On this page 7 sections
The five common fire extinguisher types in the UK all have a red body, and a coloured band or panel tells you what is inside: plain red for water, cream for foam, black for carbon dioxide (CO2), blue for dry powder and yellow for wet chemical. The band gets you to the right extinguisher quickly; the printed label tells you which fires it is safe on. This is general guidance only. How many extinguishers you need, which kinds and where they go comes from your fire risk assessment.
Start from the fire, not the extinguisher #
People tend to learn the colours and forget what they are for. It sticks better the other way round: what is burning, and what do I grab?
- Paper, wood, cardboard, fabric: that is a class A fire. Water or foam are the usual choices.
- Petrol, diesel, paint, solvents: class B, flammable liquids. Foam, CO2 or powder, never water.
- Something electrical: CO2 or powder. Keep water well away.
- A chip pan or fryer: class F, cooking oils and fats. Wet chemical, and nothing else from this list.
- Propane or butane: class C, flammable gas. The usual advice is to shut off the gas if you safely can.
- Burning metals such as magnesium or aluminium swarf: class D, which needs a specialist powder extinguisher.
There is no “class E” in the UK. Electrical fires are marked with an electrical symbol on the extinguisher label instead.
The colour key for fire extinguisher types #
Plain red: water
The simplest of the lot, for class A fires in paper, wood and textiles. Water conducts electricity and spreads burning oil and fuel, so it must never go near live electrics, fryers or flammable liquids.
Cream: foam
Covers class A plus class B, so it handles both ordinary materials and spilt liquids like petrol or paint. It is not for chip pans or fryers. Some foam units are tested near electrics and some are not, so read that particular label first.
Black: CO2
Carbon dioxide smothers the fire and leaves no mess, which makes it the go-to near computers and electrical kit, and it works on class B liquids too. It is poor on paper and wood fires, which can reignite once the gas clears, and no good on a fryer.
Blue: dry powder
The all-rounder on paper: classes A, B and C, plus electrical equipment, with special powders made for class D metal fires. The cloud it throws out makes it hard to see and breathe in a small closed room, so it is not usually recommended there. Not for chip pans.
Yellow: wet chemical
Made for class F: burning cooking oil and fat. Many are also rated for class A. For anything beyond that, go by what its own label says.
You will also see water mist extinguishers, and their ratings vary between makers. Whatever the band, the label on the body has the last word.
Where the red bodies came from #
If you remember all-black or all-cream extinguishers, you are not imagining it. Until the late 1990s, UK units were coloured all over according to what was inside. BS EN 3, the European standard the UK then adopted, moved everything to a red body with just a patch of colour near the top. A few fully coloured old units still hang on in some buildings. Spot one, and it is worth asking your service engineer whether it should be swapped out.
Matching fire extinguisher types to the building #
Treat this as a way into a conversation with your fire risk assessor or extinguisher engineer, not a shopping list:
- Offices and shops usually pair a water or foam unit for everyday combustibles with a black-band CO2 by the IT kit and the fuse board.
- Cafe and restaurant kitchens keep a yellow-band unit and a fire blanket within reach of the fryer, and something else for the dining room and stores.
- Garages and anywhere storing fuel or solvents lean on foam or powder, add CO2 by the electrical plant, and may need a larger wheeled extinguisher.
- Vans and site plant often carry a compact powder or foam unit, chosen by what is on board.
The GOV.UK page on workplace fire safety sets out who is responsible for a building’s fire safety and the duty to provide suitable firefighting equipment.
Helping people find the extinguisher #
A colour band is no use if nobody can find the thing in a smoky corridor. That is the sign’s job, especially where the extinguisher hides in a cabinet, behind a door or round a bend. Fire equipment signs are white symbols on red, and ISO 7010 gives the extinguisher symbol the code F001. Mount it above the unit and high enough to clear heads, shelving and furniture.
Some sites go a step further with a small panel next to each unit that repeats the band colour and says in a few words what it is for. Those type panels are not in our standard range, but a set written your way can be made through get a quote. From the standard range:
- Wheeled fire extinguisher signs with the F001 symbol, from A4 (210 × 297 mm) to A1 (594 × 841 mm).
- Fire alarm call point signs and fire assembly point signs to complete the plan.
- Exit signs and the rest of the fire safety signs range.
These come in 3 mm Foamex, 3 mm Dibond or self-adhesive vinyl, and dispatch in 4 working days on Standard or 2 on Express. For what red, green, blue and yellow mean across all safety signs, see the safety sign colours and shapes guide, and for where signs fit in the law, safety sign regulations.
Service labels for engineers #
Extinguishers need regular servicing by a competent person, and most engineers record each visit on a label on the body as well as in the report. Our fire extinguisher service labels come in 76 × 51 mm or 96 × 68 mm, with write-on lines for service date, next service due, engineer and extinguisher type, and your company details printed on. For units in damp or outdoor spots, go for polypropylene; waterproof labels explains why.
Teach it in five minutes #
Fire extinguisher types are easy to learn and easy to forget. A two-minute walk past each extinguisher at staff induction, naming the band and the fire it is for, does more than any poster. Questions about signs or labels for your site? Contact us.