The concepts «product A1» and «material A1» are frequently confused, for this reason it is appropriate to address this issue in order to clarify it and avoid confusion.
The European system for the classification of reaction to fire establishes a set of classifications that are based on the time in which these materials or products could lead to the appearance of the flashover during the development of a fire taking as reference the scenario on which the Euroclasses are based (ISO 9705, Room Corner Test).
Therefore, in case of fire, the products or materials classified as A1 will be expected to behave better. But, it would have to take into account the following questions.
The classification A1 of a material does not imply that a product was A1 when a product is made by several materials in which there is a material that is A1. That is, when a product is made of a material A1 and a covering, the classification of the product will take into account the covering. Therefore, it should not seem strange to find products with Euroclass B, C, D or F with A1 materials inside. The euroclass will depend on the type of covering.
In the case of asymmetric products with materials A1, the reaction to fire classification of each of the exposed faces should be explicitly indicated, due to the Euroclass could be different.
It can not be said that a building will be safe only because it contains A1 products or materials, because fire safety does not depend solely on reaction to fire. It would have to consider among other factors like active and passive protection as well as the correct installation of these measures without forgetting an adequate maintenance.