This story is a version of an article which appeared in Sign Builder Illustrated magazine in 2006 covering the flammability testing and fire rating of banner materials.
For interior applications,
a FR grade of banner substrate is often required to comply with state and local
fire codes. I was taught that FR is an Underwriter’s
Laboratories (UL) classification, which stands for flame retardant.
However, I have heard many people say that the FR is an acronym for “Fire
Resistant” and “Flame Resistant”.
Since banner materials are
often used for interior applications, such as graphics for shopping malls, air
ports, museums, trade shows and theater performances, the flammability
of these substrates is always a key consideration in material selection. Some banner materials are, by the nature of
their construction, fire resistant. Vinyl
banners, for example, tend to burn less than a polyethylene substrate.
For those banners
materials that are not very fire resistant, manufacturers have developed many
different types of fire-retardant coatings for fabrics. Many of these coatings
contain either bromide
or antimony trioxide,
which are effective flame retardant agents.
Although there is no
certification that pertains directly to hanging promotional materials, many
manufacturers use the California State Fire Marshall Code as
their benchmark for testing the flammability of their materials. The demanding California
fire code requires tests to be conducted, according to the National
Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard described in NFPA701, which
are a widely accepted industry test methods for the flame
resistance of textiles and films used in public places. (NFPA is a
worldwide nonprofit organization, which has developed codes and standards for
fire safety.)
The NFPA701 testing is performed in a special
flame cabinet. In these tests the banner
substrate is folded (like a drapery) and held over a burner. The
person conducting the tests exposes the material to a burning flame for a
prescribed period of time, and then records how long the material burns, as
well as how much time passes before any burning material is extinguished and
drips to the floor of the cabinet. The
California State Fire Marshall Code also requires leech testing, which is a
method for identifying flammable substances within a fabric or banner material.
Banner substrates are also
evaluated according to many different international standards, which you may
encounter as you research materials. For
example, B1 and M2 are European classifications. In Germany, the flame
resistance of fabrics used in public spaces must pass the fire testing
procedures in the DIN 4102-1 standard. The B1 designation refers to a class of
building materials, which must not be easily flammable. Other countries, such as
France, Luxembourg and Belgium, materials must qualify according to more
stringent standards.
The flame retardant
characteristics of a textile and the ink used to print it are important considerations for fabric banners
used in public places. Laura Maybaum,
POP Market Segment Manager for Nazdar (Shawnee , KS
In evaluating the
performance of any ink and substrate combination, Nazdar recommends to first
conduct certification testing on a particular unprinted banner. If certification
passes, repeat certification testing on printed samples of that material.
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About Jim Hingst: After fourteen years as Business Development Manager at RTape, Jim Hingst retired. He was involved in many facets of the company’s business, including marketing, sales, product development and technical service.
Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer. Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.
Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 150 articles for publications, such as Signs Canada, SignCraft, Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 400 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published. Vinyl Sign Techniques is available at sign supply distributors and at Amazon.
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