The term FI-RE stands for ‘Fire Retardant’. 

Just like the Cleanpanel plastic panels, our FI-RE panels are very hygienic. They have an exceptionally smooth surface which makes them easy to clean. The panels also require little maintenance: they hardly wear out, they are resistant to many chemicals and last very long. Thanks to a smart click system with double rubber seal, the panels are easy to install. The new high-quality plastic wall and ceiling cladding can be fitted easily against an old surface. The panels are also suitable for the construction of free-standing double and partition walls.

In addition to all the Cleanbuild plastic panels advantages mentioned above, our FI-RE panels are also fire-retardant. 

High-quality plastic walls and ceilings have many advantages for industrial applications. They are easily installed, cost-efficient and quite easy to maintain. A disadvantage of plastic is that it is more sensitive to fire than, for example, brick walls. Cleanbuild therefore developed the FI-RE panel, especially for applications where fire safety is paramount. 

The terms ‘fire-retardant’ and ‘fire-resistant’ are used interchangeably. However, this is not correct: both clearly mean something different. The term ‘fire-retardant’ says something about how the material responds to the fire. This involves looking at the flame spread, the formation of droplets and smoke development. The fire class is determined on the basis of this and some other data. The fire class of Cleanbuild FI-RE panels is B-S3-D0 in accordance with EN 13501-1: 2007. The fire class tells emergency services how they can best extinguish the burning material. 

As for the term “fire resistance” the question is: how fast does a fire spread from one area to another? This involves measuring how long it takes for a particular construction or area to burst into flames. Fire-resistant products can also catch fire themselves but slow down the spread of the fire.

The FI-RE panels are manufactured in the same moulds as the Cleanpanel panel, but with a different material. The solid PVC of the FI-RE panels is a unique recipe of fire-resistant raw materials. This mix results in a fire-retardant material that provides the panels with an outstanding fire class B.

The fire class of a given product is determined through accurate testing and it is documented in a certificate. The Cleanbuild FI-RE panels are certified by Efectis for fire class B-S3-D0. This classification consists of three parts:

B: the first letter of the fire rating indicates how flammable a product or material is. This goes from A (non-combustible) to F (highly combustible). The FI-RE panels with fire class B are therefore combustion is almost impossible to achieve or ‘practically incombustible’.  

S: the letter S stands for ‘Smoke’ and indicates something about the formation of smoke. At S1 means that there is little smoke formation, S2 stands for ‘average formation of smoke’ and at S3 is ‘large formation of smoke’. The FI-RE panels have a large formation of smoke.

D: the letter D refers to the formation of droplets. These are droplets or loose particles that fall off the material and can start a new fire. At D0 there are no burning parts; at D1 the falling parts burn for less than 10 seconds and at D2 the loose particles burn for longer than 10 seconds. If FI-RE panels catch fire, there will be no droplet formation (D0).