Fire safety regulations for insulation

R'BULL Pro 13 and fire regulations: bubble aluminium insulation for public and private buildings

R'BULL Pro 13 is a reflective thin insulation made of bubble aluminium, designed to improve both thermal and acoustic comfort. It is classified B-s1,d0 under the European standard EN 13501-1, meaning limited contribution to fire, very little smoke and no flaming droplets.

This page sets out the fire regulations that apply to R'BULL Pro 13 in France, so you can make the right decision whether you are a homeowner, a trade fitter, an installer, a project manager or a design office. It covers the difference between public buildings and private ones, the part played by stretch ceilings, and the configurations in which R'BULL Pro 13 is fully compliant.

1. Fire class B-s1,d0: what does EN 13501-1 actually mean?

The standard EN 13501-1 defines the reaction to fire of construction products. The class is written as a letter, A1 to F, followed by two indices:

• reaction to fire letter: A1, A2, B, C, D, E, F
• smoke index: s1, s2, s3
• flaming droplets index: d0, d1, d2

For R'BULL Pro 13, the class reads:

• B: limited contribution to fire
• s1: very little smoke released
• d0: no flaming droplets

That B-s1,d0 class places R'BULL Pro 13 among the best performing combustible insulation products on fire safety, while keeping the advantages of a bubble aluminium insulation: low thickness, straightforward installation and reflection of thermal flux.

2. Buildings not open to the public: where can R'BULL Pro 13 go?

In buildings not subject to the French public building rules, the fire regulations are less restrictive. Insulation in a wall or ceiling of a dwelling or a private space is not required to be A1 or A2 where it is not directly exposed to fire.

R'BULL Pro 13 can therefore be used freely in the following cases:

• Detached houses and dwellings
• Flats and residential blocks, behind an internal lining
• Offices and commercial premises not open to the public
• Shops not classified as public buildings under their administrative status
• Workshops, warehouses, garages and outbuildings
• Lofts, service voids, plenums and areas the public cannot reach

In these buildings, R'BULL Pro 13 can be installed:

• under the roof, insulating from the inside
• as an internal wall lining
• insulating the underside of a ground floor slab, with a facing or lining depending on the situation
• in the plenum above suspended or stretch ceilings

3. Stretch ceilings in private buildings: how they combine with R'BULL Pro 13

Stretch ceilings are widely used in dwellings and private premises to:

• obtain a clean finish quickly
• conceal services
• improve acoustic comfort

Most stretch ceilings on the market are classified B-s1,d0. In a building not open to the public, it is possible to combine:

• a B-s1,d0 stretch ceiling
• with the insulation R'BULL Pro 13 in bubble aluminium behind that ceiling

In that case the fire regulations do not require an A2 facing. The configuration is therefore common in housing and in a great many private premises.

4. Public buildings: what the fire regulations say about insulation

For buildings open to the public, known in France as ERP, the order of 25 June 1980 and its amendments set out the fire safety rules. Article AM8 requires that an insulation product visible in a wall or ceiling be classified at least A2-s2,d0 or A1.

In a room open to the public, that means:

• insulation classified A1 or A2 may be left exposed
• insulation classified B must not be visible from that room

R'BULL Pro 13, a bubble aluminium insulation classified B-s1,d0, therefore cannot be installed bare or exposed in a ceiling or wall visible from a room open to the public.

5. How R'BULL Pro 13 can comply in a public building

The regulations consider the facing and the insulation together. Combustible insulation may be used in a public building where it is protected by a facing classified A1 or A2.

R'BULL Pro 13 becomes suitable for public buildings in the following configurations:

• A2-s1,d0 plasterboard with R'BULL Pro 13 behind the board
• A2 gypsum fibre panels or other A2 mineral facings with R'BULL Pro 13 on the reverse
• An A2-s1,d0 stretch ceiling, for instance uncoated glass textile, with R'BULL Pro 13 in the plenum
• A2 mineral tiles in a suspended ceiling, with R'BULL Pro 13 above them

In each case it is the A1 or A2 facing that satisfies article AM8. R'BULL Pro 13 is then permitted in a public building, because it no longer counts as exposed insulation.

6. Stretch ceilings in public buildings: what is allowed and what is not

Stretch ceilings in public buildings need to be chosen carefully. Two situations arise:

6.1. B-s1,d0 stretch ceiling with R'BULL Pro 13

If the stretch ceiling is classified B-s1,d0 and R'BULL Pro 13 sits behind it, nothing in the assembly is classified A2 or A1 on the visible face. In that case:

6.2. A2-s1,d0 stretch ceiling with R'BULL Pro 13

Some manufacturers offer glass textile stretch ceilings classified A2-s1,d0. With that type of product it becomes possible:

• to install an A2-s1,d0 stretch ceiling as the visible facing
• and to place R'BULL Pro 13 in the plenum above it

In that configuration the A2 facing meets the requirement for public buildings, and R'BULL Pro 13 is fully compatible.

7. Summary: where can R'BULL Pro 13 be installed?

8. Common questions about R'BULL Pro 13 and fire regulations