Buyers often assume that because a reflective film has a metal surface it will not burn. It will. The aluminium layer is far too thin to matter; the polyester film, the adhesive and the scrim or core underneath are all plastics that burn like plastics. If a product needs a fire rating, it needs a specifically fire-rated grade and a test report to prove it.
What “fire retardant” means
A fire-retardant (FR) grade is made with additives in the film, the adhesive or the scrim that slow ignition and flame spread and reduce dripping. It does not make the material non-combustible. FR grades are tested to a named standard, and the rating only applies to the construction that was tested.
Why the metal layer does not help
The aluminium on a metallised film is vapour-deposited — a coating, not a sheet you could handle. It is far too thin to act as a barrier, and it sits on a polyester film that burns like the plastic it is.
Solid foil is a different case in one narrow sense: the metal itself does not burn. But foil is never supplied bare in these constructions. It is bonded to PET, PE, kraft or scrim, and it is the carrier and the adhesive that decide how the laminate behaves in a flame. A foil face does not make a laminate fire rated.
The tests that apply to reflective films
- CPAI-84 is the North American standard for flame resistance of tent materials, widely required for grow tents and camping products sold in the United States and Canada.
- EN 13501-1 classifies construction products in Europe; reflective insulation used in buildings is usually asked for a class B, C or D with smoke and droplet ratings.
- NFPA 701 covers drapes and hanging fabrics in the United States and is sometimes requested for room liners.
- UL 94 applies to plastic parts in equipment and is occasionally asked for in enclosure applications, although it is not designed for fabrics.
Ask the customer which standard their market requires before you order material; the answers above are not interchangeable.
What the tests actually measure
They are not measuring the same property, which is why passing one says nothing about the others. CPAI-84 applies a flame to a fabric specimen and reports afterflame time and char length. EN 13501-1 classifies reaction to fire from a set of European methods and reports smoke production and flaming droplets alongside the class letter. NFPA 701 measures flame propagation on hanging textiles. UL 94 burns a specimen in a fixed orientation and is written for plastic parts inside equipment rather than for fabrics.
A rating belongs to a construction, not to a material
A test report covers the exact construction, test method and revision it names, and nothing else. Change the scrim, the adhesive, the backing or the emboss and the report no longer describes what you are buying.
That is why a rating cannot be inherited. A fire-rated film laminated to an untested scrim gives an untested laminate. If your customer’s certifier asks for evidence, they will ask for the report on the finished construction, not on one layer of it.
Three assumptions that cost buyers time
- That a metal face implies fire resistance. It does not, for the reasons above.
- That one market’s standard satisfies another. The four listed above test different things under different conditions.
- That “fire retardant” means it will not burn. It slows ignition and flame spread and reduces dripping; it does not make a plastic non-combustible.
What we can supply
Fire-rated grades are available for our woven reflective laminates, foil-scrim laminates and reflective insulation. Standard grades of plain metallised PET film are not fire rated. Each FR construction we quote comes with the test report naming the standard, the laboratory and the tested construction.
How to specify
As with any reflective roll goods spec, state the standard and the class you need, the market it is for and the assembly the material will be used in. We will confirm whether an existing report covers it. If it does not, we can arrange testing of your specific construction, which takes a few weeks. Ask about a fire-rated grade.