06 Oct Sports & Stadia – Fire Rating

From our sports and stadia clients, we’re seeing an increasing number of enquiries about the fire rating of our materials.

Given the volume of people attending sporting events across the country and the requirement to ensure health and safety practices are followed, we thought we’d share some fire rating advice with you to help you get to grips with what it all means to you and the large format digitally printed graphics we supply to your sporting event.

The most important thing to be aware of is what the law specifies for materials used in public spaces including places of entertainment and sports stadiums. Media needs to be compliant with the requirements of BS5867 type B, which is generally accepted in the UK as NFP92 503 M1 and across Europe as DIN4102 B1. This simply means the material has been rated as ‘difficult to ignite and sustain burning’ making it a safe option for use in public spaces.

Soft signage or textiles are an important topic to cover here as they are widely used in public environments where display fabrics must be fire retardant. Some products, such as Fibreglass banner material has a Class 0 rating, which is the highest rating achievable. Its textured, glossy surface is great for lightboxes and is therefore a good choice for stadium signage and advertising..

Our 5m wide Rip-Stop banner material gives a perfectly smooth and durable surface, comes with the all-important B1 fire rating and is printable with our UV or latex inks. Its structure is such that it is highly resistant to breakage and tearing, so a pragmatic choice for triathlons, horse shows or cross-country sporting events.

When providing large format print to big sporting events such as football or rugby, flag material proves a popular option for large printed advertising such as the huge pieces carried onto pitches prior to the start of the match or even the huge graphic-type banners passed over the crowds at football stadia. Learn more about the application of large format digitally printed stadium flags here

It’s not just textiles that require fire rating though. Self-adhesive vinyl and over-laminates are a popular choice for sponsors of cricket pitches and alike, whose borders are awash with advertising. Many of our self-adhesive vinyls and laminates from a wide range of manufacturers hold B1 fire rating and comes in a variety of different widths, adhesives and finishes.

Imaginators are based in London and provide large format digital printing to the sports and stadia industry..

Stadium Graphics, event branding and venue dressing expertly delivered with Imaginators full project management service from concept to installation. Learn more about Imaginators large format printing projects for the sports and stadia industry here