“These newly added EXAP standards allow manufacturers and industry to design products with improved fire performance”
TECNALIA extends its ENAC accreditation with EXAP standards for greater flexibility in fire-resistant construction systems
This new extension of the ENAC accreditation, which includes standards for the extension of EXAP, Extended Application, strengthens TECNALIA’s position as a leader in research and technological development and as a benchmark laboratory in Spain. EXAP standards give manufacturers and the industry in general more flexibility when designing products or fire-resistant construction systems.
The world-renowned TECNALIA Fire Laboratory, already had a long list of Extended Application (EXAP) tests and reports under ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation.
Extended Application Reports (EXAP)
- They are essential because they extend the scope of application beyond fire testing, providing a solid basis for third-party certification. This ensures greater acceptance of TECNALIA’s activities in the field of fire safety, both nationally and internationally. These reports give companies and regulatory authorities confidence in the validity of products and materials undergoing testing and evaluation.
- They have a wide scope in the construction sector, covering products such as doors, windows, curtains, blinds, shutters, partitions, false ceilings and façades.
- These reports also apply to load-bearing elements such as concrete, timber and steel beams to ensure the integrity of the building in case of fire. Thanks to their versatility and ability to assess different types of materials and structures, EXAPs are essential in order to ensure safety and compliance in construction today.
This new extension includes EXAP standards for walls, suspended ceilings, curtains, blinds and door durability, which means that a new series of European standards have been added, namely EN 17020, EN 15254 and EN 15269.
Benefits and features added in EXAP standards
- Fire resistance of:
- Non-structural elements: non-loadbearing walls (EN 15254-3 and EN 15254-5), false ceilings (EN 15254-7)
- Doors: steel rolling shutters (EN 15269-10), curtains (EN 15269-11)
- Self-closing durability of hinged doors: metal (EN 17020-1), glazed (EN 17020-4) and wooden (EN 17020-5)
TECNALIA has become a strategic partner for a construction sector that is constantly evolving.
Industrialised building manufacturers already have accredited standards to be able to extend the performance of an interior partitioning system. It should be noted that these standards are already well established in the industry, but their applicability was subject to accreditation, as this is a prerequisite for the mandatory certification (CE marking) of some products (e.g. doors).
