EN ISO 14116: Protective clothing with limited flame spread

Workwear with the EN ISO 14116 standard is made with flame-retardant materials. It is intended to protect the wearer from incidental and short-term contact with small flames where there is no significant heat hazard. When clothing with this standard comes into contact with flames, it will burn to a limited extent. When the flame is removed, the material self-extinguishes. When protection against the risks of heat hazards is necessary, it is recommended to wear clothing with ISO 11612.

View all standards

What does standard EN ISO 14116 entail?

EN 14116 limited flame spread protection

Workwear with this standard can consist of multiple layers, different garments, or a single garment. All materials used that comply with this standard must have a limited flame spread index of 1, 2, or 3 when tested according to ISO 15025. The limited flame spread index is therefore divided into 3 possible levels, each with its own properties.

Levels of limited flame spread

  • Index 1: For index 1, hole formation is permitted. Index 1 is the lowest level of protection and can only be used when worn over clothing with index 2 or 3. Clothing with index 1 should not be worn directly against the skin, such as on the neck and wrists.
  • Index 2: For index 2, the fabric sample must extinguish before reaching the edge of the sample, but no maximum afterglow time is required. The other points are the same as index 3.
  • Index 3: (EN15025): In this test method, a fabric sample (in new condition and after the maximum number of washes) is exposed to flames for 10 seconds. Index 3 offers the best protection against flame spread. The after-flame or afterglow time is a maximum of 2 seconds, no holes should form, and no melting drops. This classification is the same as classification 11611/11612 A1.

Requirements for the clothing

  • The clothing may not have turn-ups on the trouser legs
  • There may be no conductive parts present through all layers
  • The overlap between a jacket and trousers must be sufficient
  • The seam strength after 5 washes > 30 N

Instructions for cleaning clothing with standard EN ISO 14116

  • Household washing: number of washes + letter H / washing temperature
  • Industrial washing: number of washes + letter I / washing temperature
  • Dry cleaning: number of cleaning cycles + letter C / international symbol for dry cleaning

If the materials used in the clothing cannot be washed or dry-cleaned, the cleaning index should be 0/0. The index on the clothing's wash label looks like this: limited flame spread index / cleaning index.

For example: 2 / 5H / 60 means that the clothing has a flammability index of 2 and can be washed at home 5 times at 60 ºC.

Note: do not use detergents containing soap, but only synthetic detergents. Strictly follow the symbols on the detergent.

Popular categories of flame-retardant workwear

View the Multinorm Workwear Collection
View the Multinorm Collections Collection