LPS1207 & LPS1215 Certified Scaffold Shrink Wrap: How to Check Flame Retardant Compliance

If a fire breaks out on a construction site, the last thing you want to be explaining to your insurer is why the scaffold sheeting you specified wasn't properly certified.

Flame retardant standards for scaffold shrink wrap can seem confusing — there are two different schemes in common use in the UK, they work in completely different ways, and not every supplier is upfront about which one their film actually meets.

This guide explains the difference between EN13501 and LPS1215, tells you why it matters, and gives you three simple ways to verify that the shrink wrap film you are buying is genuinely certified — before you commit to an order.

Why Flame Retardant Certification Matters

Buildings are at significantly higher risk of fire during construction and refurbishment. For that reason, flame retardant scaffold sheeting is a standard requirement on most UK construction sites — referenced in building regulations and increasingly specified by main contractors and their insurers.

All scaffold shrink wrap films will burn if exposed to sufficient heat. Flame retardant additives are incorporated into the film during manufacture to increase resistance to ignition, reduce flame spread, suppress smoke formation, and prevent molten droplets falling onto workers below.

The key word is "incorporated". Flame retardancy is only as reliable as the manufacturing process that put it there — and that is where the difference between EN13501 and LPS1215 becomes important.

Using a film that does not meet the flame retardant standard required by your site or contract may result in uninsured losses in the event of a fire. It is not enough to take a supplier's word for it. You need to be able to prove, if challenged, that you took all reasonable steps to ensure the materials you specified were correctly certified.

EN13501 and LPS1215 — What Is the Difference?

EN13501 — The Basic Standard

EN13501 is the European flame retardant test standard referenced by UK building regulations. It is the minimum level of flame retardant certification you should expect for any scaffold shrink wrap used on a UK construction site.

EN13501 is a test report, not a certification scheme. A sample of film is submitted to a laboratory and tested at a point in time. If it passes, the supplier receives a test report confirming the film met the standard on that occasion.

The problem is that EN13501 provides no ongoing verification. Once the test is done, there is no requirement for independent checks to confirm that the film being manufactured and shipped to customers today is the same formulation as the film that was tested. Flame retardant additive is the most expensive ingredient in the manufacturing process. Without independent auditing, there is no mechanism to detect whether a manufacturer has quietly reduced the amount used.

The EN13501 test report should be repeated if the formulation or production process changes, but this is not enforced by a third party. It relies entirely on the supplier's knowledge of any changes and their integrity in acting on them.

When requesting EN13501 certification from a supplier, always ask for the most recent test report and check the date. A report that is more than 12 months old carries a higher risk that the film specification may have changed since testing.

Also check the detail of the test report. The full designation you are looking for is EN13501-1, b, S1, d0 — where b means flame retardant, S1 means no toxic fumes, and d0 means no falling fire droplets.

LPS1207 and LPS1215 — The Higher Standard

LPS1207 and LPS1215 are certification schemes managed by the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB), which is part of BRE Global. The LPCB is entirely independent of government, commercial interests, and suppliers of any kind.

The two standards cover different applications:

LPS1215 applies to external construction containment materials — scaffold shrink wrap, scaffold sheeting, temporary roof coverings, debris containment, and external weather protection. If you are encapsulating a scaffold or creating a temporary roof, LPS1215 is the standard you need.

LPS1207 applies to temporary protective covering materials used inside buildings — floor and wall protection, dust barriers, internal polythene sheeting, and temporary partitions. If you are using shrink wrap to create an internal dust screen or factory partition, LPS1207 is what your contract or insurer will specify.

The fire tests are not identical. LPS1215 includes large-scale fire exposure tests representative of external construction site conditions, along with requirements for ongoing factory quality assurance and batch traceability. LPS1207 has different performance criteria relevant to internal fire risk.

Many principal contractors and insurers following the Joint Code of Practice specify LPS1207 for internal coverings and LPS1215 for scaffold sheeting and temporary roof materials. Using a product certified to the relevant standard demonstrates third-party verified fire performance and ongoing factory audits — not just a one-off laboratory test.

The critical difference from EN13501 is that both LPS schemes are continuous monitoring and auditing schemes, not one-off tests. To achieve and maintain LPS certification, a manufacturer must submit to an independent audit of their manufacturing facilities every year. During that audit, samples are taken from three separate production runs over the previous 12 months and tested to confirm they continue to meet the LPCB's standards. There is no opportunity for gradual specification drift without it being detected.

Why Rhino Film Carries Both Certifications

Rhino scaffold shrink wrap is certified to both LPS1215 and LPS1207. This is not duplication — it reflects the fact that the same film is regularly used for both external scaffold encapsulation and internal applications such as dust screens and temporary partitions on the same project.

Carrying both approvals means the product can be specified without restriction regardless of where on a construction project it is being used, and simplifies procurement on major projects where both standards may be called up in the same contract documents.

Because of the annual audit structure, LPS certificates do not carry a conventional expiry date. A certificate remains valid for as long as the annual monitoring is ongoing. All valid certificates can be checked online in real time at redbooklive.com.

 

Three Ways to Check Your Scaffold Shrink Wrap Is LPS Compliant

Step 1 — Check Online at redbooklive.com

The LPCB maintains a live register of all currently certified products at redbooklive.com. This is free to access and requires no registration.

Search by manufacturer name or certificate number. The register will show you whether the product is currently certified, the certificate reference number, and the scope of the certification. Because the register is live, you can confirm that a certificate is still active rather than relying on a document that may be out of date.

Make a note of the certificate reference number shown online — you will need it for Step 2.

Step 2 — Ask Your Supplier for the Certificate and Cross-Reference It

Request a copy of the LPS certificate from your supplier. Any supplier whose film is genuinely LPS certified should be able to provide this immediately.

Check that the certificate number on the document matches the certificate number shown on redbooklive.com. This is the key verification step — it confirms that the certificate your supplier has provided relates to the product currently on the register, and has not been substituted or altered.

If the numbers do not match, or if your supplier is unable to provide a certificate, treat this as a significant red flag.

Step 3 — Check the Markings on the Film Itself

LPS certified scaffold shrink wrap film should have the LPCB stamp and certificate reference number printed directly on the film. You do not need to wait until the film is installed — check the roll when it arrives on site before installation begins.

You are looking for the circular LPCB / Loss Prevention Certification Board logo, accompanied by the certificate reference number and the LPS standard references: LPS 1215 Issue 4 and LPS 1207 Issue 3. On Rhino scaffold shrink wrap film, the LPCB stamp and our certificate numbers — 1737a-x1/01 and 1737b-x1/01 — are printed clearly on every roll alongside the product name, width, thickness, and flame retardant designation. You can verify these certificate numbers against the live register at redbooklive.com at any time.

If the film arrives with no markings, or with only a generic "flame retardant" claim printed on the packaging rather than the film itself, it is not LPS certified.

A Note on Supplier Transparency

Some shrink wrap suppliers describe their film as "flame retardant" without specifying which standard it meets, or provide EN13501 test reports without making clear that this is a one-off test rather than an independently audited scheme. This is not necessarily dishonest, but it can create confusion — and on a high-risk project, confusion about compliance is a problem.

A supplier whose film is genuinely LPS1215 certified will say so clearly and provide documentation without being asked twice. The certificate reference will appear on the film itself, and the certification will be verifiable online in seconds.

At Rhino, our scaffold shrink wrap film is certified to both LPS1215 Issue 4 and LPS1207 Issue 3. Our LPCB certificate numbers are 1737a-x1/01 and 1737b-x1/01 — both verifiable at redbooklive.com. The LPCB stamp and certificate references are printed on every roll we supply.

Summary — What to Do Before You Order

Before committing to a supply of scaffold shrink wrap film for any project where flame retardant compliance matters:

1. Establish which standard your project requires — EN13501 as a minimum, or LPS1207/1215 for higher-risk environments. Check your contract if unsure.
2. Ask your supplier for the relevant certification documentation. For EN13501, request the most recent test report and check the date and full designation. For LPS, request the certificate and cross-reference it with redbooklive.com.
3. Check the film when it arrives. LPS certified film will have the LPCB stamp and certificate reference printed on the roll. If it is not there, the film is not LPS certified regardless of what the supplier has told you.

Taking five minutes to verify certification before a job starts is considerably easier than explaining an uninsured loss after one.