SAFETY, STANDARDS
Designed to meet the health & safety requirements of public buildings, Mermet® fabrics are tested against numerous standards.
- Fire – Smoke classification
- Healt, Hygiene and the Environment
- Performance Requirements – blind application
- Thermal and optical performances of fabrics
FIRE – SMOKE CLASSIFICATION
The fabrics in the Mermet® collection are non-flammable and fully comply with the most demanding fire safety standards in the world:
- French classification M1-M0 (NFP 92 503)
- German classification B1-A2 (DIN 4102-1)
- British classification BS (476 Pt 6 class 0)
- Euroclass classification (EN 13501-1)
- IMO (International Maritime Organization) classification
- Chinese classification B1
- American classification FR
- Australian classification AS
The Gross Calorific Value (GCV) is also available for fabrics in the Mermet® collection.
Smoke
Mermet® fabrics which have been tested are in accordance with NF F 16-101 standard.
Euroclass
Mermet® fabrics which have been tested meet the requirements of EN 13501-1 standard mounted according to EN 13823 and EN 14716 (from A2-s1,d0 classification for the Screen Nature fabrics of C-s3,d0 classification for the external fabrics).
HEALTH, HYGIENE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Mermet® fabrics are conform to standard requirements for buildings open to the public and don’t contain any dangerous substances.
Compliance with REACH regulations
EU regulation covering the registration, assessment and authorisation of chemical substances, including the restrictions that apply to these substances (REACH).
Free from heavy metal
All of the fabrics are guaranteed to be free of heavy metals (lead, tin, mercury, cadmium and chrome).
Guarantee of indoor air quality
The fabrics are certified Greenguard® which certifies indoor air quality through the measurement of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.
Antibacterial
The fabrics offer resistance against the development of mould and bacteria. The ASTM E 2180 standard tests the effectiveness of antimicrobial agents incorporated within hydrophobic materials. The reduction in the bacteria population is measured after 24 hours, compared against a sample without antimicrobial agents.
PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS – BLIND APPLICATION
Regarding the demands placed on the fabric itself, Mermet® fabrics are tested against numerous criteria from a variety of standards:
- internal blinds – performance equirements, including safety – NF EN 13120
- external blinds – performance equirements, including safety – NF EN 13561
The fabrics are therefore regularly put through numerous tests:
- accelerated ageing
- thermal and luminosity comfort: performance characterisation and classification
- colour fastness to light
- determination of dimensional stability
The fabrics are subjected to mechanical endurance testing over 10,000 cycles to ensure excellent durability (Class 3).
THERMAL AND OPTICAL PERFORMANCES OF FABRICS
Thermal and optical values, as defined in the European standard EN 14501 (Blinds and Shutters, Thermal and Visual Comfort, Performance Characteristics and Classification), are used to measure the performance of a fabric’s solar protection properties. The standard is based on a number of criteria and establishes various comfort classifications.