National fire protection association, or NFPA for short,
offers many kinds of tests for fire testing and material compatibility with
fires. NFPA specifies different codes for different kinds of tests and the
areas of evaluation are for standards of building materials, electronics and
other burn-able materials.
The NFPA 286 test is one of the many fire standard tests that
specifically check if the material is affected by fire or not, and how much is
affected. This test is assigned for interior wall partitions, ceilings, floors
and generally anything that is constructed for indoors. This standard is useful
in determining what areas of a room contribute to the growth of a fire if any,
and how fast the fire spreads due to these materials. This test is also known
as a room corner test.
NFPA 286 was introduced to determine which materials help
fires spread faster and which materials restrict the growth of a fire. While
most of the materials used indoors burn, the rate at which they burn varies
greatly. For example, a wooden wall partition burns and so does steel, but the
former burns at a much faster rate than the latter. In fact, steel won’t start
burning unless the temperature is extremely high, close to the melting point of
steel.
This test help evaluate how protected the building will be
in case of a fire. Suppose a flammable material is being used indoors, such as paper-based wallpapers and simple plastic wall partitions. Those will catch
fire faster, and it will result in fire moving next door at a much faster rate.
This means by the time firefighters arrive at the scene, a lot of damage will
have already occurred. But if a material that does not burn fast is present,
say concrete, specialized wall dividers or non-flammable wallpapers, then the
rate of spread of fire will be very less. By the time firefighters arrive at
the location, the fire will have been restricted only to a few areas, making
their work easier and keeping damage to a minimum.
Most manufacturers who manufacture and sell the indoor building
items such as tiles, plasters, wall dividers, and wallpapers often get their
products tested under NFPA 286 to assure building safety protocols are put in
place. While they are mostly used in commercial spaces, homeowners can also get
NFPA 286 accredited materials installed in their homes.
