What is this standard about?
BS EN ISO 12863 provides a standard assessment of the capability of a cigarette to cause a fire by igniting surrounding material.
Who is this standard for?
- Cigarette manufacturers and testers
- Health and safety executives
- The fire protection industry
Why should you use this standard?
Fires are commonly caused by the dropping of a cigarette onto a bed or piece of upholstered furniture. The burning cigarette heats the furnishings to a point where smouldering combustion begins, possibly followed by a transition to flaming combustion. Test methods to determine the propensity of a cigarette to ignite soft furnishings are important to maintain fire safety. BS EN ISO 12863 establishes guidelines for cigarettes on three different substrates (3.10 or 15 layers of filter paper) to observe whether a cigarette burns the length of the column. It is applicable to all factory-made cigarettes.
What’s changed since the last update?
- The standard has been systematically reviewed by experts to ensure its continued market relevance and includes significant technical changes in line with the latest industry thinking.
- Annex F added outlining the use of fully-automated/semi-automated systems to perform tests
- The updating and addition of normative references