EN 13238:2026

• Abstract:

  This document establishes the general principles for the conditioning procedures for test specimens tested according to the European standards for reaction to fire.; The rules for the selection of substrates for construction products when carrying out reaction to fire tests are also detailed in this document. In order to use the extension rules set in this document, no modification of the standard substrate is allowed.; This document does not contain requirements for:; — the pre-drying of test specimens for the non-combustibility test according to EN ISO 1182;; — methods of cleaning (e.g. washing) and other methods for the assessment of durability aspects, which are dealt with in the relevant product standards.

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 28-Jul-2026
• ICS: 13.220.50 - Fire-resistance of building materials and elements
• Technical Committee: CEN/TC 127 - Fire safety in buildings
• Drafting Committee: CEN/TC 127/WG 4 - Reaction to fire
• Current Stage: 6060 - Definitive text made available (DAV) - Publishing
• Start Date: 29-Jul-2026
• Due Date: 01-Jun-2026
• Completion Date: 29-Jul-2026
• Directive: Harmonized Standard305/2011 - Regulation (eu) No 305/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 march 2011 laying down harmonised conditions for the marketing of construction products and repealing council directive 89/106/eec
• Mandate: M/088 - CPD: Reaction to fire
• Mandate: M/117 - Horizontal complement to the mandates to CEN/CENELEC concerning the execution of standardization work for the valuation of construction products and elements in respect of their resistance to fire
• Ref Project: SIST EN 13238:2026 - Reaction to fire tests for building products - Conditioning procedures and general rules for selection of substrates

• Replaces: EN 13238:2010 - Reaction to fire tests for building products - Conditioning procedures and general rules for selection of substrates
• Effective Date: 18-Jan-2023
• Refers: EN 13820:2003 - Thermal insulating materials for building applications - Determination of organic content
• Effective Date: 16-Sep-2026
• Refers: EN 636:2012+A1:2015 - Plywood - Specifications
• Effective Date: 02-Sep-2026
• Referred By: EN ISO 11925-2:2020 - Reaction to fire tests - Ignitability of products subjected to direct impingement of flame - Part 2: Single-flame source test (ISO 11925-2:2020)
• Effective Date: 05-Aug-2026
• Referred By: EN ISO 1716:2010 - Reaction to fire tests for products - Determination of the gross heat of combustion (calorific value) (ISO 1716:2010)
• Effective Date: 05-Aug-2026
• Referred By: EN 14351-1:2006+A1:2010 - Windows and doors - Product standard, performance characteristics - Part 1: Windows and external pedestrian doorsets without resistance to fire and/or smoke leakage characteristics
• Effective Date: 05-Aug-2026
• Referred By: EN ISO 9239-1:2025 - Reaction to fire tests for floorings - Part 1: Determination of the burning behaviour using a radiant heat source (ISO 9239‑1:2025)
• Effective Date: 05-Aug-2026
• Referred By: EN 14904:2006 - Surfaces for sports areas - Indoor surfaces for multi-sports use - Specification
• Effective Date: 05-Aug-2026
• Referred By: EN 15651-4:2017 - Sealants for non-structural use in joints in buildings and pedestrian walkways - Part 4: Sealants for pedestrian walkways
• Effective Date: 05-Aug-2026
• Referred By: EN 14320-1:2013 - Thermal insulating products for building equipment and industrial installations - In-situ formed sprayed rigid polyurethane (PUR) and polyisocyanurate foam (PIR) products - Part 1: Specification for the rigid foam spray system before installation
• Effective Date: 05-Aug-2026
• Referred By: EN 15651-2:2012 - Sealants for non-structural use in joints in buildings and pedestrian walkways - Part 2: Sealants for glazing
• Effective Date: 05-Aug-2026
• Referred By: EN 15814:2011+A1:2012 - Polymer modified bituminous thick coatings for waterproofing - Definitions and requirements
• Effective Date: 05-Aug-2026
• Referred By: CEN/TS 15117:2005 - Guidance on direct and extended application
• Effective Date: 05-Aug-2026
• Referred By: EN 15497:2014 - Structural finger jointed solid timber - Performance requirements and minimum production requirements
• Effective Date: 05-Aug-2026
• Referred By: EN 16989:2018 - Railway applications - Fire protection on railway vehicles - Fire behaviour test for a complete seat
• Effective Date: 05-Aug-2026

Overview

EN 13238:2026, published by CEN, specifies the general principles for conditioning procedures and the rules for the selection of substrates for building products tested according to European reaction to fire standards. The document supports consistent and reproducible reaction to fire test results, ensuring proper assessment of fire performance across different construction products. The standard outlines how building product test specimens should be conditioned and which substrates should be used, depending on the end-use conditions of the product, while maintaining strict requirements to avoid modification of standard substrates.

Key Topics

• Conditioning Procedures: Provides clear instructions for conditioning test specimens at controlled temperature and humidity-critical for obtaining reliable fire test data.

  • Conditioning to constant mass or for prescribed minimum periods depending on product type (e.g., fire-retardant, gypsum-based, or general hygroscopic products).
  • Handling of cured materials and water content verification, especially for wood products.

• Selection of Substrates: Sets general and specific rules for substrate selection during fire testing.

  • Use of standard substrates representative of common end-use situations (like fibre cement board, particleboard, gypsum plasterboard, mineral wool, steel/aluminium sheets).
  • Ensures substrates for testing reflect or exceed the density and thickness of those in practical applications.

• Attachment Methods: Details the requirement for test specimens to replicate the end-use installation method (e.g., adhesive type and application technique).

• Limitations: Clarifies what is not covered in the standard, such as pre-drying for non-combustibility (EN ISO 1182) and cleaning methods or durability assessment, which are covered elsewhere.

Applications

• Fire Testing Laboratories: EN 13238:2026 is essential for labs conducting reaction to fire tests under the Construction Products Regulation (CPR). It ensures replicable and comparable results by governing the pre-test treatment of samples and substrate choices.
• Building Product Manufacturers: Manufacturers seeking CE marking or fire classification for construction products must follow the conditioning and substrate selection rules outlined here to demonstrate compliance with European reaction to fire requirements.
• Construction Industry: Specifiers and stakeholders in building projects use this standard to confirm that fire test results for products are meaningful and relate to actual conditions of use.

Related Standards

EN 13238:2026 works in conjunction with several key fire testing and classification standards, including:

• EN 13501-1: Fire classification of construction products and building elements
• EN 13823: Reaction to fire tests for building products excluding floorings
• EN 14390: Fire tests for surface products in a reference room
• EN 16733: Determination of a product's propensity to smoulder
• CEN/TS 1187: Test methods for external fire exposure to roofs
• EN ISO 1182: Non-combustibility test (conditioning requirements not covered by EN 13238)
• EN ISO 1716: Determination of the heat of combustion
• EN ISO 9239-1: Burning behaviour of floorings using radiant heat source
• EN ISO 11925-2: Ignitability using a single-flame source
• EN ISO 13943: Fire safety vocabulary

Practical Value

Implementing EN 13238:2026 helps ensure that fire testing of building materials in Europe is robust, harmonized, and relevant to real-life applications. This consistency:

• Supports the safety and compliance of construction products.
• Facilitates product acceptance and specification in cross-border European trade.
• Reduces the risk of unreliable results due to inconsistent test sample preparation or inappropriate substrate choices.

With its detailed guidance on conditioning and substrate selection for reaction to fire tests, EN 13238:2026 is a cornerstone standard for the fire performance evaluation of construction products in the European market.

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-oktober-2026
Nadomešča:
SIST EN 13238:2010
Preskusi odziva gradbenih proizvodov na ogenj - Postopki kondicioniranja in
splošna pravila za izbiro podlag
Reaction to fire tests for building products - Conditioning procedures and general rules
for selection of substrates
Prüfungen zum Brandverhalten von Bauprodukten - Konditionierungsverfahren und
allgemeine Regeln für die Auswahl von Trägerplatten
Essais de réaction au feu des produits de construction - Modes opératoires de
conditionnement et règles générales de sélection des substrats
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 13238:2026
ICS:
13.220.50 Požarna odpornost Fire-resistance of building
gradbenih materialov in materials and elements
elementov
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EN 13238
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
July 2026
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 13.220.50 Supersedes EN 13238:2010
English Version
Reaction to fire tests for building products - Conditioning
procedures and general rules for selection of substrates
Essais de réaction au feu des produits de construction - Prüfungen zum Brandverhalten von Bauprodukten -
Modes opératoires de conditionnement et règles Konditionierungsverfahren und allgemeine Regeln für
générales de sélection des substrats die Auswahl von Trägerplatten
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 29 June 2026.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2026 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN 13238:2026 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
European foreword . 3
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 6
4 Conditioning procedures . 6
4.1 General. 6
4.2 Conditioning to constant mass . 7
4.3 Conditioning for a fixed period . 7
5 General rules for selection of substrates . 7
5.1 General. 7
5.2 Standard substrates for floorings . 8
5.3 Standard substrates for construction products excluding floorings . 8
Bibliography . 12

European foreword
This document (EN 13238:2026) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 127 “Fire safety in
buildings”, the secretariat of which is held by BSI.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by January 2027, and conflicting national standards shall
be withdrawn at the latest by January 2027.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This document supersedes EN 13238:2010.
— adjustments on the requirements of the current available quality of substrates;
— re-evaluation of the conditioning periods.
This document has been prepared under a standardization request addressed to CEN by the European
Commission. The Standing Committee of the EFTA States subsequently approves these requests for its
Member States.
Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national standards body.
A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CEN website.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia,
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland,
Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North
Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United
Kingdom.
Introduction
The Construction Products Regulation (CPR) requires products to be tested in their end use condition
which, for the purpose of substrates, could lead to an economically unrealistic large variety of tests to be
carried out. This large spectrum has been reduced to a practical number of standard substrates that
enables the majority of end use conditions to be represented. Rules for the selection of such substrates
are given in this document.
This document is intended for use in conjunction with European Standards covering the reaction to fire
test methods for the relevant construction products.
1 Scope
This document establishes the general principles for the conditioning procedures for test specimens
tested according to the European standards for reaction to fire.
The rules for the selection of substrates for construction products when carrying out reaction to fire tests
are also detailed in this document. In order to use the extension rules set in this document, no
modification of the standard substrate is allowed.
This document does not contain requirements for:
— the pre-drying of test specimens for the non-combustibility test according to EN ISO 1182;
— methods of cleaning (e.g. washing) and other methods for the assessment of durability aspects, which
are dealt with in the relevant product standards.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN 312, Particleboards — Specifications
EN 520, Gypsum plasterboards — Definitions, requirements and test methods
EN 636, Plywood — Specifications
EN 12467, Fibre-cement flat sheets — Product specification and test methods
EN 13501-1, Fire classification of construction products and building elements — Part 1: Classification
using data from reaction to fire tests
EN 13820, Thermal insulating materials for building applications — Determination of organic content
EN 13823, Reaction to fire tests for building products — Building products excluding floorings exposed to
the thermal attack by a single burning item
EN 14390, Fire test — Large-scale room reference test for surface products
EN 16733, Reaction to fire tests for building products — Determination of a building product’s propensity
to undergo continuous smouldering
CEN/TS 1187, Test methods for external fire exposure to roofs
EN ISO 1182, Reaction to fire tests for products — Non-combustibility test (ISO 1182)
EN ISO 1716, Reaction to fire tests for products — Determination of the gross heat of combustion (calorific
value) (ISO 1716)
EN ISO 9239-1, Reaction to fire tests for floorings — Part 1: Determination of the burning behaviour using
a radiant heat source (ISO 9239-1)
EN ISO 11925-2, Reaction to fire tests — Ignitability of products subjected to direct impingement of
flame — Part 2: Single-flame source test (ISO 1192-2)
EN ISO 13943, Fire safety — Vocabulary (ISO 13943)
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in EN ISO 13943 and the following
apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp/
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
3.1
material
single basic substance or uniformly dispersed mixture of substances
EXAMPLE Metal, stone, timber, concrete, mineral wool with uniformly dispersed binder or polymers.
3.2
product
material, element or component about which information is required
3.3
substrate
product which is used beneath the system or the product about which information is required
Note 1 to entry: For a flooring, it is the floor on which the flooring is mounted or the material which represents this
floor.
3.4
standard substrate
product which is representative of the substrate used in end use applications
3.5
test specimen
piece of the product which is to be tested together with or without any substrate
...