The B1 certificate is a certificate for flame-retardant materials and was often used in Germany as a benchmark for the fire safety of materials. A material awarded a B1 certificate corresponds to a flame-retardant class. Certified building materials of class B1 must not continue to burn on their own once the heat source that ignited them has been removed. This is tested and certified in recognized testing laboratories.

Since 2002, there have also been the European standards EN 13501-1 and EN 13501-2, which regulate the requirements for the fire safety of materials in Europe.

The new European fire safety certificates for print media were developed to unify and standardize the fire safety of materials in Europe. The EN 13501-1 standard regulates the requirements for the fire safety of materials and defines various classes of fire safety requirements, ranging from non-combustible (class A1) to easily flammable (class F). Class B-s1,d0 is generally considered the benchmark for the fire safety of materials in public buildings in Europe.

The conditions for issuing fire protection certificates vary depending on the country and area of application. In Germany, materials used in public buildings or at trade fairs generally had to have a B1 certificate in accordance with DIN 4102. However, the European standard EN 13501-1 is gaining in importance.

The two standards cannot be compared one-to-one, as the European system also defines secondary fire phenomena, such as smoke development and flaming droplets or falling debris, for the first time. The details are shown in our table – see below.

The differences between the certificates lie primarily in the fire safety requirements and the test methods. For example, a material that has received a B1 certificate in Germany may not meet the fire safety requirements in other countries. Therefore, it is important to consider the respective national regulations and standards.