What does tent flammability testing mean
What does tent flammability testing mean
Here at Pod we test our tents to two separate flammability standards the first is covered under BSENISO5912:2011 and is ISO 6941:2003 and the second is the American CPAI-84.
A questions we are asked is what does flammability really mean and is my tent fire proof ? The simple answer to this is no , We have copied the guideline for testing from the standard below to try and explain in detail but in summary the treatment we use to treat our tents is designed to give you time to get out of our tents should a fire occur and to reduce any damage to the product should a flame come in contact with it. We conduct this test on the Outer material , the inner materials and the floor material.
The test covers a flame that is applied to the material for 10 seconds and then removed and the way in which the product responds, this does not mean it resists the flame and it may catch alight but it’s how far and how quickly the fire might spread that the testing covers.
If a constant flame is applied to tent material treated or otherwise it will continue to burn causing damage and harm to you and the tent which is why is it important to keep fires and flames away from tents , this is in additional to any carbon monoxide issue which we will cover in a future post, this still kill’s 100’s of people globally when they decide to bring BBQ’s or gas stoves inside tents that are not designed for it.
We hope that helps explain a little bit about the wording used when tent manufactures give their tents a flammability rating.
What the standards cover in their testing
6.1.1.3.2 Outer tent material
When tested in accordance with ISO 6941:2003, Procedure A (using a 10 s ignition time, surface ignition), no
marker threads shall be severed, there shall be no flaming debris, there shall be no flame to either vertical edge
of the test specimen, no single sample shall show after flame time exceeding 10 s, and the average after flame
time shall not exceed 6 s.
6.1.1.3.3 Inner tent material
When tested in accordance with ISO 6941, Procedure A (using a 10 s ignition time, surface ignition), no marker
threads shall be severed, there shall be flaming debris on no more than two of the tested samples, there shall
be no flame to either vertical edge of the test specimen, no single sample shall show after flame exceeding
20 s, and the average after flame time shall not exceed 12 s. Should a single sample fail, the test shall be
repeated once more; if the fabric fails a second time then the fabric is deemed to have failed the test.
6.1.1.3.4 Groundsheet
When tested in accordance with ISO 6925, the radius of burn shall be less than 35 mm.
ISO 5912:2011(E)