{"id":25273,"date":"2026-11-14T16:50:08","date_gmt":"2026-11-14T13:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/sa\/media-center\/"},"modified":"2026-11-14T16:50:09","modified_gmt":"2026-11-14T13:50:09","slug":"fire-extinguisher-colour-code-saudi-arabia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/sa\/media-center\/fire-extinguisher-colour-code-saudi-arabia\/","title":{"rendered":"Fire Extinguisher Colour Code in Saudi Arabia: EN 3 Bands vs UK and US Labels"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"25273\" class=\"elementor elementor-25273 elementor-25272 elementor-bc-flex-widget\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8cb2b59 e-con-full az-el-article e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"8cb2b59\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4f48dc5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4f48dc5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"az-intro\">The fire extinguisher colour code used under EN 3 and in the UK keeps the body red and adds a small coloured band that shows the extinguishing agent: red for water, cream for foam, blue for powder, black for CO2, yellow for wet chemical and green for clean agents. US practice does not use this band; it identifies extinguishers by fire class letters and symbols on the label. In Saudi Arabia, the label and the certificate of conformity are what count, and colour is only a quick visual aid.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61b3715 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"61b3715\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"az-keybox\"><h2>Key takeaways<\/h2><ul>\n<li>London Fire Brigade guidance states that the body of an extinguisher is signal red whatever it contains, with a colour zone of up to 5% of the body surface to identify the agent.<\/li>\n<li>UK colours: water red, foam pale cream, powder blue, Class D powder signal violet, CO2 black, wet chemical canary yellow, clean agents green.<\/li>\n<li>The current UK colour coding code of practice is BS 5306-10:2019. Extinguishers made to the withdrawn BS 7863 may still be in service.<\/li>\n<li>The Saudi Technical Regulation for Fire Control Materials and Equipment requires a certificate of conformity and a clear, permanent label, and does not set a colour.<\/li>\n<li>Never pick an extinguisher by colour. Read the label: agent, fire classes, rating and conformity marking.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-991deb3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"991deb3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>What is the fire extinguisher colour code?<\/h2>\n<p>Colour coding lets people see the extinguishing agent at a glance. Before 1997, UK extinguishers were painted entirely in the agent&#8217;s colour, as NBS notes. With EN 3, bodies became predominantly red, and a coloured band or circle covering around 5% of the body now shows the agent.<\/p>\n<p>That explains what buyers see in the Saudi market: all-red units with a coloured band above the operating instructions, all-red units with no band depending on where they were made and certified, and older units painted fully in another colour.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-114bb19 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"114bb19\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Fire extinguisher colours: EN 3 and UK reference chart<\/h2>\n<p>The table lists the colours as given in London Fire Brigade guidance, with the typical fire class for each agent. Classes follow the European system: A solids, B flammable liquids, C gases, D metals, F cooking oils and fats.<\/p>\n<div class=\"az-table-wrap\"><table>\n<thead><tr><th>Agent<\/th><th>Band colour<\/th><th>Typical use<\/th><th>Note<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr><td>Water<\/td><td>Red<\/td><td>Class A<\/td><td>Not for burning oil or near live electrical equipment<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Foam<\/td><td>Pale cream<\/td><td>Classes A and B<\/td><td>Check the rating on the label<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Dry powder<\/td><td>Blue<\/td><td>Multi-class, depending on powder type<\/td><td>Leaves residue that is hard to clean<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Class D powder<\/td><td>Signal violet<\/td><td>Metal fires<\/td><td>Special powder; do not substitute standard powder<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Carbon dioxide (CO2)<\/td><td>Black<\/td><td>Class B and electrical equipment<\/td><td>No residue<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Wet chemical<\/td><td>Canary yellow<\/td><td>Class F (cooking oils)<\/td><td>For commercial kitchens<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Clean agents (including halons)<\/td><td>Green<\/td><td>Sensitive equipment<\/td><td>Old green units may be halon or vaporising liquid<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n<p>For more on each type, see our <a href=\"\/en\/sa\/media-center\/powder-fire-extinguisher-guide\/\">dry powder extinguisher guide<\/a> and <a href=\"\/en\/sa\/media-center\/co2-fire-extinguisher-guide\/\">CO2 extinguisher guide<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c89ef27 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c89ef27\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Wet chemical fire extinguisher colour<\/h2>\n<p>In UK practice, a wet chemical extinguisher has a red body with a yellow panel above the operating instructions. It is designed for cooking oil and fat fires in commercial kitchens: Class F in the European system and Class K in the US system.<\/p>\n<p>In restaurants and food courts, a portable unit is usually not enough on its own; a fixed system over the hood and cooking appliances is designed with it. See <a href=\"\/en\/sa\/solutions\/kitchen-fire-suppression-systems\/\">kitchen fire suppression systems<\/a> and the <a href=\"\/en\/sa\/products\/fg-wet-chemical-fire-extinguisher-6kg\/\">6 kg wet chemical extinguisher<\/a> available from AZEIDK.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cda5876 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cda5876\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>How do US labels differ from the UK colour code?<\/h2>\n<p>US references identify extinguishers by letters and symbols on the label, not by an agent colour band. US university safety fact sheets describe the traditional shape symbols:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Class A (ordinary combustibles): green triangle.<\/li>\n<li>Class B (flammable liquids): red square.<\/li>\n<li>Class C (electrical equipment): blue circle.<\/li>\n<li>Class D (combustible metals): yellow star.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>NFPA 10 also points to a recommended pictograph marking system (Figure B.1.1). So the colours on a US label tell you the fire class, while the UK band tells you the agent. Do not mix them up: a red square on a US label does not mean the extinguisher holds water.<\/p>\n<p>For selection and placement under the US standard, read our <a href=\"\/en\/sa\/media-center\/nfpa-10-portable-fire-extinguishers-guide\/\">NFPA 10 portable extinguishers guide<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-124e2cd elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"124e2cd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>What this means in Saudi Arabia<\/h2>\n<p>The Saudi market carries extinguishers made to European and UK references and others made to US references, so you may see both identification systems in the same building. The governing document is the Technical Regulation for Fire Control Materials and Equipment issued by the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO):<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It covers fire extinguishing equipment and bars placing it on the market without a certificate of conformity (Article 4). The supplier must obtain the certificate from an accepted body (Article 7).<\/li>\n<li>Labels must carry warnings and instructions for use written clearly and permanently, and the marked data must be accurate (Article 6).<\/li>\n<li>Annex 1 lists standards for portable extinguishers, including SASO 63 (CO2), SASO 124 (foam), SASO 125 (dry powder), GSO ISO 7165 (performance and construction) and GSO ISO 11602-2 (inspection and maintenance).<\/li>\n<li>The regulation does not set a colour and does not list EN 3 in Annex 1.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In practice, the colour band helps with quick recognition but does not prove compliance. Check the label and the certificate of conformity on the SABER platform.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-21455e0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"21455e0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Common mistakes when reading extinguisher colours<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Choosing by colour without reading the fire classes and rating on the label.<\/li>\n<li>Assuming every all-red unit with no band is a water extinguisher.<\/li>\n<li>Confusing US fire class symbol colours with the UK agent band.<\/li>\n<li>Placing a powder or water unit in a commercial kitchen instead of wet chemical.<\/li>\n<li>Leaving old green units in service without checking what they contain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c1081c6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c1081c6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>What if your building has extinguishers with different colour systems?<\/h2>\n<p>Buildings that bought from several suppliers over the years often have European-banded units next to US-labelled units, and sometimes an old unit painted fully in one colour. That is not necessarily a violation, but it confuses people during a fire. Practical steps:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Make an inventory of every unit: location, agent, size, fire classes and last inspection date from the maintenance tag.<\/li>\n<li>Confirm each unit suits the hazard next to it, whatever its colour.<\/li>\n<li>When replacing or buying, keep one supplier and one marking system per area where you can, so staff get used to one look.<\/li>\n<li>Train users to read the label itself, not just to remember colours.<\/li>\n<li>Any unit whose contents are unclear or whose label is unreadable should go to the maintenance team before it stays in service. Inspection and refilling are covered in our <a href=\"\/en\/sa\/media-center\/fire-extinguisher-maintenance-refill\/\">extinguisher maintenance and refill guide<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c4b8366 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c4b8366\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>How to choose the right extinguisher for your site<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Identify the hazard in each area: offices, kitchen, electrical room, warehouse.<\/li>\n<li>Choose the agent, then check the label and rating.<\/li>\n<li>Estimate quantity and layout with the <a href=\"\/en\/sa\/tools\/fire-extinguisher-calculator\/\">fire extinguisher calculator<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Confirm the certificate of conformity before buying.<\/li>\n<li>Schedule inspection and maintenance under an <a href=\"\/en\/sa\/services\/annual-maintenance-contracts\/\">annual maintenance contract<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Powder, CO2, foam and wet chemical units are listed on the <a href=\"\/en\/sa\/products\/?product_category=fire-extinguishers\">AZEIDK fire extinguishers page<\/a>, and Falcon Gold models are compared in <a href=\"\/en\/sa\/media-center\/falcon-gold-fire-extinguishers-types\/\">Falcon Gold fire extinguisher types<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7524db2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7524db2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<div class=\"az-faq\">\n<details class=\"az-faq__item\"><summary><h3>What do fire extinguisher colours mean?<\/h3><\/summary><p>Under the European and UK system the body is red and the band shows the agent: red water, cream foam, blue powder, black CO2, yellow wet chemical, green clean agent.<\/p><\/details>\n<details class=\"az-faq__item\"><summary><h3>What colour is a CO2 fire extinguisher?<\/h3><\/summary><p>A red body with a black band in UK practice.<\/p><\/details>\n<details class=\"az-faq__item\"><summary><h3>What is the wet chemical fire extinguisher colour?<\/h3><\/summary><p>A red body with a yellow panel above the operating instructions. It is meant for cooking oil fires (Class F or K).<\/p><\/details>\n<details class=\"az-faq__item\"><summary><h3>Is there a mandatory extinguisher colour code in Saudi Arabia?<\/h3><\/summary><p>The Saudi technical regulation for fire control equipment does not set a colour. It requires a certificate of conformity and a clear label with warnings and instructions.<\/p><\/details>\n<details class=\"az-faq__item\"><summary><h3>Why are some extinguishers all red with no band?<\/h3><\/summary><p>The agent band is a European and UK practice. US references rely on fire class letters and symbols on the label instead.<\/p><\/details>\n<details class=\"az-faq__item\"><summary><h3>What does a green fire extinguisher mean?<\/h3><\/summary><p>In UK practice green indicates clean agents, including halons. Old green units may be halon or vaporising liquid, so check the contents before keeping them in service.<\/p><\/details>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-020360b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"020360b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>The extinguisher colour code is a quick recognition tool: a red body with an agent band under the European and UK approach, and fire class letters and symbols under US practice. In Saudi Arabia, base the decision on the label, the fire classes and the certificate of conformity, not on colour alone.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2ac9653 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2ac9653\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"az-cta\"><strong>Need the right extinguishers for your facility, or maintenance for the ones you have?<\/strong> The AZEIDK team helps you choose type and quantity and follows up on periodic maintenance. <a href=\"\/en\/sa\/contact\/\">Talk to the AZEIDK team<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3aec7ab elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3aec7ab\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"az-source\"><strong>References:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/saso.gov.sa\/en\/Laws-And-Regulations\/Technical_regulations\/Documents\/TR%20-%20Fire%20Control%20Materials%20and%20Equipment.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Technical Regulation for Fire Control Materials and Equipment, SASO<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/london-fire.gov.uk\/media\/7157\/gn_08_lf_format.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">London Fire Brigade, Guidance Note 08: Portable fire extinguishers<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/knowledge.bsigroup.com\/products\/fire-extinguishing-installations-and-equipment-on-premises-colour-coding-to-indicate-the-extinguishing-medium-contained-in-portable-fire-extinguishers-code-of-practice\/standard\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">BS 5306-10:2019, BSI<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenbs.com\/knowledge\/fire-extinguisher-types-how-to-choose-identify-maintain-and-use-firefighting-equipment\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Fire extinguisher types, NBS<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/ohioline.osu.edu\/factsheet\/aex-79025\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ohio State University Extension, fire extinguisher fact sheet<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/ehs.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/08\/SB041-Fire-Extinguisher-Fact-Sheet-II.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">UCF Environmental Health and Safety, Fire Extinguisher Fact Sheet<\/a>.<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fire extinguisher colour code explained: EN 3 and UK agent bands, CO2 and wet chemical extinguisher colours, how US labels differ, and what applies in Saudi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":25238,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[221,323,322],"tags":[],"azeidk_region":[223],"class_list":["post-25273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-azeidk-articles","category-systems-guides-en","category-systems-guides-ar"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25273"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25837,"href":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25273\/revisions\/25837"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25273"},{"taxonomy":"azeidk_region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/azeidk_region?post=25273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}