| Legislative： |
1.Adopted and promulgated by the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection, Ministry of Economic Affairs on 10 July 2009
2.Amended and promulgated by the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection, Ministry of Economic Affairs on 30 December 2013.
3.Amended and promulgated by the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection, Ministry of Economic Affairs on 23 November 2022, entering into force on the date of promulgation, except for Clauses 3 to 6, 8 and 15, with the date of entry into force on 1 November
2023.
4.Clauses 4, 9, 15, 19, 20 and Form FRP-01 amended and promulgated by the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection, Ministry of Economic Affairs on 27 October 2023, entering into force on the date of promulgation, except for Clauses 4 and 15, with the
date of entry into force on 1 November 2023. |
| Content： |
Chapter 1 General Rules
1.These Directions are stipulated by the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (BMSI) for
implementing the inspection of fire-retardant construction materials.
2.The provisions are applicable to fire-retardant construction materials as defined below:
(1)Boards:
a.Dressed rockwool boards for acoustic use: those with a thickness above the minimum thickness
specified by relevant national standards up to 20 mm.
b.Calcium silicate boards, fiber cement boards, regenerated fiber cement boards, cement bonded
wood-wool boards, cement bonded wood-flake boards, gypsum board, slag gypsum boards,
decorative exterior panel of fiber reinforced cement sidings (class D), fire-retardant hard fiberboards,
fire-retardant insulation fiberboards and fire-retardant plywood: those with a thickness above the
minimum thickness specified by relevant national standards.
(2)Wall papers: wall papers (coverings) claiming to be incombustible or with fire-retardant,
flame-retardant related performance.
3.Inspection schemes:
(1)Dressed rockwool boards for acoustic use, calcium silicate boards, fiber cement boards,
regenerated fiber cement boards, cement bonded wood-wool boards, cement bonded wood-flake
boards, gypsum boards, slag gypsum boards, decorative exterior panel of fiber reinforced cement
sidings (class D), fire-retardant hard fiberboards and fire-retardant insulation fiberboards:
Type-Approved Batch Inspection or Registration of Product Certification (Module II+IV, V or VII).
(2)Fire-retardant plywood: Monitoring Inspection or Registration of Product Certification (Module
II+IV, V or VII).
(3)Wall papers: Monitoring Inspection or Registration of Product Certification (Module II+III).
4.Inspection items:
(1)Dressed rockwool boards for acoustic use, cement bonded wood-wool boards and cement bonded
wood-flake boards: incombustibility, bending strength, and Chinese label.
(2)Gypsum board (whether or not it has the function of moisture absorption and desorption):
a.Ordinary gypsum board: incombustibility, bending strength, and Chinese labeling.
b.Ordinary hard gypsum boards, decorated gypsum boards, decorated hard gypsum boards,
fire-resistant gypsum boards, and grade-1 incombustibility laminated gypsum board [applicable to
those with surface decoration, but not with surface die processing]: incombustibility, bending
strength, impact resistance and Chinese labeling.
c.Gypsum sheathing boards: incombustibility, bending strength, peeling resistance in absorbing
water and Chinese labeling.
d.Hard gypsum sheathing boards: incombustibility, bending strength, impact resistance, peeling
resistance in absorbing water and Chinese labeling.
(3)Slag gypsum boards and calcium silicate boards (type a, c): incombustibility, flexural strength
and Chinese labeling (for type a calcium silicate boards, an additional item on their bulk density).
(4)Fiber cement boards, regenerated fiber cement boards and decorative exterior panel of fiber
reinforced cement sidings (class D): incombustibility, bending strength, impact resistance and
Chinese labeling (for fiber cement boards and regenerated fiber cement boards, an additional item
on their bulk density).
(5)Fire-retardant decorated hard fiber boards: incombustibility, impact resistance and Chinese
labeling; for those using formaldehyde-based resins, an additional item on "formaldehyde
emission."
(6)Plain fire-retardant hard fiberboards and fire-retardant insulation fiberboards: incombustibility,
flexural strength and Chinese labeling; for those using formaldehyde-based resins, an additional
item on "formaldehyde emission.".
(7)Fire-retardant plywood: incombustibility, formaldehyde emission and Chinese labeling.
(8)Wall papers: incombustibility and Chinese labeling.
Chapter 2 Requirements for Monitoring Inspection
5.Simplied Procedures:
(1)Fire-retardant plywood:
a.The fire-retardant plywood covered in the same batch of inspection application shall be of the
same Commodity Classification of the Republic of China (C.C.C.) codes, the same country of origin,
the same production premises or brands, the same thickness, the same grade of incombustibility and
the same types.
b.Where the same batch of commodities of an applicant passes batch inspection in three
consecutive batches, the rate of each batch afterwards sampled for inspection shall be reduced to
20%. Where non-compliance is found for twenty or more batches, the rate of each batch afterwards
sampled for inspection shall be further reduced to 10%. The inspection items are the same as those
specified in the preceding clause.
c.Where non-compliance is found, each batch of the commodities covered in the inspection
application, that are of the same C.C.C. codes, the same country of origin, the same production
premises or brands, the same thickness, the same grade of incombustibility and the same types, shall
be sampled for inspection. The rate of 20% shall be resumed after compliance of three consecutive
batches.
d.Batches not sampled for inspection are subject to checks of the appearance and the Commodity
Inspection Mark, where necessary samples shall be taken for inspection. Exemption from checks of
the appearance and the Commodity Inspection Mark mentioned earlier is granted on the condition
that the inspection applicant completes the relevant labeling without applying for prior release of
their fire-retardant plywood for ten consecutive times and approved to be in compliance with the
requirements by the BSMI or or its branches (hereinafter referred to as the inspection authority).
(2)Wall Papers:
a.The fire-retardant wall papers or paper coverings covered in the same batch of inspection
application shall be of the same C.C.C. codes, the same country of origin and the same production
premises or brands.
b.Where the same batch of commodities of an applicant passes batch inspection for the first batch,
the rate of each batch afterwards sampled for inspection shall be reduced to 20%. Where
non-compliance is found for twenty or more batches, the rate of each batch afterwards sampled for
inspection shall be further reduced to 10%. The inspection items are the same as those specified in
the preceding clause.
c.Where non-compliance is found, one batch of the commodities covered in the inspection
application, that are of the same C.C.C. codes, the same country of origin and the same production
premises or brands, shall be sampled for inspection. The rate of 20% shall be resumed after
compliance of that batch.
d.Batches not sampled for inspection are subject to checks of the appearance and the Commodity
Inspection Mark, where necessary samples shall be taken for inspection. Exemption from checks of
the appearance and the Commodity Inspection Mark mentioned earlier is granted on the condition
that the inspection applicant completes the relevant labeling without applying for prior release of
their wall papers for ten consecutive times and approved to be in compliance with the requirements
by the inspection authority.
6.Quantity of Samples Taken for Inspection:
(1)Fire-retardant plywood: more than 2 pieces of finished products, each with an area of at least
1.44 square meters.
(2)Wall papers: at least 2 pieces of finished products are sampled for each classification of types and
materials, with a length of at least 1,000 mm for each sampled piece.
7.Inspection agency: the BSMI, its Keelung Branch, Taichung Branch and Kaohsiung Branch.
8.Inspection Time:
(1)Fire-retardant plywood: nine working days upon receipt of the samples for grade-1
incombustibility products, seven working days upon receipt of the samples for grade-2 and grade-3
incombustibility products.
(2)Wall papers: Eight working days upon receipt of the samples.
Chapter 3 Relevant Requirements for Type Test
9.Principles of Type Determination:
(1)Fiber cement boards, regenerated fiber cement boards, calcium silicate boards, slag gypsum
boards, cement bonded wood-wool boards, cement bonded wood-flake boards and fire-retardant
insulation fiberboards:
a.Same type: those with the same production premise (including plants at different locations of the
production premise), classification (classified based on bulk density) and incombustibility.
b.Main type: among products of the same type, the one with the least thickness shall be regarded as
the main type.
c.Series of type: among products of the same type, those other than the main type shall be regarded
as series of type.
d.Under the same type, where there are general boards and decorated boards, the general boards
with the least thickness are regarded as the main type, while the general boards with other
thicknesses and decorated boards are listed as series of type.
(2)Dressed rockwool boards for acoustic use, gypsum boards, fire-retardant hard fiberboards and
fire-retardant plywood:
a.Same type: those with the same production premise (including plants at different locations of the
production premise) and incombustibility.
b.Main type: among products of the same type, the one with the least thickness shall be regarded as
the main type.
c.Series of type: among products of the same type, those other than the main type, e.g. with other
thickness, shall be regarded as series of type.
d.Under the same type, where there are general boards and decorated boards, the general boards
with the least thickness are regarded as the main type, while the general boards with other
thicknesses and decorated boards are listed as series of type.
(3)Decorative exterior panel of fiber reinforced cement sidings (class D):
a.Same type: those with the same production premise (including plants at different locations of the
production premise) and incombustibility.
b.Main type: among products of the same type, the one with the least thickness shall be regarded as
the main type.
c.Series of type: among products of the same type, those other than the main type, e.g. with other
thickness, shall be regarded as series of type.
d.Under the same type, where there are hollow boards and solid boards, the hollow boards with the
least thickness are regarded as the main type, while the hollow boards with other thicknesses and
solid boards are listed as series of type.
(4)Wall papers:
a.Same type: those with the same production premise (including plants at different locations of the
production premise). The ones with different colors of the same name shall be regarded as one type,
represented by codes with descriptors [e.g. elegance (XXXXX)].
b.Main type: among products of the same type, select any one as the main type.
c.Series of type: among products of the same type, those other than the main type shall be regarded
as series of type [e.g. sun (XXXXX) or moon (XXXXX)].
10.The applicant shall apply for type tests to the inspection authority or BSMI designated testing
laboratories by submitting a type classification table (Form FRP-01, FRP-02 or FRP-03), the
following technical documents and samples:
(1)Product-component table, specimen of Chinese label, and a list of specifications (including
composition, appearance, descriptions of surface processing and cross-sectional view of the product
composition).
(2)Color photographs (4″×6″ or larger) of finished products or color catalog provided by the
manufacturer.
(3)Summary of production processes (including fire-retardant treatment process; an additional
self-declaration of whether formaldehyde resin is used for fire-retardant hard fiberboards and
fire-retardant insulation fiberboards).
(4)For dressed rockwool boards for acoustic use, a test report issued by a third-party testing
laboratory on the absence of asbestos in any product of the same type is required.
(5)For calcium silicate boards, fiber cement boards, regenerated fiber cement boards, cement
bonded wood-wool boards, cement bonded wood-flake boards, gypsum boards, slag gypsum boards
and decorative exterior panel of fiber reinforced cement sidings (class D), a test report issued by a
third-party testing laboratory on the absence of asbestos and a test report on the "total content of
chloride ion" showing compliance with the corresponding standard in any of the products of the
same type are required.
(6)For gypsum board products with the function of moisture absorption and desorption, a test report
issued by a third-party testing laboratory on the moisture absorption and desorption function of any
product of the same type is also required in addition to those mentioned in the preceding paragraph.
11.Principles of Type Test:
(1)Decorative exterior panel of fiber reinforced cement sidings (class D):
a.For products of the same type where only solid boards or hollow boards are available: the greatest
thickness ones of the main type and series of type are sampled for testing.
b.For products of the same type where both solid boards and hollow boards are available: the
greatest thickness ones of the main type and series of type from hollow boards, and the smallest
thickness of series of type from solid boards are sampled for testing.
(2)For boards other than decorative exterior panel of fiber reinforced cement sidings (class D): the
greatest thickness ones of the main type and series of type are sampled for testing.
(3)For the above-mentioned products with general boards and decorated boards under same type:
the greatest thickness ones of the main type and series of type from general boards, and the smallest
thickness ones of series of type from decorated boards are sampled for testing.
(4)Wall papers: one product of the main type is sampled (for example, elegance [12345]) and one
product of the series of type is sampled for each type (for example, sun [12345], moon [12345], etc.)
for testing.
12.Where any changes or modifications are made to the products, an application shall be made to
the inspection authority or BSMI designated testing laboratory that issued the original test report for
renewed test reports. The following test principles shall apply:
(1)Decorative exterior panel of fiber reinforced cement sidings (class D):
a.For products of the same type where only solid boards or hollow boards are available: where ones
with less thickness of the main type are added, tests shall be performed on ones with that thickness,
which shall be listed as the main type; where ones with more thickness of series of type are added,
tests shall be performed on those with more thickness.
b.For products of the same type where both solid boards and hollow boards are available: where
ones with less thickness of the main type for hollow boards are added, tests shall be performed on
ones with that thickness, which shall be listed as the main type; where ones with more thickness of
series of type are added, tests shall be performed on those with more thickness; where ones with less
thickness of the main type for solid boards are added, tests shall be performed on those with less
thickness.
(2)For boards other than decorative exterior panel of fiber reinforced cement sidings (class D):
where ones with less thickness of the main type are added, tests shall be performed on ones with
that thickness, which shall be listed as the main type; where ones with more thickness of series of
type are added, tests shall be performed on those with more thickness.
(3)For the above-mentioned products with general boards and decorated boards under same type:
where ones with less thickness of the main type for general boards are added, tests shall be
performed on ones with that thickness, which shall be listed as the main type; where ones with more
thickness of series of type are added, tests shall be performed on those with more thickness; where
ones with less thickness of the main type for decorated boards are added, tests shall be performed on
those with less thickness.
(4)Wall papers: where series of type are added, one product from those series of type is sampled for
testing.
13.The test items of the preceding two clauses are the same as those stated in Clause 4.
Chapter 4 Requirements for Type-Approved Batch Inspection
14.Application Procedures for Type Approval:
(1)The applicant shall apply to the inspection authority for type approval by submitting the
application form, type test reports mentioned in Clause 10 and technical documents to obtain type
approval certificates.
(2)The type test report may be replaced by a test report under the CNS Mark Certification system of
which the issuance date shall be within one year prior to the date of application for type approval
and the tested samples are drawn following the same sampling principles for type test. One CNS
Mark test report can be only used to replace the type test report for one main type or one series of
type.
(3)Under the condition that changes are not made to the specifications of fire-retardant construction
materials, the inspection reports issued based on sampling tests within one year prior to the date of
application may be used in place of type test reports on incombustibility for the main type or series
of type.
(4)Processing time for reviewing type-approval applications: 14 working days after the inspection
authority accepts the application (not including the time for delivery of documents or samples).
Where additional samples are drawn for testing, such period shall be extended to another 7 working
days after receipt of samples.
(5)The terms of validity for a type-approval certificate shall be three years. The certificate holder
may apply for an extension of the validity period.
15.Requirements for batch inspection:
(1)The obligatory inspection applicant shall make the application for inspection to the inspection
authority having jurisdiction over the port of entry or location of the production premise by
submitting an application form and a copy of the type-approval certificate before the products are
imported or released from the production premise. The obligatory inspection applicant shall indicate
the production date or batch number of the product on the application form.
(2)The products of the same batch shall be fire-retardant construction materials of the same type.
(3)The inspection authority may sample products for inspection based on a rate of 10%. Where
applications for inspection have reached 20 batches or more without non-compliance records, the
sampling rate of each batch may be reduced to 5%. Where there are different types in the sampled
batch, the inspection authority shall sample one type for inspection. Batches not sampled will be
subject to document review to simplify the inspection process, or batch-by-batch verification
when it is deemed necessary.
(4)Number of samples: more than three pieces of finished gypsum board, with each one having an
area of at least 1.44 square meters; more than two pieces of finished products for other fire-retardant
construction materials, with each one having an area of at least 1.44 square meters.
(5)Inspection items of sampled products:
a.Dressed rockwool boards for acoustic use: labeling check and at least one of the three items on
"incombustibility," "bending strength" and/or "asbestos identification.".
b.Cement bonded wood-wool boards, cement bonded wood-flake boards, slag gypsum boards,
calcium silicate boards, fiber cement boards, decorative exterior panel of fiber reinforced cement
sidings (class D) and gypsum board: labeling check and at least one of the four items on
"incombustibility," "total content of chloride ion," "bending strength/flexural strength" and/or
"asbestos identification."
c.Fire-retardant hard fiberboards and fire-retardant insulation fiberboards: labeling check and at
least one of the items on "incombustibility" and/or " flexural strength /impact resistance."
(6)Inspection agency:
a.Asbestos identification: the BSMI.
b.Incombustibility, bending strength, flexural strength, impact resistance, total content of chloride
ion: the BSMI, its Keelung Branch, Taichung Branch or Kaohsiung Branch.
(7)Time required for inspection: 9 working days for grade-1 incombustibility products upon receipt
of the samples. 7 working days for grade-2 and grade-3 incombustibility products upon receipt of
the samples.
(8)Commodities that have failed the inspection shall be further processed as follows:
a.Where non-compliance is found, the rate of 10% shall be resumed on the condition that products
of the same type pass inspection for a consecutive three batches.
b.If products of the same batch contain different types and the types sampled in accordance with
paragraph (3) fail inspection, the applicant shall returned or destroy the batch, or re-apply to the
inspection authority for inspection of the whole batch by submitting a corrective action plan in
accordance with the Regulations Governing Disposition of Commodities Failing Inspection.
(9)The inspection authority may sample products and inspect relevant items if it receives reports or
when there is doubt about the consistency of compliance with inspection standards of products
covered in the application.
Chapter 5 Requirements for Registration of Product Certification
16.Processing time for reviewing applications for Registration of Product Certification (RPC): 14
working days after the inspection authority accepts the application (not including the time required
for delivery of supplementary documents or samples). Where samples are tested, such period shall
be extended to another 7 working days upon receipt of samples.
17.The term of validity for RPC certificate shall be three years. The certificate holder may apply for
an extension, which is limited to one time only.
18.For applications made for fire-retardant construction materials by choosing modules IV, V or VII,
the applicant shall be equipped with a cone calorimeters and provide documents proving purchase
of the equipment and two photos (4”x6”) showing the place of installation along with the
application documents. The inspection authority may perform on-site check where necessary.
19.The cone calorimeters mentioned in the preceding clause may be replaced by the following
method:
(1)Establishing a comparison module:
a.The production premise shall be equipped with regular inspection and testing equipment, such as
those specified in CNS 6532, ISO 1182, ASTM-E84, UL 723, ISO 1716, EN 13823, ISO 11925-2,
ISO 9705 or other equipment with the same level.
b.A cut-off value is determined for each production premise by comparing test results produced by
regular inspection and testing equipment with those produced by cone calorimeters mentioned in
CNS 14705-1.
(2)Production control: using regular inspection and testing equipment to inspect products and using
the cut-off value determined by the comparison module to control the quality of products.
(3)Oursourcing testing on a regular basis:
a.Having the certified products tested on their fire-retardant performance regularly by the inspection
authority, BSMI designated testing laboratories or testing laboratories accredited by Taiwan
Accreditation Foundation in accordance with CNS 14705-1.
b.Modifying the cut-off value by comparing the test results produced by outsourced testing
laboratories with those produced by the production premise.
c.Frequency of outsourcing: Having one product of each certified type produced in each quarter
tested against CNS14705-1 by outsourced testing laboratories.
20.Products which are certified in in accordance with the preceding clause shall be subject to the
following requirements each year after certification:
(1)Test reports issued by outsourced testing laboratories shall be sent to the inspection authority that
issued the RPC certificate by the end of the year for purpose of record keeping. The inspection
authority shall perform border or ex-factory inspection in accordance with Article 7 of the
Regulations Governing Registration of Product Certification for those failing to do so. The
inspection authority may sample products and perform tests if there is doubt about the test results.
The inspection authority shall complete inspection of samples received within one month. The RPC
certificate shalll be rescinded in accordance with Subparagraph 1, Article 42 of the Commodity
Inspection Act if non-compliance is found.
(2)A CNS mark test report may supersede an entrusted inspection report mentioned in the preceding
clause. One CNS mark test report can only replace an entrusted inspection report of one main type
or one type of series. The test reports issued by outsourced testing laboratories may be replaced by a
test report under the CNS Mark Certification system. One CNS Mark test report can be only used to
replace the type test reports from outsourced testing laboratories for one main type or one series of
type.
Chapter 6 Other Inspection Requirements
21.The Commodity Inspection Mark:
(1)The obligatory applicant shall affix the Commodity Inspection Mark to the body or the smallest
packaging of each piece of board products, and affix the Mark to the body or the packaging unit of
wall papers.
(2)Where the Commodity Inspection Mark is affixed to the smallest packaging or packaging unit,
the manufacturing date or batch number shall be indicated on the body. Where monitoring
inspection or type-approved batch inspection is selected as the conformity assessment procedure,
the obligatory applicant shall fill out the manufacturing date or lot number in the inspection
application form of the batch of products covered. The inspection authority that accepts the
application for inspection shall note the manufacturing date or lot number of the subject batch of
products in the Monitoring Inspection Certificate or Certificate of Inspection after they pass
inspection.
(3)Products that pass monitoring inspection shall be affixed with the Commodity Inspection Mark
label printed by the BSMI. Products certified under the RPC scheme or Type-Approved Batch
Inspection scheme shall be affixed with self-printed Commodity Inspection Mark.
22.Chinese labeling:
(1)Calcium silicate boards, slag gypsum boards, fiber cement boards, regenerated fiber cement
boards, decorative exterior panel of fiber reinforced cement sidings (class D), cement bonded
wood-wool boards, cement bonded wood-flake boards and gypsum board: "(a) Type and its symbol"
can be labeled on the outer packaging while the rest shall comply with the Chinese labeling
requirements stated in each inspection standard.
(2)Dressed rockwool boards for acoustic use: the body of each piece or the smallest packaging shall
be labeled according to the inspection standards.
(3)Fire-retardant hard fiberboards and fire-retardant insulation fiberboards: In addition to labeling
the items required in the inspection standards, the manufacturing date or lot number shall be labeled
on the body or the smallest packaging.
(4)The items required to be labeled in each piece according to the inspection standards, the text may
be in Chinese or English. The outer packaging of the product shall be labeled in Chinese in
accordance with Article 11 of the Commodity Inspection Act.
23.For dressed rockwool boards for acoustic use with a density below 160kg/m3, an application of
exemption from inspection of bending strength may be made to the BSMI by providing documents
demonstrating compliance with relevant international standards. Where the application is approved
and the products pass inspection, the inspection authority that accept the application shall note
"inspection of bending strength exempted" in the Certificate of Inspection or RPC certificate.
24.For fire-retardant construction materials with thickness larger than the minimum thickness
specified in relevant CNS and there are no texts about that thickness and product requirements, the
test items closest to that thickness shall be applicable. Measurement of the thickness shall avoid
parts with significant unevenness on the surface. Where it is not easy to avoid those parts, the
smallest value shall be used to determine the applicable test items.
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