Fire Ratings Explained

The letters A, B, C, D, E and F are types of fires. These letters classify a fire mostly by the type of fuel that is keeping the fire going.

Where an extinguisher is classified with more than one letter, it means it is effective on more than one type of fire — ratings are always written in alphabetical order, e.g. a 4A:60B:C:E extinguisher (our 4.5kg ABE Dry Powder) could be used on a Class A, B, C or E fire, which is why it’s often just called an “ABE extinguisher.” The number in front of a letter compares the performance of an extinguisher during testing, as outlined in AS/NZS 1850 — the higher the number, the bigger the test fire it put out.

Number ranges vary by class: Class A ranges from 1 to 10 (based on the wooden crib fuel load used in testing), Class B ranges from 2 to 80 (based on the flammable liquid fuel load), and Class F ranges from 1 to 4 (based on the size of the oil pan fire). Class C, D and E don’t carry a rating number — the test simply confirms a pass or fail against that fire type. Our 3.5kg CO2 Extinguisher, for example, carries a rating of 5B:E — rated for Class B and E fires with no A, C, D or F rating attached.

With the exception of water extinguishers, most of our extinguishers are capable of putting out more than one type of fire. Our extinguishers are manufactured to the relevant AS/NZS 1841 series requirements. Use the table below to choose the fire extinguisher best suited to your needs.