Overview
ISO 13927:2023 - Plastics: Simple heat release test using a conical radiant heater and a thermopile detector - specifies a laboratory method to assess the heat release behaviour of essentially flat plastic products exposed horizontally to controlled radiant heating with an external igniter. Intended for product development and production control, the test determines heat release rate using a thermopile detector (a simpler alternative to oxygen-consumption techniques), measures time to ignition and sustained flaming, and optionally records specimen mass loss. This is the third edition, revising ISO 13927:2015, with updates to calibration methods and annexes.
Key topics and requirements
- Scope and purpose: Comparative or quality-control assessment of heat release for flat products in a horizontal orientation; not a full fire-safety prediction tool.
- Test principle: A cone-shaped radiant heater delivers a known heat flux to the specimen; a thermopile in a chimney measures radiative output above the burning sample. Thermopile voltage is converted to heat release rate (kW/m²) using prior calibration.
- Measured outputs:
- Time to ignition (s)
- Time to sustained flaming (s)
- Heat release rate per unit area: peak, at 180 s, at 300 s
- Optional mass loss / mass loss rate
- Apparatus and components (specified):
- Conical radiant electrical heater and heat-flux controller
- Chimney and thermopiles, heat-flux meter, calibration burner
- Specimen holder, retainer frame, fume extraction
- Ignition circuit/timer and data acquisition system
- Calibration and validation:
- Heater and thermopile calibration procedures are required.
- The 2023 edition adds calibration using the mass flow rate of methane gas corresponding to its net heat of combustion.
- Test procedure & reporting: Conditioning, specimen preparation (including composite or thin materials guidance), daily calibration checks, precision statements and required test report content are defined. Informative annexes provide operator guidance and calibration examples.
Applications and users
- Materials manufacturers and compounders screening polymer formulations for lower heat release
- Product developers optimizing flame-retardant treatments or composite layups
- Quality and production control for batch consistency
- Fire-testing laboratories conducting comparative testing where oxygen-consumption cone calorimetry is not required
- Specifiers in building, transport and consumer products seeking comparative flammability data
Note: ISO 13927:2023 is suited for comparative and development work - it is simpler than oxygen-consumption methods and should not be used alone to predict full-scale fire performance.
Related standards
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