It is rated for class A, B, and C fires. What do fire extinguisher ratings mean? Double check that your fire extinguisher contains a UL rating. The prefix 55 again defines the size of fire and in this case is easier to visualise as in this case the test uses 55 litres of burning fuel. Fire extinguishers that can put out a fire up to this size are rated 13A. Thus in our 13A/55B example this extinguisher will combat a Class A fire (typically freely burning materials like wood, cloth and coal) of Size 13 or a Class B fire (flammable liquid) of size 55. Well it’s definitely not a shoe size, but a specific arrangement of combustibles used to test the extinguisher. It is vital that you use the correct fire extinguisher for the fire as using the wrong type of fire extinguisher could be life threatening. Changing the batteries in your fire alarm panel, locating the optimal evacuation route in your building, and ensuring you have the proper fire extinguishers in the most advantageous spots all trickle to the bottom of our never-ending to-do lists. If an extinguisher is described as “safe to use” on fires involving live electricity it means the suppressant is not inherently electrically conductive so you don’t risk electrocution when combating the fire. The first time you use a fire extinguisher shouldn’t be during emergencies. A 34A would extinguish a stack with 34 sticks and so on, so the higher the number the bigger the fire it can extinguish. The number indicates the size of fire it can extinguish. The number 13 comes from the number of sticks in each row as the example below. Fire extinguisher ratings are designed to indicate the type of fires they should be used on, and to give an indication of how effective they will be. The extinguisher label also indicates the UL rating. Fire Extinguisher Ratings. Having decided a 13A rating is appropriate you can then compare Ratings on the different types of extinguishing agents and available sizes to decide the most appropriate for your application. Fire Extinguisher Ratings. Examples of available 13A rated extinguishers in our range, Water with Additive 3 litre The rating number refers to the size of fire that can be extinguished under test conditions. The Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is a renowned third-party testing facility for public safety. Only two classifications of fire include a number with the rating, Class A and B. Only AFFF foam, CO2 fire extinguishers and dry powder extinguishers are suitable for this application. To ensure you buy the right type and size for the application you have in mind, learn more about fire extinguisher classes and size ratings. Read on to learn more. This type of fire extinguisher (also called multi-purpose fire extinguisher) is the one that’s recommended for home use. Log in, Every fire extinguisher is colour-coded for easy reference, The extinguisher’s fire rating is shown both as a letter (such as A or B) and also as a pictogram. We are asked this question so many times. The revised NFP… This number has a different meaning for each class. What the devil is size 13 you may ask? In practice you should estimate the volume of combustibles at risk against this benchmark and select the most applicable size for the job. • The numerical rating for a Class A Fire extinguisher refers to the amount of chemicals/agent in the extinguisher. The rating of a fire extinguisher is designed to help users understand the class and size of a fire in which the extinguisher is meant to be used. (See Extinguisher Chart). Atkinsons Way, Foxhills Industrial Estate, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire DN15 8QJ. Most fire extinguishers have a fire Rating printed on the canister. Fire Extinguisher Ratings Class A Extinguishers will put out fires in ordinary combustibles, such as wood and paper. The numbers and letters printed on fire extinguishers provide information about the tool. It is critical that you have training and have used them to ensure your safety and others around you. This code, for example 13A/55B, defines the Class (or type) of fire and the size of fire this type of … The A, B, C rating system defines the kinds of burning materials each fire extinguisher is designed to fight. This compact and handy 2 litre Foam Fire Extinguisher with LPCB Approval is used for combating class A & B fires (flammable solids and liquids). Fire extinguishers are classified by fire type. Fire Extinguisher UL Rating: What it Means . The UL rating is broken down into Class A and Class B:C ratings. Class D fire extinguishers are commonly found in a chemical laboratory. In another article we discussed the different types/classes of fires – the typical fuel source, common settings in which a certain class of fire is likely to occur, and the most effective type of fire extinguisher to combat the different classes of fires. Browse our full range of fire extinguishers here. There are 9 ratings for Class B fire extinguishers - 21B through to 233B. The best fire extinguisher for home use needs to be able to tackle a domestic fire, whatever it’s caused by, but keep safely out of sight when not in use. So for example, a water additive stored pressure extinguisher coded 13A will extinguish a Class A fire of freely burning combustibles of size 13. A quick review: Class A: Wood, paper, cloth, plastics, trash They are for fires that involve combustible metals, such as magnesium, titanium, potassium and sodium. In most cases, the rating is a combination of numbers and letters. This is divided into either Class A or Class B:C to indicate the relative extinguishing effectiveness of the extinguisher. © 2021 Fire and Safety Centre, all rights reserved. The number in front of the A, B, or C indicates the rating size of fire the unit can extinguish. It’s effective against all types of common home fires, including fires that involve combustible materials, … The test method involves adding water and fuel to circular metal trays (to specified sizes) before igniting and extinguishing the fire. The 4-A extinguisher holds 4 gallons of water and is, thus, expected to put out twice as much fire as a 2-A extinguisher holding 2 gallons of water. Fire Ratings Explained The letter part of the rating denotes what class of blaze this fire extinguisher is suitable for. Click to download Fact Sheet. The A, B, C rating system defines the kinds of burning materials each fire extinguisher is designed to fight. The numbers in the UL Rating are a relative measurement of how effective a given extinguisher is at fighting certain classes of fires, based on proper fire extinguisher … FAQ Which extinguisher type is suitable for what fire? Fire extinguisher training and why it’s critical. Professional maintenance of fire extinguishers is a vital part of any business’ fire safety strategy, understanding that the integrity of these systems need to be maintained to protect the safety of not only your premises and assets but also your employees and residents. The rating on the extinguisher tells all the relative quantity of water which can extinguish the size fire that this particular extinguisher is capable of. A 175B rating uses 175 litres and so on. Need to speak to someone?Simply call 01724 281044/277479. The rechargeable fire extinguisher contains 4 pounds of multipurpose mono-ammonium phosphate dry chemical extinguishing agent. A dry chemical extinguisher with a 6A rating is equivalent to three 2 1/2 gallon water extinguishers. Step 3 ABC Fire Extinguishers: Mono ammonium phosphate, ABC Dry Chemical, ABE Powder, tri-class, or multi-purpose dry chemical is a dry chemical extinguisher used on class A, B and C fires. When it’s time to purchase fire extinguishers for your business, you may be confused by the different letters and numbers on the label. Fire Extinguisher Ratings Explained The importance of fire safety is oftentimes overlooked in favor of other everyday concerns. A fire extinguisher’s rating consists of 2 parts: a number and a letter. If you need a 13A rating, anything higher such as 21A will even better. These are kept handy at places, namely fire points, in buildings, factories, public paces or transportation. The rating of fire extinguishers is designed to help us understand the type and size of the fire in which the extinguisher should be used. The number before the letter A such as 13A indicates the length of a wooden crib test fire (1.3 metres in this case) successfully extinguished under rigorous test conditions. These can be fires where cooking liquids, oil, gasoline, kerosene, or paint have become ignited. These types of extinguishers also have no numerical rating, nor are they given a multipurpose rating - they … Always err on the side of caution. Fire Extinguisher Servicing. The numerical rating for this class of fire extinguisher refers to the amount of water the fire extinguisher holds and the amount of fire it will extinguish. Fire Extinguisher Ratings. A B and C are the average ratings a fire extinguisher can have. Fire extinguishers are usually fitted in buildings at an easily accessible location, such as against a wall in a high-traffic area. For Class A fires the Size test is conducted using a fire comprising an open latticework of wooden sticks approx 40mm square x 500mm long piled 14 high. Foam (AFFF) 3 litre 2 litre foam fire extinguisher with LPCB Approval, Fire Safety Training and Risk Assessment Tools, Personal Protection Equipment and Clothing. 3 litre Water Additive Fire Extinguisher provides environmentally friendly and non-corrosive method of tackling Class A fires. The Underwriters Laboratory (UL) rates fire extinguishers to be used on certain types of fires. In the UK, all quality fire extinguishers capable of extinguishing class A and B fires should carry a fire rating. An extinguisher with a 10B rating can cover roughly 10 square feet, an extinguisher with a 20B rating can cover 20 square feet and so on. Fire extinguishers in your house, garage, car and camper help you put out small fires quickly before they spread. Fire extinguishers with a Class B rating are effective against flammable liquid fires. Located on the fire extinguisher label is the UL rating (Fire Extinguisher Ratings). The fire rating of the particular extinguisher is indicated by a number and letter, e.g. Fire extinguishers come with different ratings dependent on the classification of fire they’re equipped for. They are also often fitted to motor vehicles, watercraft, and aircraft - this is required by law in many jurisdictions, for identified classes of vehicles. ABC Fire Extinguisher. The operating pressure is 100 psi. The number in front of the A, B, or C indicates the rating size of fire the unit can extinguish. ABC Dry Powder 2kg Thus, a 4A will equal about five gallons of water. Fire extinguishers are classified by fire type. 34B. If you’re not sure what type of fire extinguisher to use for each class of fire, take a look at our blog that explains this in detail. For an A rating, the number is an indication of water equivalency, with each A being the same as 1 1/4 gallons of water. Most fire extinguishers have a fire Rating printed on the canister. By the way, there is no such thing as a Class E rating in the UK – often thought to cover Electrical fires. B-rated fire extinguishers are numbered in 10s. It’s one of those few things that you buy but hope to never use. To achieve a Class “A” rating, the extinguisher must be capable of putting out the wood crib, wood panel and excelsior (shredded paper) tests. The LPCB approval on this AFFF fire extinguisher boasts high fire ratings. Alloy Steel 5kg Co2 Fire Extinguisher for use tackling fires that involve flammable liquids or live electrical equipment. Water-based Class A extinguishers may also have additives to make them more effective. (CO2 is unsuitable for this type of fire), In our example 13A/55B we then have to look at 55B, Class B fires involve burning liquids like petrol, oils (not cooking oils) heptane etc. A Class B fire extinguisher is used for flammable liquid and gas fires such as oil, gasoline, etc. The number represents the chemical/agent's equivalent to gallons of water the extinguisher holds. Definition - What does Fire Extinguisher mean? In addition, the fire extinguisher will also bear a pictogram if it is suitable for use on electrical equipment fires, The precise fire rating for Class A and B fires is expressed as a number and letter combination, such as 34B, There are clear operating instructions on how to use each types of extinguisher. For a more detailed explanation, read on…. Each fire extinguisher rating in expressed as a series of numbers and letters which indicate the classes of fire they can be used on the size of fire they are suitable for. These mystical codes that are printed on all quality-approved fire extinguishers are there to indicate, not just the type of fire that particular extinguisher can combat, but also the size of the fire the contents can effectively put out. The average office can be covered by a water extinguisher (for Class A solid combustibles) … In any event, a sensible approach is to cut off the power supply to any area where a fire occurs. Under NFPA10 all commercial vehicles must carry at least one fire extinguisher, with size/UL rating depending on type of vehicle and cargo (i.e., fuel tankers usually must have a 20 lb (9.1 kg), while most others can carry a 5 lb (2.3 kg)). After 30 hours of research, and talking to eight experts in the fire-safety industry, we found the best fire extinguisher for your home. Different tests apply to each Class of fire (from A,B,C, D & F) but the rule is the larger the number before the Code letter the bigger the fire (of that Class) that can be extinguished. The discharge time is 13 to 15 seconds and it has a discharge range of 10-15 feet. But deciding on the right fire extinguisher can be confusing. To see what each fire extinguisher looks like, see our guide to types of fire extinguisher, a BS (BSI) Kitemark, indicating BAFE (British Approval for Fire Equipment) approval. Many fires are caused by electrical faults which in consequence ignite other flammables. This code, for example 13A/55B, defines the Class (or type) of fire and the size of fire this type of fire extinguisher is capable of extinguishing. All fire extinguishers have ratings stamped on the faceplate of the appliance. Multiply the number in front of A by 1.25 to figure out the equivalent to gallons of water. A 2A rating equals 2.5 gallons of water and a 4A rating equals 5 gallons of water. Smoke alarms and fire extinguishers are two essential pieces of fire safety equipment every home should have. Two commonly used chemicals are effective in fighting these types of fires. A UL rating ensures that an extinguisher design has been subjected to standardized, uniform tests and has met minimum performance requirements covering such things as discharge time and discharge range. You find Class A extinguishers with ratings such as 1-A, 2-A, 3-A, 4-A, 6-A, 10-A, 20-A, 30-A and 40-A. Fire extinguishers are portable devices used to extinguish small fires or reduce their destruction before firefighters arrive at the scene. The ratings on fire extinguishers allows users to quickly identify the type of fire which an extinguisher will be most effective for. A fire extinguisher with a 1A rating is equivalent to 1.25 gallons of water. Class A rating fire extinguishers are often water-based, and are highly effective in extinguishing burning materials found or stored in an office or warehouse, for example. An ABC Fire Extinguisher might have a UL Rating of 4-A:80-B:C. But what do these fire extinguisher ratings mean? Fire Extinguisher Buyer’s Guide. 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