Fire classification
B1, Class B-s1,d0 or ASTM E84 Class A. Asked for in anything public: offices, hotels, schools, malls, airports, government floors. The class usually gets stricter in exits and corridors than in a private room.
Fire-rated & specified wallcoverings
Fire-rated wallcovering in the UAE — what the specification actually asks for
Most projects do not arrive with a long technical brief. They arrive as a schedule — WC-01, WC-02, WC-03 — each with its own artwork and one line of specification: “Wallcoverings B1 fire rated.” Sometimes it is antibacterial for a hospital or a government floor, or moisture-resistant for a lobby or a washroom. This page explains what those lines mean, which classifications the UAE normally works to, and what we need from you to answer for your wall.
Send us your spec sheetWC schedule, wall sizes and the required class — we come back on what fits.
- B1
- The grade most project schedules ask for — “not readily flammable”, from DIN 4102 and GB 8624
- EN 13501-1
- The European test. A wall finish is usually asked for as B-s1,d0
- ASTM E84
- The American tunnel test. Class A is what most UAE fit-outs name
- Two parts
- The material AND a valid certificate for it — one without the other fails
What “B1 fire rated” means
B1 is a grade, not a standard. It appears in German DIN 4102 and in Chinese GB 8624, and in both it means roughly “not readily flammable”. A spec sheet drawn in Europe or Asia will say B1 and consider the matter closed; a UAE authority will ask which test produced it. These are the three systems a schedule in this region is normally written in.
| Standard | How it grades | What a wall finish is usually asked for |
|---|---|---|
| EN 13501-1 (Europe) | A1, A2, B, C, D, E, F — plus smoke s1–s3 and flaming droplets d0–d2 | Class B-s1,d0 — “B” for the flame, “s1” for almost no smoke, “d0” for no burning droplets |
| ASTM E84 (USA) | Class A, B or C, from a flame-spread index and a smoke-developed index | Class A (flame spread 0–25) in exits, corridors and assembly areas |
| GB 8624 (China) | A, B1, B2, B3 | B1 — the line most often copied onto a schedule drawn in Asia |
| DIN 4102 (Germany) | A1, A2, B1, B2, B3 | B1 — the original source of the phrase “B1 fire rated” |
In practice a fit-out schedule asks for one thing: the certificate for the class it names. Most schedules name B1, and a valid B1 certificate for the material is what answers it — on any project that wants a fire-resistant wallcovering. Some sheets, usually those drawn to an American or European standard, name Class A or B-s1,d0 instead. Read which one your sheet asks for and supply that certificate; what matters more than the system it was issued under is that the report names the material and is still in date.
The certificate matters as much as the material
This is where specified walls are lost, and it is nearly always one of four things.
- 1
The certificate must name the product
A classification report belongs to a specific material from a specific maker. A generic “fire retardant” line on a brochure is not a certificate and will not be accepted as one.
- 2
Printed is not the same as unprinted
Most fire certificates cover the base material as manufactured. Ink, and any laminate over it, can change how it behaves. Ask whether the classification still holds for the material as it will be installed — printed, and laminated if it is laminated.
- 3
Check the dates and the scope
Reports expire and are reissued. Check it is current, and that its scope covers the way the material is fixed to the wall — adhesive and substrate are part of the tested assembly.
- 4
Send it with the quotation, not after
The certificate belongs in the submittal the consultant approves before production starts. Producing it at the end, when the material is already bought, is how a wall gets rejected on paper rather than on performance.
The other specifications projects ask for
Fire is the line that stops a project, but it is rarely the only one on the sheet. These are the requirements we are most often sent in the UAE, and what each one is really asking for.
Antibacterial / antifungal
Hospitals, clinics, laboratories, nurseries and government buildings. Usually a surface treatment tested to ISO 22196 or JIS Z 2801 for bacteria and ASTM G21 for mould. It is a property of the material, not something printing adds.
Read the detailMoisture & water resistance
Washrooms, lobbies, kitchens, coastal and basement walls. Few wallcoverings are truly waterproof; most are moisture-resistant, which is a different promise. In a genuinely wet area the wall build-up matters as much as the covering.
Read the detailScrubbable & commercial grade
Corridors, receptions and schools, where the wall is cleaned and knocked. EN 233/EN 235 describe washable, scrubbable and extra-scrubbable; American specs ask for Type I, II or III by weight, and “Type II commercial grade” is the one most often written.
Read the detailColour & light fastness
Sunlit walls, lobbies and anything behind glass. Specs ask for dry and wet rub fastness — commonly dry ≥ grade 4 and wet ≥ grade 3 — and for the print not to fade under daylight.
Read the detailLow emission & environmental
Increasingly asked for on government and LEED/Estidama projects: formaldehyde and heavy metals within limits, phthalate-free, low VOC, sometimes PVC-free or FSC-certified backing.
Read the detailWhat to send us for a specified wall
Send these and we will come back on what can be met, what cannot, and what the alternative is. We would rather tell you no before you order than after it is printed.
- The specification sheet or the WC schedule — WC-01, WC-02 … exactly as the consultant issued it.
- The required classification, and which standard it has to be certified to.
- Wall sizes: width × height for each wall, measured on site rather than taken off the drawing.
- The artwork for each code, at the size it will be printed.
- Where each wall is — a corridor, a washroom, a private room and a hospital ward are four different answers.
- Which authority will review it, and whether the consultant has already named an accepted standard.
- Whether installation is in your scope or ours.
What we will not tell you
We do not publish a blanket fire rating for our wallcovering, and you should be careful with any supplier who does. A classification belongs to a material and its certificate, for a stated way of installing it — not to a printing company. Tell us the class your project needs and we will confirm what is available for that wall, in writing, before you order. If it cannot be met we will say so and tell you what would meet it.
Questions we are asked
Is B1 fire rated the same as Class A?
They are not the same test. B1 comes from the German DIN 4102 and Chinese GB 8624 systems and means “not readily flammable”; Class A comes from the American ASTM E84 tunnel test and describes a flame-spread index of 0–25. In practice a schedule names one of them, and the certificate for the class it names is what is supplied. B1 is what most schedules ask for, and it answers a project that wants a fire-resistant wallcovering.
What fire rating do UAE projects normally ask for on wallcovering?
Most fit-out schedules ask for B1, and a valid B1 certificate for the material answers it. Schedules drawn to an American or European standard ask instead for ASTM E84 Class A or EN 13501-1 B-s1,d0, and some projects make the requirement stricter in corridors and exits than inside a room. Whichever your sheet names, what is supplied is the certificate for that class — naming the material, and still in date.
Does printing on the wallcovering change its fire rating?
It can. Most classification reports cover the base material as it leaves the factory. Ink layers, and any protective laminate applied over the print, form part of what is actually on the wall. Ask the material supplier whether the classification holds for the material as installed — printed, and laminated where it is laminated — and get that in writing.
What does B-s1,d0 mean?
Three things at once, under EN 13501-1. “B” is the reaction-to-fire class — limited contribution to fire. “s1” is the smoke class — almost no smoke, the best of three. “d0” means no flaming droplets or particles fell during the test, the best of three. A specification that writes only “Class B” has left the smoke and droplet grades open.
We need antibacterial wallcovering for a hospital. Is that a fire rating too?
They are separate requirements and a healthcare wall usually carries both. Antibacterial and antifungal performance comes from a surface treatment on the material, tested to standards such as ISO 22196 or JIS Z 2801 for bacteria and ASTM G21 for mould. Printing does not add it, so it has to be chosen in the material before anything is printed.
Is fire-rated wallcovering waterproof?
Not by default — they are unrelated properties. Most wallcoverings are moisture-resistant rather than waterproof, which is enough for a lobby or a humid corridor but is a different promise from a shower wall. If a wall is genuinely wet, the build-up behind the covering matters as much as the covering itself.
What is Type II commercial-grade wallcovering?
An American classification by weight and durability — Type I is light duty, Type II medium duty and Type III heavy duty. Type II is the one most often written into commercial fit-out specifications for corridors and public areas, because it survives cleaning and knocks. European specs describe the same idea differently, as washable, scrubbable or extra-scrubbable under EN 233 and EN 235.
Our schedule only says “WC-03 — B1 fire rated”. Is that enough to quote?
It is enough to start, not to finish. We would need the wall sizes measured on site, the artwork for that code, where the wall is in the building, and which standard the certificate has to be issued to. Send the schedule as the consultant issued it and we will come back with the questions that are actually missing.
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Hotels & hospitality
Guest rooms, corridors and public areas
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Send the schedule and we will come back on it
Reviewed 2026-10-03