EU: Construction products – reaction-to-fire and resistance-to-fire performance classes

 

IL European Commission has published for consultation two draft acts establishing reaction-to-fire E resistance-to-fire performance classes under Regulation (EU) 2024/3110. The aim is to ensure the harmonised declaration of these essential characteristics and to maintain regulatory continuity with Regulation (EU) No 305/2011.

Reaction-to-Fire Performance Classes

Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 empowers the Commission to define performance classes for essential characteristics listed in Annex X, which addresses reaction to fire under point 1. Previously, Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/3642 supplemented Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 by establishing reaction-to-fire performance classes for construction products. However, Regulation 2024/3110 does not address the use classes established under Regulation 305/2011. Therefore, it is necessary to establish identical classes of performance for products covered by Regulation 2024/3110 to ensure harmonised declaration and continuity.

The effective implementation of Delegated Regulation 2016/364 has demonstrated that performance classes provide a harmonised system to express a product’s reaction-to-fire performance. Unlike Delegated Regulation 2016/364, this draft regulation does not specify the assessment methods for determining the applicable class. Assessment methods and criteria are provided in harmonised technical specifications E European Assessment Documents (EADs). This change allows for smoother updates to technical specifications and EADs. Including dated references to standards directly in the delegated act would require simultaneous updates of all related documents, even when the assessment methods themselves remain unchanged. By referencing testing and classification standards within harmonised technical specifications and EADs, updates can be managed through the normal revision process of each document.

Resistance-to-Fire Performance Classes

Similarly, Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 empowers the Commission to establish performance classes for resistance-to-fire, explicitly addressed under point 2 of Annex X. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1681 previously established resistance-to-fire performance classes under Regulation 305/2011. As Regulation 2024/3110 does not cover the use classes under Regulation 305/2011, identical classes of performance must be established for products under the new regulation to ensure harmonised declaration and maintain regulatory continuity.

The successful application of Delegated Regulation 2024/1681 confirms that performance classes provide a harmonised method to express a product’s resistance-to-fire performance. Following the same approach, this draft regulation does not include the assessment methods for determining the applicable class, as these are already specified in harmonised technical specifications and European Assessment Documents.

To find out more about compliance construction products, do not hesitate to contact the Product Compliance Institute.