Fire resistance statement

At Wrekin, safety is never an afterthought - it’s built into the very core of everything we design and manufacture. Our iron and steel access products, including manhole covers, gully grates and surface boxes, meet the most stringent fire resistance standards, helping to keep people and infrastructure safe in even the harshest conditions.

Our products achieve a Class A1 fire rating under the European Standard EN 13501-1. This means they offer the highest possible level of fire performance for construction materials.

A Class A1 fire rating certifies that a material is completely non-combustible. It will not ignite, spread flames, produce smoke or drip burning particles in the event of a fire. In practical terms, here’s what that means for our iron and steelworks

• Non-combustible - A1-rated materials do not contribute to fire at any stage. Our products help prevent fire from spreading by providing a robust, non-flammable barrier.
• No smoke production - Dense or toxic smoke can be just as dangerous as flames in an emergency. Our materials do not emit smoke, reducing risk and supporting safer evacuation and emergency response.
• No flaming droplets - A1-rated materials don’t produce burning particles or droplets that could fall and ignite other materials, further limiting fire spread.

When installing access products in sensitive or high-risk environments - whether urban infrastructure, housing developments or transport networks - fire performance is a critical consideration. Our iron and steel covers don’t just meet the minimum requirements; they surpass expectations, giving our customers complete confidence in their fire safety credentials.

The fire resistance rating is one more way we demonstrate our commitment to quality, safety and innovation in civil engineering products.

5.3 Material-specific characteristics for gully tops and manhole tops made of cast iron

5.3.1 Reaction to fire

Where use of manhole tops and gully tops in accordance with this standard is subject to national regulatory requirements on reaction to fire, their reaction to fire performance shall be declared. Manhole tops and gully tops made of cast iron are classified as Class A1 without the need for testing (CWT), in accordance with the relevant Commission Decision/

NOTE 1 Cast iron, as homogeneously distributed materials for these products (whether in combination with concrete or not), is considered as material of known and stable performance with respect to the reaction to fire performance as it does not consist of any organic material and consequently does not contribute to fire. Under these conditions, it can be considered as Class A1 material.

NOTE 2 The class of reaction to fire performance of manhole tops and gully tops made of cast iron is regarded as the class for the constituent material (i.e. cast iron).

Conversely, where the use of manhole tops and gully tops is not subject to national regulatory requirements on reaction to fire, either the Class A1 (see above) or “No Performance Determined” (NPD) may be declared.

NOTE 3 Where the compatibility of seatings is achieved by the use of cushioning inserts, only a negligible area of the cushioning insert material would be exposed to fire, considering the end use situation. There is no relevance in relation to the reaction to fire performance and embedded cushioning inserts would not be able to ignite or to propagate fire there. Their contribution to fire spread is not of concern, nor is an influence expected on the fire behaviour of the neighbouring material and the contribution to fire propagation is negligible. Considering these aspects, separate testing and classification of cushioning inserts is not necessary.