How to Prepare Fire Test Reports for Multi Cable Transits Fire Protection Acceptance?

[Fire test report](https://dewinmct.com/?p=1133)s for multi cable transits often reach our factory desk half-complete; one missing fill ratio stalls acceptance for weeks, so we build every report as evidence.

To prepare fire test reports for multi cable transits, document the test standard (EN 1366-3, UL 1479, or IMO FTP Code), the exact tested assembly, cable configuration and fill ratio, time-stamped integrity and insulation results, and the permitted field of application, then match it to the site installation.

A fire test report is not a certificate summary. It is an evidence package. It proves that one specific transit arrangement was tested and can be accepted for one defined application. Below, I walk through the standards, the rating check, the cross-reference data, and the sample validation step that European sourcing teams ask us about most often.

What fire test standards and documents do I need for MCT acceptance approval?

A sourcing manager in Rotterdam once sent me a one-page certificate summary and asked why his fire consultant rejected it. The answer was simple: no test report behind it.

For MCT acceptance approval you need a fire test report from a third-party testing laboratory to EN 1366-3, UL 1479 (ASTM E814), or IMO FTP Code Part 3, plus a classification report under EN 13501-2, the manufacturer's technical data sheet, and installation drawings that match the tested assembly.

The rejected summary in that Rotterdam case listed a rating and a logo. It did not list the cable fill ¹, the frame size, or the laboratory. That is the gap acceptance authorities care about. Passive fire protection compliance is judged on the exact assembly, not on the product family.

Four documents, four different jobs

Buyers often treat these documents as interchangeable. They are not. Each one answers a different question.

Our BV factory approval, for example, tells you our production system is audited. It does not tell your fire consultant how many cables sat inside the frame during the furnace test. Only the test report does that.

Which standard applies to which market

The standard must match the jurisdiction and the division type. In our export work, three families cover almost every request.

1. EN 1366-3 testing for building penetration firestop seals ² in Europe, classified under EN 13501-2 as E and EI values in minutes.
2. UL 1479 certification built on ASTM E814 standards for North American projects, expressed as an F-rating and T-rating.
3. IMO FTP Code Part 3 for marine and offshore divisions, expressed as A-0, A-30, or A-60 with integrity and insulation criteria.

Some European approvals reference fire ratings up to 180 minutes for cables, metal pipes, and mixed penetrations. If your project needs that duration, the report must show that duration was actually run, not extrapolated.

What the report itself must contain

A credible report records the furnace exposure against the ISO 834 standard ³ temperature-time curve and logs furnace pressure. It then lists the tested system, the laboratory and report number, the support construction (wall, floor, deck, or bulkhead), the cable sizes and jacket materials, the percentage fill, the frame type, the packing and compression method, the specimen orientation, and time-stamped integrity (E), insulation (I), and where relevant radiation (W) results. It should include photographs of the unexposed face and cross-sectional drawings. Finally, it must state the direct field of application and any restrictions. When we assemble a firestop submittal package for a client, these items go in that order.

How do I verify that DewinMCT's A-0/A-60 fire rating matches my project requirements?

While reviewing the test file for our A-60 bulkhead module with a BV surveyor, I learned that a rating label means nothing until you read the curve behind it.

To verify DewinMCT's A-0/A-60 rating, compare the tested division type, orientation, and duration in our test document against your project's required fire resistance rating, confirm insulation criteria (A-60 requires 60 minutes) and integrity results, and check that your cable fill and frame size fall inside the tested scope.

The surveyor did not ask me what rating we claim. He asked where the thermocouples sat and when the unexposed side passed the limit. That is the right question. A rating is a summary. The curve is the evidence.

What A-0 and A-60 actually mean

Both ratings describe an A-class division under IMO rules. The division is steel or equivalent. It must stop flame and smoke for 60 minutes. That is the integrity criterion, and it is the same for A-0 and A-60. The difference is insulation.

If your specification says A-60 and you install a transit tested only to A-0, the integrity result ⁴ may look identical. The insulation result will not. That is where projects fail acceptance.

Translate the rating into your project language

A common buyer objection is that a modular data center or switchgear enclosure is not a ship, so the marine rating should map directly to a building rating. It does not map directly. EN 13501-2 classes such as EI 60 come from EN 1366-3 testing with different furnace pressure, different support constructions, and different thermocouple placement. UL 1479 uses an F-rating and T-rating with its own temperature limit ⁵. In our experience, a consultant will accept the marine test as supporting evidence but will still require the correct standard for the jurisdiction. So ask us for the test document that matches your division, and do not let anyone, including us, equate two standards without an engineering judgment from a qualified reviewer.

Five checks before you sign off

1. Confirm the division type in the report matches yours: bulkhead, deck, wall, or floor.
2. Confirm the orientation matches, because horizontal and vertical specimens behave differently.
3. Confirm your maximum cable diameter and fill percentage sit inside the tested range of our step-core EPDM modules.
4. Confirm the frame size and compression unit match the tested frame, not just the 120-frame cutout.
5. Confirm spacing. When multiple transits share one division, the test must show the transits did not influence one another, unless they were tested as an adjacent group.

Our fire, IP68, and 0.01–0.4 MPa pressure test documents are available on request. The multi-hazard trend means these sit together in one package, but each result stands on its own test.

What technical data should I request to cross-reference my existing MCT model with DewinMCT's system?

Every cross-reference our engineers run forces a trade-off between speed and certainty. A dimension match takes ten minutes; proving the fire evidence also transfers takes a full data set.

Request the model cross-reference table, module outer dimensions and cable diameter ranges, frame cutout drawings and CAD/STEP files, EPDM material data including halogen-free status, compression unit torque and packing specifications, fire, IP68, and pressure test documents, and the field-of-application limits from the fire test report.

Skeptical buyers are right to separate two questions. Does the DEWIN module fit the existing cutout? And does the fire evidence still hold once the module is swapped? Our cross-reference tables answer the first. The data set below answers the second.

Why dimensional compatibility is not fire compatibility

Our TSC square modules and TSR round assemblies are dimensionally compatible with common 120-frame standards. They drop into the existing cutout. But a fire test report describes a system: frame, modules, stay plates, compression unit, and cable fill working together. Swapping one element changes the system. That is why we supply the test documents for our own frame and module combination, and why we advise against combining test data from two product sizes or module layouts without a written engineering judgment.

The data checklist and what each item proves

Details installers often miss

Annular space requirements are the first. The gap between cable and module core, and between module stack and frame, must match the tested compression. A loose stack is not the tested seal. The second is the packing method. The report records how many spare blocks and which stay plate positions were used. Third, cable type matters. Bundled fiber optic or Cat6a cables transfer heat differently from power cables, and a report tested only with power cable cannot simply cover a high-density data cable layout. Fourth, mechanical stability. Modern penetration firestop seals must keep performing even if cable support fails during the fire. Our test documents record deformation and any smoke leakage observed on the unexposed face for this reason.

Some buyers also ask about intumescent firestop systems. Compression-type MCT modules rely on the rubber mass, the steel frame, and controlled compression rather than on intumescent expansion alone, so the report must describe the actual sealing mechanism tested. Do not assume one system's behavior applies to another.

How can free validation samples help me confirm fire test compliance before bulk ordering?

Last quarter our Shandong line packed a set of TSC validation samples for a BESS container builder. The samples went into their existing frame cutout, not a display case.

Free validation samples let you fit DewinMCT modules into your existing 120-frame cutout, measure compression and step-core fit against the tested configuration, run your own leak and fit checks, and confirm the installed assembly matches the fire test report scope before you commit to a bulk order.

That builder did not test our samples in a furnace. They compared them against the report. A sample proves the physical match between the part in your hand and the part described in the fire test evidence. That is its real job in supplier qualification.

What a validation sample can and cannot prove

I want to be direct here, because our target buyers read spec sheets before they reply. A sample cannot replace a third-party fire test ⁶. Nobody's sample can. What it can do is close the gap between paper and hardware. If the module dimensions, hardness, and step-core layers match the bill of materials in the report, and the module compresses correctly in your frame, then the fire evidence applies to what you will actually install.

A practical validation sequence

1. Match the sample to the report. Check the module size, the frame type, and the EPDM grade against the tested bill of materials.
2. Install in your real cutout. Fit the TSC modules and stay plates into the existing 120-frame opening with your actual cable diameters.
3. Peel the step-core to size. Confirm the remaining wall thickness matches the fill range the report permits.
4. Compress and inspect. Tighten the compression unit and check that the stack seats evenly, with no gaps at the frame edges.
5. Run a site-level leak check. Use your own air or water test to confirm the installed seal is tight. This supports the IP68 and pressure test documents, though it is not a fire test.
6. Record the result. Photograph the installed face and log the module positions. This becomes your as-built record.

Traceability and lifecycle questions

Two questions come up in almost every qualification review. The first is traceability. Each of our frames carries a nameplate, and we can supply reports that link that nameplate to the test document so a field auditor can verify the installation without opening the seal. Some projects now ask for a QR code on the frame for mobile auditing, and we can accommodate that on private-label runs. The second is aging. Buyers ask how humidity, UV, or salt spray affect the sealing material over a long service life. Where we have supplementary durability data for our halogen-free EPDM, we include it in the package. Where we do not, we say so, rather than extend a fire result into a claim it does not support.

Since our founding in 2013, every free sample request has gone through the same route as a production order, with export documentation prepared the same way. Our in-house mold making also means that if the sample shows your cutout needs a custom size, we can tool it rather than force a fit.

Fazit

Incomplete fire test reports stall acceptance and inflate risk. Verify standard, tested configuration, and application scope, then use our test documents and free samples to close the gap.

Fußnoten

1. Explains how firestop systems manage cable fill and penetrations to maintain the integrity of fire-rated barriers. ↩︎

2. General overview of passive fire protection systems, including seals used for cable and pipe penetrations. ↩︎

3. The international standard for fire-resistance tests that defines the heating curve for furnace exposure. ↩︎

4. The IMO FTP Code specifies integrity result requirements for A-class divisions in marine fire safety. ↩︎

5. UL standards establish the temperature limit criteria for T-ratings in through-penetration firestop systems. ↩︎

6. Bureau Veritas is a leading third-party testing and certification body for fire safety compliance. ↩︎