EU: Regulation for reaction-to-fire performance classes of construction products published

 

The EU Commission has published a delegated regulation establishing reaction-to-fire performance classes of construction products.

Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 of the European Parliament and of the Council empowers the Commission to supplement that Regulation by defining classes of performance for essential characteristics falling within the horizontal groupings listed in Annex X. Reaction to fire is expressly included under point 1 of Annex X.

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/364 supplements Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 by establishing classes of performance for the reaction to fire of construction products. However, Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 contains no provisions concerning the continued use of the performance classes established under Regulation (EU) No 305/2011. It is therefore necessary to establish identical classes of performance for products covered by Regulation (EU) 2024/3110, in order to ensure harmonised declarations of performance and preserve regulatory continuity.

The effective implementation of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/364 has shown that the established classes fulfil their intended purpose by providing a harmonised framework for expressing a product’s performance in relation to reaction to fire.

Unlike Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/364, and in light of Article 5(1) of Regulation (EU) 2024/3110, this Delegated Regulation does not specify the assessment methods used to determine the applicable class. The methods and criteria for assessing performance with respect to essential characteristics are instead set out in harmonised technical specifications and European Assessment Documents (EADs). This approach allows for a more flexible and efficient update process. As delegated acts apply directly from their date of entry into force, including dated references to assessment methods in the act itself would require the simultaneous revision of all harmonised technical specifications and EADs upon its adoption—even where the assessment methods remain unchanged—since references to standards must always be dated. By incorporating references to testing and classification standards within harmonised technical specifications and EADs, updates to dated references can be handled within each document’s regular revision cycle.

To find out more about compliance for construction products in the EU and worldwide, do not hesitate to contact the Product Compliance Institute directly.