Is BS EN 12150 glass fire-resistant?
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BS EN 12150 is a code that designates toughened glass. But is it fire-resistant? Learn from the experts.
The world of UK glass is governed by BS EN standards. These are the British Standard implementation of European Standards. They give fabricators and processors standardised legal guidelines to work within and serve to reassure customers that they're dealing with good-quality materials.
Toughened glass has to meet BS EN 12150, whether in a domestic or commercial setting. If a sheet of glass hasn't met these requirements, it could be a subpar product.
This standard covers the strength of toughened glass and the way it breaks. If it doesn't shatter into lots of tiny pieces, it doesn't count as toughened glass.
Pretty much every piece of structural glass has to meet BS EN 12150. This includes partitions, tabletops, shelves, shower screens and more. The major exception for safety glazing is laminated glass. This is covered by BS EN 14449.
But does BS EN 12150 have anything to do with fire resistance? Or is this aspect of glass fabrication governed by a different standard?
Is toughened glass fire-resistant?
Toughened glass offers some level of heat resistance – around five times more than standard annealed glass, by some estimates.
This is small fry, however, compared to specialised fire-resistant glass. This is a type of glass built specifically for fire protection. It typically works by including a fire-resistant interlayer that retards the spread of smoke and fire.
So no, BS EN 12150 (toughened) glass isn't fire-resistant. There are, however, specialised products available that are.
What is fire-resistant glass?
Fire-resistant glass – also known as fire-rated glass – is a type of glass that meets legal standards of fire resistance. In the UK, this is covered by BS EN 15998.
Sometimes, fire-rated glass is marketed as "heatproof" or "fireproof". These are misnomers. No glass is fully fireproof. Instead, it's rated by its ability to withstand fire.
This is measured in minutes. E30 fire-rated glass, for instance, can withstand fire for 30 minutes, E120 can withstand it for 120 minutes, and so on.
About our fire-rated glass
At ToughGlaze, everything we do is in line with industry standards. That includes BS EN guidelines. On top of this, all our products carry the Kitemark seal of approval.
TG FR is our fire-rated glass product. It's a type of toughened laminated glass designed to provide significant fire protection.
It's rated up to EI120, meaning it can withstand fire and smoke for up to two hours. It achieves this while maintaining optical clarity. To the untrained eye, it looks just like any other pane of glass.
TG FR has a special gel sandwiched between two panes of toughened glass. In the event of a fire, this interlayer forms a protective barrier against heat, flames and smoke.
And like all our products, TG FR can be cut to size and customised to meet your specific project requirements, whether that's a partition, fire door, glass roof or other installation.
Looking for top-of-the-range fire-rated glass? Shop for
TG FR today or
explore the rest of our range.
