Reaction to fire is one of the first technical questions a specifier has to close out on a floor finish, and for engineered wood the answer is more nuanced than a single class. The Winderen and Vermont engineered oak ranges are classified to BS EN 13501-1, the harmonised European standard, and carry a clear route from the standard classification to an enhanced one where a project demands it.
How the classification works
BS EN 13501-1 grades floor finishes from A1fl (non-combustible) down through A2fl, Bfl, Cfl, Dfl to Ffl, paired with a smoke class, s1 (limited smoke) or s2. For a timber product, the realistic and relevant classes are Cfl and Bfl. The classification is tested on the finished build-up, not the board in isolation, so the substrate and the way the floor is bonded form part of the result.
Winderen: Cfl-s1 as standard, Bfl-s1 on request. Vermont: Bfl-s1 as standard
Winderen is Cfl-s1 as standard, suitable for the large majority of interior floor areas. Where a project requires a higher reaction-to-fire performance, the boards can be supplied to achieve Bfl-s1 through an additional factory treatment, specified at order. Vermont, by contrast, is Bfl-s1 as standard and already meets that higher reaction-to-fire class with no additional treatment. That matters on protected escape routes and in building types where the fire strategy calls for a Bfl-rated floor finish: it means the same oak floor can be carried through a scheme without switching to a different material at the fire-critical zones.
What to put in the specification
State the required class explicitly (Cfl-s1 or Bfl-s1), and tie it to the build-up: Winderen and Vermont are bonded with FG MonoSil over a sound, dry substrate. Because the rating is build-up dependent, request the EN 13501-1 classification report for the specified product and system at quote stage, that is the document a building control body or fire engineer will want to see, not a generic statement.
The related credentials
Alongside fire, the boards meet Class E1 formaldehyde emissions (BS EN 717-1) and carry FSC (Winderen) or PEFC and FSC (Vermont) chain of custody, so the fire line in the specification sits next to the air-quality and responsible-sourcing evidence in one technical pack.
In short
Specify Cfl-s1 for general areas and Bfl-s1 where the fire strategy requires it, confirm against the project-specific EN 13501-1 report, and you have an engineered oak floor that clears reaction-to-fire without compromising the design intent.