CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS REGULATION (CPR)

In connection with the European Parliament and the Council (EU) No. 305/2011, also known as Construction Products Regulation (CPR), 
STN EN 50575 standard is obligatory in Slovakia from July 1st  2017

This standard defines cables for general use in construction in relation to fire response requirements. It is basically a new cable categorization system. Evaluation of the reaction of cables to fire is actually an assessment of their fire danger in terms of:
 
a)    heat and smoke generation
b)    flame spread
c)    formation of burning droplets and particles
d)    formation of gases in combustion products containing halogen gases (acidity and conductivity)
 

These requirements have been supplemented by additional classifications:
Smoke (s):
s1- low smoke
s2-average smoke
s3-no parameter guarantee
 

Drops (d):
d0- no burning particles
d1- burning particles go out within 10 s after dripping
d2- without parameter guarantee
 

Acidity (a):
a1- very low
a2- low
a3- without parameter guarantee
 

Standard EN 50575 specifies CPR classes. But this standard don´t specify in which areas of the building should be used cables complying with exact CPR classes. This regulation is specified in each country by local standards. For example in Slovakia standard STN 92 0203 specify, that in following areas must be used cables complying CPR classification B2ca s1 d1 a1:
 

• in the premises of medical facilities
• in social services constructions
• in buildings with internal assembly areas
• in residential buildings (except family houses)
• in buildings to accommodate more than 20 people
• in buildings with a fire height of more than 60 m
• in protected escape routes

The fire reaction classes themselves are specified in more detail in the standard STN EN 50575