EN 469 Test Standard for Fire Protective Clothing

EUROLAB laboratory provides testing and compliance services within the scope of EN 469 standard. The EN 469 standard describes the mechanical performance properties and test methods of protective clothing used in firefighting.

Protective clothing for firefighters is one of the most important equipment to protect the personal safety of firefighters who are active in the first firefighting line against heat and fire. In recent years, protective clothing for firefighting has roughly come in two types: integrated type and two-piece type.

Despite the different wearing methods, all protective clothing used in firefighting must perform excellently in properties such as closure system, heat resistance, flame spread limitation, tensile strength and resistance to penetration of liquid chemicals.

The main basic performance requirements of protective clothing for fire fighting are flame spread, heat resistance, tensile strength, wicking barrier and moisture barrier, penetration resistance of liquid chemicals, visibility material, dimensional change, metal accessories and closure system.

For example, when exposed to flames, protective clothing must limit the spread of flame, otherwise firefighters are at risk of being burned. According to the EN 469 standard, all materials used for fire fighting in protective clothing should not melt, ignite or shrink by more than 5 percent, and all equipment such as zippers should remain functional when exposed to 180 degrees.

In addition, materials should have a maximum breaking strength of more than 450N and main seams more than 225N. The dimensional change of woven materials should not be more than 3 percent, and the size change of non-woven materials should not be more than 5 percent.

EUROLAB, with its more than 25 years of experience, state-of-the-art accredited laboratories and expert team, helps you get precise and fast results. Do not hesitate to contact our laboratory for your testing and certification requests.