EN ISO 11612:2015 – Protective clothing – Clothing to protect against heat and flame

Standard for protective clothing to protect the wearer in case of accidental contact with heat and flame. The standard is relevant for industrial workers and electricians.

Design requirements

Coveralls or jacket and trousers should cover the body, throat/neck, arms and legs. There must be a 20 cm overlap between the jacket and trousers during all work operations. Metal parts must not come directlyin contact with the wearer’s skin. For code letters D and E, additional design requirements apply.

Textile requirements

General requirements: Heat resistance at a temperature of 180 °C: The material must not ignite or melt and must not shrink more than 5%. The material must meet a minimum requirement for tearing and abrasion resistance

Code letter A1 – Surface ignition, ISO 15025 Procedure A

• Top or side edge must not ignite during testing.
• Holes must not form during testing.
• Samples must not produce molten or burning debris.
• The mean value for after-flame time must be≤ 2 seconds.
• The mean value for afterglow time must be≤ 2 seconds.

Code letter A2 – Edge ignition, ISO 15025 procedure B

• Top or side edge must not ignite during testing.
• Samples must not produce molten or burning debris.
• The mean value for after-flame time must be≤ 2 seconds.
• The mean value for afterglow time must be≤ 2 seconds.

Code letter B – Convective heat, ISO 9151

Convective heat is the heat that passes through the garment when exposed to flames. Even if the outer layer does not burn, the wearer may nevertheless incur injuries due to the heat that forms when the textile – and, indirectly, the body – comes into contact with the flame.

Performance levels: Convective heat measured in seconds Min. Max.

B1 4 < 10
B2 10 < 20
​​​​​​​B3 20

Code letter C – Radiant heat, ISO 6942

Low radiant heat over a long period can cause a risk of injury.

Performance levels: Radiant heat measured in seconds
Min. Max.

C1 7 < 20
C2 20 < 50
C3 50 < 95
​​​​​​​C4 95

Code letter D – Molten aluminium splash, ISO 9185

Even if the textile does not burn or disintegrate in contact with the molten metal, the wearer may still get burns. The test gives an indication of how much metal spatter the garment can withstand before its protective capability is compromised. Code letter D is for molten aluminium and code letter E is for molten iron.

Performance levels: Molten aluminium measured in grams
​​​​​​​Min. Max.

D1 100 < 200
D2 200 < 350
​​​​​​​D3 350

Code letter D – Molten iron splash, ISO 9185
Performance levels: Molten iron measured in grams
​​​​​​​Min. Max.

E1 60 < 120
E2 120 < 200
​​​​​​​E3 200

Code letter F – Contact heat, ISO 12127

The protection of the garment against the transfer of contact heat has been testedaccording to ISO 12127 at a temperature of 250 °C.

Performance levels: Contact heat transfer measured in seconds
Min. Max.

F1 5 < 10
F2 10 < 15
​​​​​​​F3 15

User information

Two-piece protective clothing should be used together to achieve the specified level of protection. The CE label in the garment provides information about the necessary garment combination. The CE label also provides information about which code letters the garment is certified for. If splashes of chemicals or flammable liquids accidentally end up on the garment, the user should immediately move away from the area and carefully remove the garments. Make sure that chemicals or liquid do not come into contact with skin. The garments must then be cleaned or discarded.