Fire safety

Fire in your building. Whether you are a user, builder or designer, fire is something you really do not want to have anything to do with. So it is logical that there are many requirements designed to prevent fires starting and to limit their consequences if they do start. Here, facades and roofs play an important role. The choice of material is also important for fire-safe building.

Reaction to fire classes

EN 13501-1 defines 7 Euro Fire classes, being: A1, A2, B, C, D, E and F. Class A1 (incombustible) is the highest and with it the safest class. Fire classes E and F are very combustible and are not allowed to be used in the Netherlands. There are three smoke classes defined: s1, s2 and s3. Smoke class s1 gives the least smoke. When d0 is appended, it means that no burning droplets will be released.

The basic requirement in the Netherlands is class D. However, facades higher than 13 metres must meet at least class B, which is also the case for the bottom 2.5 metres of facades, if the hall has a floor at a height greater than 5 metres. In the Netherlands, the maximum smoke class is s2 for the inside of buildings. But please check the regulations of the country your project is located.

We have good documentation and certificates for the SAB products, so it is immediately clear which products you can choose for which fire class.

  • SAB sandwich panels are classified as B-s2, d0 and therefore meet the
    requirements for almost every application. Except the ECO panels.
  • A system of SAB structural liner trays, mineral wool and a steel profiled cladding even meets non-combustibility (Class A).

Fire resistance

The resistance to fire penetration of the facade is the degree to which the facade can stop
the spread of fire from inside to outside or from outside to inside for a certain time.

  • EW-30 means a resistance to fire penetration of 30 minutes.
  • EI-30 means a resistance to fire penetration of 30 minutes including a temperature criterion.
    This is important to prevent fire spreading from outside to inside.

For the complete overview of all SAB sandwich panels, see the table below, which also states for which span the fire resistance applies.

Efectis reports

Fire tests have been carried out by the recognized research agency Efectis for various types of SAB sandwich panels and construction systems with SAB liner boxes, insulation and SAB façade profile plates. The reports of the construction systems are from our insulation partners Isover and Rockwool. All fire reports are included in the downloads.

FR series

We have recently had the improved SAB WB 100.1000 FR, the SAB D 90.1000 TL FR and the SAB Carrier FR tested for fire resistance by Efectis, with impressive results. These panels come within the FR series

SAB sandwich panels are fire safe thanks to the use of PIR foam with a unique formulation. The fire resistance is indicated on the certificates as EI15, EI20, EI30, EW30, EW60 etc. Because the class also depends on the span, we have renamed the entire series of fire-resistant panels the SAB FR panels. ‘FR’ here stands for Fire Resistance.

FM Approval for SAB Sandwich Panels and Roof Decks

FM Global is the world’s largest insurer of industrial buildings. To minimize the risk of property loss, FM Global operates its own state‑of‑the‑art testing facilities in the United States. At these facilities, building materials are rigorously tested and certified for wind resistance, hail impact, and fire performance.

SAB offers a complete range of FM Approved sandwich panels and FM Approved steel roof decks, providing reliable, insurance-compliant solutions for industrial and commercial construction projects.

FM-Certified SAB Products

FM Approved Sandwich Wall Panels

All SAB sandwich wall panels are certified according to:

  • FM 4880 – Class 1 Fire Rating
  • FM 4881 – Exterior Wall Systems

FM Approved Trapezoidal Roof Panels (TL)

Our thicker trapezoidal roof panels (TL) additionally comply with:

  • FM 4471 – Internal fire Class 1 Roof Panels
    • External fire Class A

FM Approved Deep Decks

The following SAB deep deck profiles comply with:

  • FM 4451 – Class 1 Insulated Steel Roof Deck Construction
    • SAB FA 135R/930
    • SAB FA 153R/840
    • SAB FA 158R/750
    • SAB FA 200R/750

SAB-profiel is proud to be the first manufacturer in the Benelux to produce FM‑approved roof decks.
All FM Approval certificates are available for download in our SAB download center.

UL and ULC certifications

For projects in the United States and Canada, SAB provides a wide range of UL and ULC certified wall and roof panels.

These certifications validate the fire performance, safety, and impact resistance of our insulated building systems according to North American standards.

Available UL / ULC Standards

Our panels are certified according to the following UL and ULC test standards:

  • UL 723 – Test for Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials
  • UL 790 – Test Methods for Fire Tests of Roof Coverings
  • CAN/ULC S101 – Fire Endurance Tests of Building Construction and Materials
  • CAN/ULC S102 – Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials and Assemblies
  • CAN/ULC S107 – Impact Resistance of Prepared Roof Coverings
  • CAN/ULC S126 – Fire Spread under Roof‑Deck Assemblies
  • CAN/ULC S138 – Fire Growth of Insulated Building Panels in a Full‑Scale Room Configuration

With these UL and ULC approvals, SAB ensures that its insulated panels meet stringent North American fire and safety requirements—making them suitable for industrial, commercial, and logistics buildings across the region.

All UL/ULC Approval certificates are available for download in our SAB download center.