Flammability Testing

What is It?

Flammability testing is used to determine how easily a material sample or finished product will ignite when exposed to fire or heat.

Flammability testing standards are designed to differentiate the flame propagation characteristics of dense or cellular elastomeric compounds used in gaskets, setting blocks, spacers, or shims.

Flammability testing labs use these test methods to cover a variety of testing protocols, all intended to measure a material’s vulnerability to heat. This includes testing material performance in:

• susceptibility to an ignition source
• propensity to combust
• rate at which it will burn when ignited

ACE’s flammability test methods include:

• • ASTM C1166 to characterize materials upon their flame propagation properties
  • UL94 to determine surface ignition rating, horizontal burn rate, and self-extinguishing capacity of vertical burn
  • FMVSS 302 reviews to determine burn rate characteristics of materials used in motor vehicles

The right flammability test for your needs will depend on many factors, including your industry, intended end user, and production methods. Talk to the experts at ACE  to determine which tests will be best for your product.

Why Flammability Testing?

To demonstrate compliance with global flammability requirements, generally, you will need reports of flammability tests conducted by independent third party testing labs.

ACE’s flammability tests can help you determine how your materials or products will react when exposed to flames and high temperatures. Our tests comply with standards required from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), American National Standards Institute (ANSI), ASTM International (ASTM) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO). This means ACE can test materials across many industries to confirm compliance with global flammability testing standards.

ACE has the facilities and expertise to perform flammability testing on the following items:

• Furniture, including mattresses and upholstered items
• Wall coverings
• Plastics and components
• Refrigerants
• Textiles and apparel
• Flammable gases, vapors, and liquids
• Personal care and beauty products
• Toys

Flammability testing of plastics is important for safety and essential for demonstrating compliance with industry regulations. It can help you discover flaws in your materials, which can then be corrected to meet regulations and protect the safety of your end users. Flammability testing labs like ACE will also help you problem solve in these cases, making sure you can get your material where it needs to be to go to market.

Show Breakdowns & Potential Issues

ISO/IEC 17025 and ANAB accreditation ensures that the services you receive are of the highest quality. ANAB is an internationally recognized accreditation body that assures global acceptance of ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratories’ test reports and calibration certificates for the purposes of free trade and regulatory acceptance.
ACE’s laboratory is ISO/IEC accredited. This means our expert staff performs flammability testing equipment calibrations and procedure validations on a regular basis to ensure your flammability reports are reliable, accurate, repeatable, and credible.

In order to maintain ISO/IEC accreditation, ACE must continue to meet high ISO/IEC standards—so we don’t rest on our prior accomplishments. You can count on us to continually strive for higher degrees of excellence from our work.

ACE Laboratories

Choosing ACE as your flammability testing lab and connect with industry experts on safety, rubber and polymer testing, and production methods.

With over a decade of experience in the polymer industry spent building relationships with our clients and partners, you can trust our team to provide quick, accurate lab results.

The experts at ACE will help determine the most appropriate and efficient course of flammability testing for your product based on your goals and industry.

Learn more about ACE’s testing services.