Flame-Retardant Artificial Foliage Wall Panels — EN 13501-1 Documentation

FLAME-RETARDANT GREEN WALLS

Flame-retardant compounds are incorporated into the panel material rather than applied as a surface coating; process details are available on request. We supply the full EN 13501-1 reaction-to-fire documentation on request — classification page, specimen description and tested configuration — so your fire consultant can assess it properly, not just look at a certificate cover.

EN 13501-1 Documentation · Compounded FR, Not Surface Spray · Full Report on Request · DDP Delivery

Request the Fire Test Documentation · How to read an artificial green wall fire report

For hotels, offices, shopping centres, restaurants and any interior that goes through a building-control or insurer review, fire performance is a specification item — not a nice-to-have. This page explains how artificial green wall fire performance is actually classified in Europe, what the letters and numbers in a Euroclass mean, and what to check in a test report before you accept a supplier’s claim.

Flame-Retardant or Fire-Retardant — Which Term Does Your Specification Use?

Buyers ask us for flame retardant artificial wall panels, flame retardant foliage walls, flame resistant foliage walls and fire retardant wall panels — often meaning the same requirement. The wording varies by market and by whoever wrote the specification.

On a European project the adjective is not what matters. What matters is the EN 13501-1 reaction-to-fire classification of the product as it will actually be installed, and whether that classification satisfies the code applying to your building type, your installation position and your country.

So when you send us an enquiry, you do not need to worry about the terminology. Send us the class your specification calls for, or send us the specification clause itself, and we will tell you what documentation we hold and what it covers.

What “Fire Retardant” Means Under EN 13501-1

Under the European system, a product’s fire performance is expressed as a reaction-to-fire classification under EN 13501-1:2018. That classification is not a single “does it catch fire” test. It is derived from prescribed laboratory test methods — principally EN 13823 (the Single Burning Item test, which measures heat release and smoke production) and EN ISO 11925-2 (the small-flame test) — and then summarised into a classification.

A lighter or blowtorch demonstration in a showroom is not one of those tests. It can show how a material behaves in that moment, but it cannot measure heat release rate, smoke production or flaming droplets, and it cannot establish a Euroclass. Fire classification comes from the test report, not from a video.

Reading a Euroclass: B-s1,d0, B-s2,d0, B-s3,d0

A full Euroclass has three parts. Using B-s2,d0 purely as a formatting example:

• B — the main reaction-to-fire class. The main classes run from A (best) through B, C, D, E to F (worst). B sits near the top of the combustible classes and is the class most commonly specified for interior wall finishes.
• s2 — smoke production. The additional smoke classification runs s1 (lowest smoke production) to s3 (highest). s2 sits between them.
• d0 — flaming droplets and particles. The droplet classification runs d0 (no flaming droplets or particles within the test duration) to d2. d0 is the most favourable.

Our fire-retardant panel range is supplied with the full EN 13501-1 documentation on request — including the smoke and droplet classifications, not only the main class, because all three parts matter for approval. Because a classification belongs to the construction that was actually tested, the applicable classification document is supplied for the specific SKU you order rather than as a generic range statement — so ask for it by SKU when you are comparing suppliers or preparing a submittal.

For a deeper walk-through of how those three parts are established — including the test methods behind them — see our guide to what B-s1,d0, B-s2,d0 and B-s3,d0 mean.

Why the s and d Parts Are Not Optional Details

It is common for a specification to fix a requirement on the main class and then attach a separate condition to smoke. Escape routes, enclosed corridors, high-occupancy rooms and spaces with limited ventilation are the situations where authorities and insurers most often look at smoke production rather than only at the main class.

Flaming droplets matter for a different reason: burning material falling away from a wall can ignite other surfaces. d0 means no flaming droplets or particles were recorded within the test duration.

Requirements are set per country, per building type, per installation position and sometimes per individual project specification. There is no single Euroclass that satisfies every European project, and we will not tell you there is one. For a specific project, confirm the required classification with the local authority or the specifier, then check it against the test report for the product you intend to buy.

Compound-Based Fire Retardancy vs Surface Treatments

There are two broad ways to make a polymer-based foliage product fire-retardant:

• Surface treatment — a flame-retardant liquid is applied to the finished leaves or the assembled panel. Long-term durability, resistance to cleaning and water exposure, and batch-to-batch consistency all have to be demonstrated separately.
• Compound-based (built into the material) — the flame-retardant system is added during polymer processing, before the material is extruded and coloured. This is the route our fire-retardant range uses.

Our panels are produced by compounding the flame-retardant system into the polymer before extrusion, rather than applying a coating to the finished surface. Practically, that means there is no separate surface layer to be removed by cleaning. It does not by itself tell you what Euroclass a finished panel achieves — the classification depends on the complete product construction (foliage, backing mesh or grid, structural panel, and how it is mounted) and can only come from the full test report.

How to Check a Fire Test Report

When a supplier sends a fire test report, the certificate front page is not where the answer is. Ask for and read the following — our own document set is outlined in our quality and document guidance:

1. Classification page. The full expression — main class plus smoke and droplet classifications — not a summary line.
2. Specimen description. What was actually tested? Foliage alone, or the complete panel as sold?
3. Backing and structure. Does the tested specimen include the structural panel and grid backing you will receive?
4. Mounting and fixing. Was the specimen tested in a configuration matching how it will be installed on your project?
5. Substrate. What was it tested against? A classification can be substrate-dependent.
6. Specimen photographs. Do they look like the product in the quotation?
7. Applicant and report holder. Whose report is it? A report held by a material supplier is not automatically a report covering a finished panel.
8. Scope and limitations. Many classifications carry a stated field of application. Read it.
9. SKU coverage. Does the report cover the density, foliage mix, material and colour you are ordering — or one variant of it?

If a report covers a construction that does not match your installation — for example a different backing, a different fixing method, or a specimen that is not the full panel — the classification does not automatically carry over. Our team can walk through a third-party report with you line by line, and we supply the fire documentation for the specific SKUs quoted.

A demonstration video — a lighter or a torch held to a leaf — is not any of this. It can be useful as an internal quality check or a visual illustration, but it does not measure heat release or smoke growth, and nothing in such a video can establish a Euroclass. We are happy to send one. It is not evidence.

Fire-Retardant Products

Our current fire-retardant production includes dense boxwood-style and narrow-leaf dense-foliage panels in 100 × 100 cm modules:

• Flame Retardant 001 — dense boxwood-style panel
• Flame Retardant 002 — narrow-leaf dense-foliage panel

Additional foliage mixes can be produced in fire-retardant construction through our OEM/ODM programme. To see how these sit alongside the rest of the range, browse the full artificial green wall panel range. Because the flame-retardant system is introduced at the compounding stage, custom mixes are quoted individually and tested as the construction you specify — not as a generic reference panel.

Where Fire-Rated Green Walls Are Specified

• Hotel lobbies, corridors, lift lobbies and guest-room feature walls
• Corporate receptions, breakout areas and meeting-room walls
• Retail units and shopping-centre interiors
• Restaurants, bars and entertainment venues
• Airport, transport and public-building interiors where a reaction-to-fire classification is required

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between flame retardant and fire retardant foliage walls?

In practice buyers use both terms for the same requirement. On a European project what governs is the EN 13501-1 reaction-to-fire classification of the product in its installed configuration, not the wording used in the enquiry.

What is the fire classification of your green wall panels?

We supply the EN 13501-1 report on request, so you can read the full classification expression and its scope rather than a summary line. A classification belongs to the construction that was tested, so we supply the applicable document for the specific SKU you order — if your project requires a particular smoke class, tell us at enquiry stage and we will confirm the matching construction and documentation before you commit.

Is a fire test the same as holding a lighter to a panel?

No. A lighter or blowtorch demonstration is not a standard test and cannot produce a Euroclass. Under EN 13501-1 the classification comes from prescribed methods — principally EN 13823 (Single Burning Item, which measures heat release and smoke) and EN ISO 11925-2 (small-flame test) — performed on a defined specimen in a defined mounting arrangement.

Is the fire retardancy a coating that can wash off?

No. Our panels are made by compounding the flame-retardant system into the polymer before extrusion and colouring, rather than applying a coating to the finished surface. There is therefore no separate surface layer to be removed by cleaning. For specific cleaning agents or regimes on installed panels, ask us before specifying — we will confirm what is appropriate for the construction.

Can you provide fire test reports for a project submittal?

Yes. Fire performance documentation for the flame-retardant series is available on request. When you send a project enquiry, tell us the classification required by the specifier, the local authority or the insurer, and the installation position, so we can confirm whether the tested configuration matches your project.

Does your classification satisfy my project’s requirement?

That depends on the project. Requirements are set per country, per building type, per installation position and often per individual specification, and there is no single Euroclass that clears every European project. Tell us the required standard and we will check it against the test documentation — but the final determination rests with your specifier, authority or insurer.

Can custom designs be supplied in a fire-retardant construction?

Yes. Custom foliage mixes can be produced in fire-retardant construction for project orders. Because the flame-retardant system is introduced at the compounding stage, custom mixes are quoted individually and the classification applies to the tested construction, not to a generic reference panel.

Do you supply B-s1,d0 panels?

We supply the full EN 13501-1 documentation on request. If a project requires a different smoke class, contact us with the specification — depending on the construction and the volume we can discuss whether a specific build can be produced and tested for that project.

What We Need to Confirm Suitability for Your Project

Send us these four things and we will come back with the documentation we hold and an honest statement of what it does and does not cover.

1. Building type and the use of the space
2. Installation position — interior or exterior, and whether the area forms part of an escape route
3. The classification your specification calls for, or the specification clause itself
4. The country and the code reference being applied

If we do not hold documentation covering your requirement, we will tell you that instead of sending you a certificate and hoping it passes.

Can flame-retardant panels be used outdoors?

Flame-retardant and UV-stabilised performance are separate requirements and are not automatically present in the same panel. Tell us whether the installation is interior or exterior and we will confirm which specification applies.

What is the minimum order quantity for flame-retardant panels?

There is no fixed MOQ on flame-retardant panels — quantity is agreed directly with the buyer based on the project. Sample panels are available before you commit.

What documentation should I ask for when comparing suppliers?

Ask for the classification page (with the Euroclass written in full), the specimen description and photographs, the mounting and fixing arrangement, the substrate, the field of application and any limitations, and confirmation that the report scope covers the SKUs you intend to order. A certificate front page on its own is not enough to compare two suppliers.

Request the Fire Test Documentation

On request we will send the EN 13501-1 report — classification page, specimen description, mounting details and scope — together with wholesale pricing and a landed DDP cost to your address. Sample panels are available; you cover the courier only.

Request Documentation & Samples · Wholesale terms and MOQ

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