• Working Hours - Mon - Fri: 9:00 - 17:00

 

Candles and Candle Accessories Testing and Assessment to meet with Product Safety Industry Standards

For many thousands of years, Candles have played an important role in the lives of many cultures all over the world. Religious ceremonies have dominated the use of candles and even today is still widely used for biblical and festive purposes. However, the use of candles in the 21st Century has expanded into a more decorative and aromatic role. Over the centuries Candles have transformed from simple pillar candles to an endless design of scented aromas and elegant decorative works of art. Whilst we appreciated the artistry and craftsmanship of the many candles, holders and accessories produced today, we cannot afford to forget that a candle when lit has a flame that is a potential fire hazard. The labels, holders and other trimmings and accessories are sometimes made from combustible materials, adding to the potential fire hazard if the candle flame is not handled carefully and monitored.

 

Accidental candle fires are a growing concern, especially during the festive holidays. The ‘Fire Safety’ of Candles needs to be taken into account, the burning behaviour and performance of the candle itself, as well as the risk it poses to surrounding home furnishings and the wider environment. With this in mind, the NCA (National Candle Association) and ECA (European Candle Association) have played a leading role in the development of industry standards to improve the level of fire safety of candles during use and to minimise the risk to consumers. IFS Laboratories has a team of highly qualified and experienced technicians and technologists that will work to accommodate your testing requirements.

Specifications for fire safety

We ensure your candles and candle accessories comply with industry standards and also test for conformity to high quality specifications:

 

BS EN 15493: 2019 – Specification for fire safety: Helps to ensure a reasonable degree of safety during use thereby improving personal safety and reducing the risk of fires, deaths and injuries

BS EN 15426: 2018 – Specification for sooting behaviour: Helps manufactures to select the correct combination of wax types and wick sizes to produce the best burning performance possible. A candle emitting a high degree of soot particles indicates poor quality of one or more and/or combination of its components.

BS EN 15494: 2019 – Candles – Product safety labels: Provides consumers with the correct safety information relating to the candles use in a particular end use environment. As a minimum all candles must provide a ‘General Warning Sign’ together with four mandatory warning signs to notify the consumer of the risks that all candles, regardless of their size or shape impose.

Types of Flammability Testing