CEN/TS 1187

CEN/TS 1187, Test methods for external fire exposure to roofs, is a Technical Specification published by CEN, the European Committee for Standardization, under its fire safety committee CEN/TC 127. The current edition is CEN/TS 1187:2012, which replaced the earlier pre-standard ENV 1187:2002 and its 2005 amendment. CEN lists it as due for revision.

Its results are used to classify roofs under EN 13501-5, producing classes such as BROOF(t1) or BROOF(t4).

The four tests

The four methods are independent. A result from one cannot be substituted for another.

• Test 1 – burning brands only.
• Test 2 – burning brands combined with wind.
• Test 3 – burning brands, wind and additional radiant heat.
• Test 4 – a two-stage test, each stage combining burning brands, wind and radiant heat.

Between them, the tests assess:

• fire spread across the outer surface of the roof (all tests)
• fire spread within the roof build-up (Tests 1 to 3)
• fire penetration through the roof (Tests 1, 3 and 4)
• burning droplets or debris falling from the roof (Tests 1, 3 and 4)

Tests 2 and 3 cannot be used for geometrically irregular roofs or roofs with mounted equipment such as ventilators or rooflights.

Why there are four methods

Before European harmonization, countries used different national roof fire tests, and the regulators of each country were reluctant to give theirs up. CEN/TS 1187 brings these approaches into a common format, and each country's regulations specify which test is required. This means a roofing product sold widely in Europe may be tested to several methods.

What is tested

Tests are run on a representative roof build-up, including deck, insulation, underlay and covering, because the layers below the surface strongly affect fire behaviour. A membrane might achieve BROOF on one insulation type and not on another, so classifications are tied to the build-up described in the classification report.

Comparison with North America

The closest North American equivalent is ASTM E108 / UL 790, which also uses burning brands and flame spread but produces Class A, B or C ratings. The results do not convert directly between systems.