This standard applies to garments and accessories where lower flame-retardant requirements are acceptable, such as high-visibility vests, rainwear, and socks. The standard is divided into three classes, with Index 3 representing the highest level of protection.

Garments certified to EN ISO 14116 are designed for situations where the risk of flame exposure is limited and short in duration. They prevent the clothing from igniting or continuing to burn after brief contact with a small flame, forming part of a passive protection approach against accidental ignition.

Flame-retardant performance under EN ISO 14116

The EN ISO 14116 standard defines the performance requirements for materials, material assemblies and garments that limit flame spread. Its purpose is to ensure that clothing itself does not become a hazard by igniting and continuing to burn.

Compared to EN ISO 11612, which specifies protection against higher thermal risks, EN ISO 14116 provides a more basic level of flame resistance. However, it remains an essential layer of safety in many work environments where flame contact is a possible but infrequent risk.

Classes of protection: index 1 to 3

EN ISO 14116 distinguishes between three protection classes, referred to as indexes.

• Index 1 – offers the lowest level of protection and must not be worn directly against the skin. These garments must be layered over index 2 or index 3 clothing.
• Index 2 – provides intermediate flame resistance and can be used either alone or in multilayer assemblies.
• Index 3 – provides the highest level of limited flame-spread protection and limits afterflame time to a maximum of 2 seconds.

Garments can be made of a single layer (tested as a whole) or a multilayer assembly. The notation x + x indicates that layers are tested separately. For example, FR 1 + 3 means the outer layer is index 1 and the inner layer is index 3.