Fire-Resistant Air Bricks: What Should Specifiers Look For?

Air bricks sit in a deceptively high-stakes position, right on the building envelope, bridging indoor air quality, facade detailing, weather, acoustics, and—when you’re working on high-risk or more tightly scrutinised schemes—fire safety expectations too. 

If you’re specifying ventilation terminals in or through external walls (including cavity walls and rainscreen cladding build-ups), you want clarity; what exactly makes an air brick “fire-resistant”, what evidence should back that up, and how do you avoid performance compromises like added pressure drop and noise?

This blog focuses on practical selection criteria for UK specifiers, with references to Approved Document B and Euroclass reaction-to-fire classification.

Why fire-resistant air bricks matter for compliance and performance

Fire safety is never just about one single component. But ventilation terminals can become a weak link if the product introduces combustible materials where a non-combustible approach is expected, or if it’s specified without the evidence trail that Building Control (and your internal QA processes) will ask for.

Approved Document B is statutory guidance in England supporting compliance with the Building Regulations, and it has been updated through multiple amendments in recent years. In practice, that means product evidence and classification language need to be precise, current, and easy to interrogate.

Understanding A1 and A2-s1,d0 classifications (EN 13501-1)

When specifiers talk about “non-combustible”, they’re usually anchoring to the Euroclass system under EN 13501-1 (reaction to fire). In simple terms, A1 is the highest classification (no contribution to fire), while A2 indicates very limited contribution, often paired with smoke and droplets ratings such as A2-s1,d0 (low smoke, no flaming droplets).

Main fire classes (Reaction to fire)

Smoke production (s1, s2, s3)

Flaming droplets/particles

For air bricks, this classification needs to relate to the actual product build-up (including coatings/finishes where relevant), not just base metal or a generic material statement.

The airflow question: performance without compromise

Fire performance shouldn’t come at the cost of ventilation design. An air brick is a terminal; if it introduces high resistance, you end up paying for it elsewhere, like with oversized fans, higher Specific Fan Power, more noise, and commissioning headaches.

Specifiers therefore need to treat “fire-resistant air bricks” as a dual requirement: verified reaction-to-fire performance and high airflow/low resistance, so that the system meets duty without design creep.

What specifiers should look for

1. Non-combustible construction and finishes

Start with construction and classification evidence. For Titon’s FireSafe® Air Bricks, the core proposition is a non-combustible terminal that supports compliant detailing; the units are fabricated from electrogalvanised sheet steel (Euroclass A1, no contribution to fire) with an A2-s1,d0 polyester powder coating tested to EN 13501-1.

This evidence-led approach aligns with the non-combustibility expectations many teams are now standardising around, especially on regulated or higher-scrutiny projects. (Always confirm the specific project triggers and scope under the applicable guidance.)

What to ask for (and file with the spec) is straightforward:

• A current reaction-to-fire classification report to EN 13501-1 covering the relevant element(s) of the product (including finish where stated).
• Clear product literature showing the as-supplied construction, not a “typical” build-up.
• Installation guidance that doesn’t quietly introduce combustible ancillary parts where you weren’t expecting them.

2. Verified high flow, low resistance metrics

Next, interrogate the pressure drop. “High airflow” only matters if it’s delivered with low resistance at the flow rates you’re actually designing for.

Titon FireSafe® Air Bricks are engineered as high-flow terminals intended to perform without oversizing fans; a practical route to avoiding late-stage noise issues and re-selection. That matters because, in real projects, the person signing off the final package is often optimising risk as much as cost: fewer redesign loops, fewer RFIs, fewer commissioning surprises.

When reviewing airflow data, look for published performance curves, stated test conditions, and consistency across single- and double-variant results to ensure your calculations remain robust.

3. Duct and facade compatibility

Terminals fail most often at interfaces. A “good” air brick, in isolation, can still cause site pain if it forces awkward transitions or compromises facade intent.

With the Titon FireSafe® Air Bricks, compatibility is designed in: connection to 204×60 and 220×90 ductwork, with supporting transition pieces, metal sleeves, and 45° bends available to keep the run tidy and buildable. For cladding zones, a bezelled variant supports rainscreen cladding detailing, which helps preserve facade lines while managing weathering and water shedding.

The specifier win here is predictability; fewer bespoke flashings, fewer improvised sleeves, and fewer “it didn’t fit what we drew” moments when the facade and M&E packages collide.

4. Documentation, BIM, and CPD support

Compliance isn’t only what you specify, it’s what you can prove later.

Look for a manufacturer that makes documentation frictionless with NBS specification clauses and literature for single and double air bricks, BIM objects aligned to your workflows, and learning support that strengthens design intent across the team. 

Titon, for example, supports this with CIBSE-accredited CPD, helping teams interpret standards and detailing requirements with greater confidence.

This results in optimal risk control: better-coordinated models, clearer schedules, and fewer assumptions “filled in” on site.

Titon FireSafe® Air Bricks in practice

In specification terms, Titon FireSafe® Air Bricks are a market-leading, compliant-by-design range of non-combustible ventilation terminals and kits, built around two realities specifiers live with:

1. The evidence trail must be robust. The material and finish story is explicit: A1 electrogalvanised steel paired with an A2-s1,d0 coating tested to EN 13501-1, supporting a non-combustible approach aligned with Approved Document B expectations in England (with jurisdictional differences acknowledged)
2. Airflow still has to work. The range is designed for high flow and low resistance, so you can specify without “solving” a terminal problem by oversizing fans and accepting the noise consequences later.

Add the interface kit options, duct sizing compatibility (204×60 and 220×90), and rainscreen-friendly variants, and the result is a terminal that’s easier to coordinate, justify, and deliver.

Summary: Specifying with confidence

When you’re selecting fire-resistant air bricks, keep your lens tight. 

• Choose non-combustible construction with clear EN 13501-1 evidence
• Ensure airflow performance is published and low resistance
• Prioritise buildable duct and facade interfaces
• Insist on documentation/BIM/CPD support that reduces project risk and speeds approvals. 

Keep Approved Document B close to hand, and remember that guidance evolves through amendments; your evidence pack should be up to date and explicit.

Explore the Titon FireSafe® Air Brick range to specify non-combustible, evidence-led air bricks with high-flow, low-resistance performance, or browse our documentation support to make approvals and coordination simpler.