EN 14470-1:2023 sets performance and testing requirements for fire safety storage cabinets used for flammable liquids. It covers cabinet construction, fire resistance, doors, ventilation, storage levels and spill containment. In Ireland, the current adopted standard is I.S. EN 14470-1:2023. It applies specifically to qualifying safety cabinets and does not cover walk-in storage rooms or every form of flammable liquid storage.
EN 14470-1 is a European product standard for fire safety storage cabinets intended for the storage of flammable liquids.
In Ireland, the standard is adopted by the National Standards Authority of Ireland as I.S. EN 14470-1:2023.
The standard establishes performance, construction and testing requirements for qualifying cabinets and classifies them according to the level of fire resistance provided.
The current 2023 edition replaced the previous I.S. EN 14470-1:2004 edition.
EN 14470-1:2023 applies to fire safety storage cabinets with a total internal volume of no more than 2 m³.
Cabinets within its scope can be:
The standard is concerned with the performance of the complete cabinet when exposed to external fire conditions.
No. EN 14470-1:2023 specifically excludes brick enclosures and walk-in storage rooms from its scope.
This distinction is important when specifying hazardous material storage. A large external store, walk-in chemical store or purpose-built fire-rated storage building should not be described as EN 14470-1 compliant simply because it is used to store flammable liquids.
Larger installations need to be assessed against the legislation, guidance, fire-safety requirements and engineering criteria relevant to the particular application.
Fire safety storage cabinets are classified according to their performance during the prescribed fire test.
Under the current edition, the cabinet classifications are:
The classification describes the tested performance of the cabinet under the conditions specified by the standard. It does not represent a general fire rating for the wider room or building in which the cabinet is installed.
No. Type 15 was included in the previous edition of EN 14470-1 but was removed when the standard was revised in 2023.
The current edition therefore uses Type 30, Type 60 and Type 90 classifications.
Older specifications, brochures or websites that still refer to Type 15 should be checked against the current 2023 standard.
EN 14470-1 includes a defined type test for assessing how effectively the complete cabinet protects its contents when exposed to external fire.
During testing, the cabinet is subjected to controlled fire conditions while temperatures inside the cabinet are measured.
The resulting classification is based on how long the cabinet limits the specified increase in internal temperature under the test conditions.
The test is a type test of the cabinet design. It is not a test carried out individually on every cabinet produced.
The standard addresses a number of aspects of cabinet construction and performance in addition to the fire test.
These include:
Spill containment forms part of the requirements addressed by EN 14470-1.
Its purpose is to help retain liquid accidentally released from containers stored within the cabinet.
However, the containment incorporated into a cabinet should not be treated as a substitute for assessing the substances and quantities stored, chemical compatibility, wider spill risks or any environmental containment requirements applying to the workplace.
EN 14470-1 includes requirements relating to ventilation openings and the information provided by the cabinet manufacturer.
Whether mechanical extraction or another ventilation arrangement is required for a particular installation depends on factors including:
The cabinet manufacturer’s installation instructions and the workplace risk assessment should therefore be considered when determining ventilation requirements.
No. EN 14470-1 specifies performance requirements for the cabinet itself and does not distinguish between every flammable liquid according to its individual physical and chemical properties.
This means that cabinet selection must still consider the substances actually being stored.
Relevant information can include:
Where unusual or particularly hazardous flammable liquids are involved, competent specialist advice may be required.
Health and Safety Authority guidance refers to EN 14470-1 for fire safety storage cabinets used for flammable chemicals.
The HSA advises that the choice of cabinet should be based on the site-specific risk assessment.
HSA fire-prevention guidance also states that quantities of flammable liquids kept in workrooms should be minimised and that larger quantities should be stored in an appropriately designated store.
This means an EN 14470-1 cabinet can be an appropriate control for certain applications, but it is not necessarily the correct solution for every quantity or storage situation.
No. EN 14470-1 defines requirements for a particular type of fire safety storage cabinet. It does not itself establish that every quantity of every flammable liquid must always be stored in such a cabinet.
The appropriate storage method should be determined from the substances, quantities, workplace conditions and risk assessment.
For small quantities in a workplace, a suitable fire-resisting cabinet may form part of the controls. Larger quantities may require a separate storeroom, outdoor storage area or purpose-designed hazardous material store.
No. EN 14470-1 is a product standard and relates to the performance of the cabinet within the scope of the standard.
A correctly specified cabinet may form part of the measures used to control flammable-liquid risks, but employers remain responsible for the wider safety of the workplace.
Depending on the site, this may require consideration of:
A cabinet should therefore not be marketed or treated as making an entire workplace automatically compliant.
The 2023 revision introduced several significant changes from the previous 2004 edition.
These include:
Organisations using specifications written around the 2004 edition should therefore check whether those specifications remain appropriate under the current edition.
EN 14470 is divided into separate parts for different types of storage cabinet.
The hazards and construction requirements associated with flammable liquids and pressurised gas cylinders differ, so a cabinet tested under one part should not automatically be assumed to satisfy the other.
For a broader explanation of the two standards, see our EN 14470 overview.
Cabinet selection should begin with the workplace risk assessment and the properties of the materials being stored rather than choosing a cabinet based on fire rating alone.
Factors to consider include:
Chemstore supplies fire safety storage cabinets for flammable liquids, including Type 90 cabinets for applications where 90 minutes of tested fire resistance is required.
View Chemstore’s EN 14470-1 Type 90 safety cabinets.
For quantities or applications outside the scope of EN 14470-1, Chemstore can also provide larger hazardous material storage solutions designed around site-specific requirements.
The appropriate product should always be selected from the hazards, quantities and findings of the workplace risk assessment.
The current Irish edition is available from the National Standards Authority of Ireland.
This page provides general information about I.S. EN 14470-1:2023 and does not reproduce or replace the standard itself. The full standard should be obtained from the National Standards Authority of Ireland where its detailed technical requirements are required.
This information does not replace Irish legislation, Health and Safety Authority guidance, Safety Data Sheets, a workplace risk assessment or advice from a competent person.
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