Fire standards and regulations for rail vehicle materials
Damping coatings for rail vehicles are usually assessed against several fire and environmental standards. This article explains what each standard addresses, how editions differ, and what to check once you hold a report; whether a given product complies is stated in that model's technical data and test reports.
Separate three questions: edition, report, project requirement
Fire evidence is often reduced to whether a coating has HL3. That sentence hides three questions: which edition of the standard, which edition, model and build-up the report actually covers, and which edition, level and location your project requires today. If these do not line up, the report cannot simply be used.
What EN 45545-2 specifies
EN 45545 is the European railway fire standard, and Part 2 sets the fire-behaviour requirements for materials and components. Hazard levels HL1 to HL3 are derived from the vehicle's operation category and design category; HL3 is the level with the higher requirements. Which test requirements apply is set by the project's fire documentation and by the product type and location.
Note that an HL describes requirements on the material; it is not a general certificate issued to a product. Which requirements apply to a coating at a given location is for the project's fire documentation or the vehicle builder to settle. This article makes no such judgement and gives no limit table.
Editions: a report's edition is not the project's current requirement
A standard exists in editions. In the DIN Media catalogue, the 2013+A1:2015 edition of DIN EN 45545-2 (DIN 2016-02) and EN 45545-2:2020+A1:2023 in the current catalogue are different editions. A report issued under the older edition does not turn into proof for the newer one when it appears, and it is not a re-certification.
Check the report against the edition your project names. If the project asks for the newer edition and the report is on the older one, agree with the vehicle builder or certifying party whether it is accepted or needs further testing. That is a project decision and a coating supplier cannot make it alone.
Report scope, build-up and change control
A report covers one specific test object: the model, the substrate, the coating build-up (including primer and top layer), the thickness and the application method. If any of these changes, for example another substrate, a different thickness, a new formulation or process, first confirm whether the original report still covers it; do not assume it carries over.
Changes should be recorded in writing, and whether further testing is needed is for the project owner or the certifying party to judge; a supplier cannot decide that alone.
Keep fire evidence and environmental evidence apart
Evidence on fire behaviour and evidence on hazardous substances and environmental matters are different documents and should be requested and checked separately. For the former, look at the edition of the standard, the level and the test object of the report; for the latter, look at the current safety data sheet and the supplier's declarations, and confirm which specific documents a declaration relies on.
Meeting one kind says nothing about the other. This article makes no statement on compliance with any specific regulation or test item.
The evidence boundary for AN2-800
The only company-confirmed fire evidence for AN2-800 that is published is the summary on its product page, quoted here: "Tested to EN 45545-2:2013+A1:2015, reaching hazard level HL3; test report （2020）CL字第W1197号. A summary of the technical data sheet dated 2023-06-14, valid for AN2-800 only and not for other models or newer editions of the standard; the report itself is not published."
The boundary is clear: AN2-800 only; the 2013+A1:2015 edition; a data sheet dated 2023-06-14; no report original. Nothing follows for other models, other product families or the newer edition, and this article does not reword that summary.
Checking a report you have been given
Check, one by one: the standard name and edition against the project requirement; the report number, date and issuing body; which model, substrate, build-up and thickness the report covers; whether the level and test items cover the location you need; and whether the date of the data sheet matches the report.
Typical failure paths: the report's edition differs from the project's; the report is for a different model from the one supplied; one model's report is stretched over a whole family; a sales claim is taken for a test result. Where any of these appears, ask the supplier and the project owner in writing.
What to send the technical team
Please give the standard and edition the project requires, the hazard level, the location and component category, the substrate and build-up, the number and date of any report or data sheet you hold, and the project's view on accepting an older-edition report. These facts decide whether we can give an answer that rests on evidence.
Sources
DIN Media: DIN EN 45545-2, 2013+A1:2015 edition (DIN 2016-02): https://www.dinmedia.de/en/standard/din-en-45545-2/242815748
DIN Media: DIN EN 45545-2, current catalogue entry (EN 45545-2:2020+A1:2023): https://www.dinmedia.de/de/norm/din-en-45545-2/372738387
AN2-800 TDS CV v.230614 (dated 2023-06-14) and test report （2020）CL字第W1197号: valid for AN2-800 only, see the product page /en/products/an2-800/
DIN Media: DIN EN 45545-1 (general part; operation and design categories, general reference only): https://www.dinmedia.de/en/standard/din-en-45545-1/153784079
EVS: official adoption page of EVS-EN 45545-2:2020+A1:2023 (operation and design categories are the basis of the hazard levels): https://www.evs.ee/en/evs-en-45545-2-2020-a1-2023-consolidated