Fire reaction certificates for tent fabric in Europe: what each country usually asks for

5 days ago

5 min read

Updated: 14 hours ago

If you organise events or put up tents for professional use, sooner or later someone will ask you for a fire reaction certificate for the fabric. Fire brigades, town councils, insurers and venue organisers ask for it because a tent is a temporary structure with a large area of fabric close to the public, and they want to know how that fabric behaves if a fire starts.

This comes up in very different situations: a wedding or private event in a garden or country estate, a trade fair or exhibition in a fairground pavilion, a Christmas market on a town square, an outdoor concert or festival, or a tent a company puts up as temporary storage next to its warehouse. In every one of these cases, whoever authorises the use of the space - a town council, a private venue or an insurer - wants to see in writing how the tent fabric behaves in fire before giving approval.

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Why authorities ask for a fire reaction certificate

Fire reaction measures how a material burns: how easily it ignites, how the flame spreads, whether it drips, whether it produces dense smoke. It does not measure whether the tent withstands wind or snow, or how long the fabric lasts; it is a specific piece of data about how the fabric behaves in fire. That is why the bodies that authorise putting up a tent in a public space, or the insurers covering an event, ask for this document before giving approval.

The classification systems you will meet across Europe

Every European country has its own fire reaction rules for technical fabrics, and it helps to know them, if only to understand what a client or a local authority is actually asking for. These are the main references that come up in tenders and permit applications; if any technical term is unclear, check our technical glossary.

Spain: UNE 23727

In Spain, the UNE 23727 standard classifies materials into classes M0 to M4 according to their fire behaviour, with M0 the most restrictive and M4 corresponding to easily flammable materials. It is the system most Spanish town councils and fair organisers use when asking for documentation for tents and temporary structures.

France: NF P92-507

France uses the NF P92-507 standard, also with M classes, applied specifically to materials used in buildings open to the public. French event organisers and technicians often require this certificate instead of, or in addition to, other systems.

Germany and Austria: DIN 4102

In Germany and Austria the reference is the DIN 4102 standard, where class B1 corresponds to what is known as schwer entflammbar, meaning difficult to ignite. It is the certificate that German and Austrian local authorities usually ask for tents and fair structures.

The EU system: EN 13501-1 (Euroclasses)

The European Union has a harmonised system, EN 13501-1, which classifies construction and covering materials into the so-called Euroclasses (A1, A2, B, C, D, E, F), with extra indices for smoke and dripping. Not every country has replaced its national rules with this system for tent fabric, so it is worth asking the specific authority which one it requires.

United Kingdom: BS 7837

In the United Kingdom, the reference standard for fabrics used in temporary structures is BS 7837, specific to textiles used in tents and large marquees. British event organisers usually ask for this certificate rather than any of the continental systems.

The tent as a whole: EN 13782

Besides the fire reaction of the fabric, there is the EN 13782 standard, which covers the safety of temporary structures - tents included - as a whole: stability, anchoring, escape routes and other construction aspects. It is a different standard from fabric fire reaction, and some authorities ask for both documents separately.

Why the classifications are not interchangeable

Each of these systems uses a different laboratory test, with its own method, temperature and way of measuring flame spread. That is why a Spanish M2 class, a German B1 class or a Euroclass B are different tests, each with its own criteria, and one cannot be translated automatically into another. The final decision on which certificate is accepted always rests with the local authority or the event organiser, so if in doubt the practical approach is to ask them directly what documentation they need before ordering the material.

What happens if you present the wrong certificate

It is common to discover at the last minute that the certificate you have is not the one the local authority requires: for example, taking a Spanish M class to a country that requires DIN 4102 or a Euroclass. When that happens, the permit is usually delayed or refused until the correct documentation is provided, which puts the event date at risk. That is why it is worth confirming the exact requirement - standard, class and the body asking for it - before finalising the material order, not only before putting up the tent.

How to read a fire reaction certificate

A fire reaction certificate should, at minimum, include the following information for it to be useful in an inspection, for an insurer or in a permit application, whether it is used in the country of origin or travels with the material to another European country:

The laboratory that carried out the test and its accreditation.
The standard applied and the class obtained, for example T2 under UNE-EN 15619.
The date the certificate was issued, to check that it is still valid.
The exact reference of the product tested, so it can be matched to the material you will receive.
The weight and colour of the certified fabric, because the test result can vary between different weights or finishes.
The name and contact details of the manufacturer or supplier of the tested fabric.

What documentation Plastold provides

Our PVC tent fabric carries the European T2 fire classification (UNE-EN 15619), and we deliver the certificate together with the material. It is the only fire reaction certification we offer on our fabrics, and we do not say it is the same as any other European standard: each system has its own test, and it is the authority in your country or the event organiser who decides what it accepts in each case.

Before you ask for a quote

If you are putting up a tent outside Spain, or need to submit documentation to an insurer or a local authority, first ask that authority or the event organiser exactly which certificate they require, in which language, and how far in advance it must be submitted. Then contact us and tell us that requirement, together with the destination country and the intended use of the tent: we will tell you what documentation we can provide on our material before you place the order.

Request the sample book and get your questions answered

If you want to see and feel the fabric before deciding, request our fabric sample book with the available colours and weights. And if you have any question about fire reaction certificates for your project, get in touch and we will help you work out what you need before placing the order.

Real project: PVC grandstand roofs and 288 tent side walls, made in Málaga for a major motorsport event in Madrid. See the project