Fire safety is such an important issue that there are numerous safety classifications and international standards for which there are many different tests used to measure performance. The basis of most tests involves exposing a sample of belt to the flame of a burner causing it to burn. The burner (flame) is then removed and the combustion time (duration of flame) of the test piece is recorded. A current of air is then applied to the test piece for a specified time after the extinction of the flame. The flame should not re-ignite. The combined duration of continued burning (visible flame) should be less than 45 seconds for each group of six tests with no individual value being longer than 15 seconds. This factor is of critical importance because it determines the distance the fire can be carried by the moving belt.
Under laboratory test conditions, Dunlop fire resistant belting consistently self-extinguishes more than 6 times faster (in less than one second) than the permissible pass rate average time of 7.5 seconds.