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Woodsafe Research & Development (WRD) has installed Sweden’s most advanced testing equipment to verify the long-term performance of fire-protected wood products.  Source: Timberbiz With the capability to conduct both durability testing according to EN 16755 Method B and fire classification via SBI (Single Burning Item), WRD is setting an entirely new standard for what a fire lab for fire-treated wood can deliver in Sweden. Woodsafe R&D is currently the only company in Sweden capable of performing large-scale aging processes on panels up to six meters in length. The new testing facility developed specifically for WRD’s needs under the technical leadership of Dr Lazaros Tsantaridis enables full-scale testing of both durability and fire classification in one single controlled environment. “This is a huge leap forward for the entire industry. We can now simulate several years of weather exposure in just a few weeks and immediately evaluate whether the fire protection still meets requirements such as Euroclass B. No other operator in Sweden and likely not in all of Europe has this combined capability,” said Dr Tsantaridis, Head of Research at Woodsafe R&D. The core of this new initiative is a custom-built test rig for EN 16755 Method B – a European standard for testing the long-term durability of fire protection. Samples of fire-treated wood are subjected to cycles of moisture, heat, UV light, and drying that together simulate several years of outdoor exposure. The fire-retardant properties of the material are then analysed – has the agent leached out, lost effectiveness, or does it still meet high standards? “It’s precisely this ability to combine accelerated aging with direct SBI fire testing that makes our investment unique. It allows us to verify both the durability of the protection and ensure the wood product still achieves the desired fire class,” Dr Tsantaridis said. SBI testing (EN 13823) involves evaluating the fire behaviour of materials in a controlled corner setup. This method forms the basis of the Euroclass system – the fire classification system used throughout Europe. By combining SBI with durability testing under EN 16755, WRD can offer a complete picture of a material’s actual fire protection performance over time. “For architects, builders, and developers, this means no longer having to guess about long-term performance. We can now provide clear answers on whether a fire-protected wood product stands the test of time and back it up with data,” said Thomas Bengtsson, CEO of Woodsafe Timber Protection AB.