The Russian system of fire protection regulation
Russian fire protection documents matter for Central Asia not only in their own right. Most of the test reports for fire protection products found on the region’s market were produced to Russian methods, and the interstate GOST 30247 series of standards is a common basis for the CIS countries, including Uzbekistan. Below are the main documents, their status and how they are applied.
Statutory level: 123-FZ
Federal Law No. 123-FZ of 22.07.2008 “Technical Regulations on Fire Safety Requirements” is the main top-level document. It introduces the concepts of the degree of fire resistance of buildings, the fire resistance rating of structures and the limit states R, E and I. Article 87 of the law requires the fire resistance ratings of structures to correspond to the degree of fire resistance of the building, and the correspondence itself is set out in Table 21. For the load-bearing elements of a building, it is as follows:
| Degree of fire resistance | Load-bearing walls, columns and other load-bearing elements |
|---|---|
| I | R 120 |
| II | R 90 |
| III | R 45 |
| IV | R 15 |
| V | not specified |
For floors, roofs, stair enclosure walls and other elements, the table sets separate values that take the E and I criteria into account. The law is supported by approved lists of codes of practice and national standards whose application ensures compliance with its requirements; these include standards setting out test methods.
Code of practice SP 2.13130.2020
SP 2.13130.2020 “Fire Protection Systems. Ensuring the Fire Resistance of Protected Facilities” (SP — Russian code of practice, svod pravil) came into force on 12.09.2020. It sets out detailed requirements for the degree of fire resistance depending on the number of storeys, the fire compartment area and the functional fire hazard class, and also contains direct requirements for fire protection. The provisions most often discussed are:
- The fire resistance of load-bearing elements of buildings with degrees of fire resistance I and II should, as a rule, be ensured by structural design solutions and the use of appropriate building materials.
- Where fire protection products are used to achieve the required fire resistance rating of load-bearing steel elements of such buildings with a reduced metal thickness (determined to GOST R 53295) of less than 5.8 mm, the fire protection must be constructive (non-reactive) or combined. The code of practice takes the term “combined fire protection method” from GOST R 53295. This wording of clause 5.4.3 has applied since 20.12.2023 (Amendment No. 1).
- Where fire protection products are used, fire protection design documentation must be developed, taking into account the application method specified in the product’s technical documentation.
- Where the required fire resistance rating of a structure is R 15 (RE 15, REI 15), unprotected steel structures may be used in two cases: where their fire resistance, as determined by testing or calculation, is at least R 8; or, regardless of the actual fire resistance, where the reduced metal thickness (determined to GOST R 53295) is at least 4.0 mm. This does not apply to structures forming part of fire-separating elements.
SP 2.13130.2020 has been amended twice, in both cases by order of EMERCOM of Russia (the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations). Amendment No. 1 (EMERCOM of Russia Order No. 641 of 20.06.2023, in force since 20.12.2023) restated, among other things, the first paragraph of clause 5.4.3 on fire protection of load-bearing elements of buildings with degrees of fire resistance I and II. Amendment No. 2 (EMERCOM of Russia Order No. 999 of 06.11.2025, in force since 01.01.2026) added a subsection with requirements for roofs, clarified the requirements for healthcare buildings and for the use of timber structures, and added a paragraph to clause 5.4.3 on applying fire protection products to previously painted or impregnated timber. When working to Russian standards, check the text against all amendments in force.
The preparation of working documentation for fire protection is governed by GOST 21.513-2024 “SPDS. Rules for working documentation on corrosion and fire protection of building structures” (SPDS — System of Design Documents for Construction), in force since 01.06.2025.
Fire resistance test methods: GOST 30247
The interstate 30247 series of standards is the basis for all fire testing of structures in the CIS countries:
- GOST 30247.0-94 “Building structures. Fire resistance test methods. General requirements” — furnace design, the standard temperature regime, measurements and processing of results.
- GOST 30247.1-94 “Building structures. Fire resistance test methods. Load-bearing and separating structures” — test procedures for columns, beams, walls and floors, and the limit state criteria.
The standard temperature regime under GOST 30247.0 is described by the formula T − T₀ = 345·lg(8t + 1), where t is the time in minutes. It coincides with the ISO 834 curve and the European standard curve, so the “fire” itself is the same in Russian and European furnaces. The differences lie in the specimens, the loading and the way the results are processed.
For alternative regimes (including the hydrocarbon regime), Russia has adopted GOST R EN 1363-2-2014 “Building structures. Fire resistance tests. Alternative and additional procedures”, approved by Rosstandart (Russia’s Federal Agency on Technical Regulating and Metrology) Order No. 1275-st of 06.10.2014 and in force since 01.06.2015.
GOST R 53295-2009: fire protection of steel structures
GOST R 53295-2009 “Fire protection agents for steel structures. General requirements. Method for determining fire protection efficiency” has been in force since 01.01.2010; Amendment No. 1 to it was adopted in 2014. The standard covers all types of fire protection for steel: intumescent paints, plasters, and board and roll (wrap) fire protection.
The method in brief
- The specimen is a steel I-section column, section No. 20 (to GOST 8239, or No. 20B1 to GOST 26020), 1700 mm high, with a fire protection coating.
- Two identical specimens are tested without static load, with fire exposure on all four sides.
- The furnace temperature regime is the standard one, to GOST 30247.0.
- The steel temperature is measured by three thermocouples at the mid-height cross-section — on the web and on the inner surfaces of the flanges.
- The limit state is the steel reaching a critical temperature of 500 °C.
Fire protection efficiency groups
| Group | Time to 500 °C on the standard specimen, minimum |
|---|---|
| 1 | 150 min |
| 2 | 120 min |
| 3 | 90 min |
| 4 | 60 min |
| 5 | 45 min |
| 6 | 30 min |
| 7 | 15 min |
The group characterises a fire protection product on one standard section at a given thickness; it is not the fire resistance rating of a structure. A column with a greater reduced metal thickness heats up more slowly, and one with a smaller reduced thickness heats up faster. In design, therefore, the coating thickness is selected for each section using test data from specimens with different reduced thicknesses (such tables are usually given in the product’s technical documentation) and, where necessary, taking into account the actual critical temperature determined by calculation.
Amendment No. 1 supplemented the standard with definitions for thin-film intumescent coatings, optional procedures for testing loaded columns and beams, and procedures for testing under a smouldering fire regime (Annexes B, V and G; the annex letters are transliterated from Cyrillic).
Since 01.10.2024, GOST R 71618-2024 “Steel building structures with fire protection coatings. Test methods for anti-corrosion properties and resistance to climatic factors in service” has also been in force — it concerns the durability of the coating system, not its fire performance.
GOST R 53292-2009: fire protection of timber
GOST R 53292-2009 “Fire-retardant compositions and substances for wood and wood-based materials. General requirements. Test methods” determines fire protection efficiency from the mass loss of a treated wood specimen exposed to fire in the “ceramic tube” apparatus:
| Group | Specimen mass loss |
|---|---|
| I | not more than 9 % |
| II | more than 9 % but not more than 25 % |
| — | more than 25 % — the composition is not regarded as fire-retardant |
This classification describes the reduction in the combustibility of timber, not the fire resistance rating of a timber structure. The required fire resistance rating of timber elements is demonstrated separately — by testing to GOST 30247 or by calculation.
GOST R 53311-2009: fire protection of cables
GOST R 53311-2009 “Fire protection coatings for cables. Methods for determining fire protection efficiency” (in force since 01.05.2009) assesses two properties:
- the effect of the coating on the current-carrying capacity — the derating factor for the continuous current rating must be at least 0.98;
- the ability of the coating to limit flame spread along a vertical cable bundle (test rig to IEC 60332-3-10) — the length of the flame-damaged or charred part of the coated cable run must not exceed 1.5 m.
The fire resistance of cable penetration seals through walls and floors is assessed by separate methods and expressed as a fire resistance rating against the E and I criteria.
A product’s route to the Russian market
- Testing to GOST R 53295 (steel), GOST R 53292 (timber) or GOST R 53311 (cables) in an accredited laboratory.
- Certification of conformity with the requirements of 123-FZ, stating the fire protection efficiency group.
- The manufacturer’s technical documentation with thickness tables for different reduced metal thicknesses.
- A fire protection design for the specific project and thickness inspection after application.
What matters for projects in Uzbekistan
Russian GOST R standards are national standards of the Russian Federation and have no interstate status. Nevertheless, test reports to GOST R 53295 are widespread in the documentation for fire protection materials in Central Asia, and local experts understand the method well. When accepting such documents, check: for which reduced metal thickness the group is stated; whether there is a thickness table for the sections in your design; whether the tested system (primer + fire protection + topcoat) matches the one that will be applied on site; and whether these documents are recognised in Uzbekistan’s conformity confirmation procedure.