboards, please reach out to our team via our Contact Us page or on 01234 676767.

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