New building material safety standards will enable expansion into the export market

In August 2021, a number of new national standards were introduced regarding the fire safety of building materials. They were developed by the Russian Standards Institute.

List of introduced standards

Among the adopted standards are:

  • GOST R ISO 5660-1-2020 “Reaction-to-fire tests. Heat release, smoke production and mass loss rate. Part 1. Determination of heat release rate by using cone calorimeter method and of smoke production rate by dynamic measurements.”

  • GOST R 59121-2020 "Fire classification of building products and constructions. Part 5. Classification using data from external fire exposure to roofs tests.”

  • GOST R 59137-2020 "Fire classification of building products and constructions. Part 1. Classification using data from reaction to fire tests"

  • GOST R 59154-2020 "Building products. Reaction to fire test with thermal attack by a single burning item on building products, excluding floorings.”

The ministerial supervises the standards development program

The standards discussed in this article were developed on behalf of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia as part of the ongoing project "Increasing the production of flame-retardant or non-flammable materials and thermal insulation products". The developed standards are harmonized with international regulations in the field of classification and testing methods for building materials in terms of fire risk.

The new standards have been brought into line with international standards

The dynamic development and potential of the Russian building materials industry already enable enterprises to enter the international market. Therefore, it is imperative that they meet the requirements of international standards. Harmonization of national standards with international standardization documents will increase the export potential of these products, as well as their competitiveness on world markets.

International classification and research methods are often used during the implementation of foreign investment projects in Russia. Previously, it was associated with the need to conduct expensive laboratory tests outside the country. Now these tests can be carried out in the Russian Federation.

Voluntary application of standards

The classification presented in the standards is currently voluntary and concerns mainly products intended for export sale. Materials produced by Russian construction companies and sold on the domestic market must, on the other hand, meet the requirements of legal acts in force in the territory of the Russian Federation. The classification of building materials and structures in terms of fire hazard in the Russian Federation is described in the Federal Law adopted on July 22, 2008 No. 123-FZ "Technical Regulations on Fire Safety Requirements" and differs from the foreign classification.