Commodity Classes at a Glance
The fire code sorts stored products into classes based on how much fuel they add to a fire — mostly a question of what the product is made of and how it's packaged. More plastic (especially foam) means a higher class and more demanding sprinkler requirements. Use this guide to write a detailed description and, if you can, check the class that fits below.
Class IIFC §3203.2
Products that don't burn, in light packaging. Metal, glass, ceramic, or other noncombustible products in ordinary corrugated cartons or paper wrap, with or without wood pallets.
Think: food in metal cans, glass bottles in cardboard trays, metal appliances with little plastic trim, electric motors, bagged cement, bare wire on metal spools.
Class IIIFC §3203.3
The same non-burning products, in heavier packaging. Class I–type products packed in wooden crates, solid wood boxes, or multiple-thickness cardboard cartons.
Think: glassware in wood crates, bagged flour or sugar, wire on wood spools, baled leather hides.
Class IIIIFC §3203.4
Ordinary combustibles. Products made of wood, paper, natural-fiber cloth, or slow-burning (Group C) plastics, with or without wood pallets.
Think: wood furniture without foam cushions, books and paper goods, cotton or wool clothing, leather shoes and luggage, dry packaged foods in cartons.
Class IVIFC §3203.5
Ordinary combustibles with an appreciable amount of plastic. Class I–III products that contain, or are packaged with, a noticeable amount of Group A plastic; also Group B plastics and free-flowing Group A plastics.
Think: synthetic-fabric clothing, small appliances with plastic housings, wax-coated paper plates, oil-based paint in metal cans, plastic-wrapped box springs, stacked vinyl floor tiles.
High-HazardIFC §3203.6
Beyond Class IV. Products that present special fire hazards, including Group A plastics that aren't limited to small amounts.
Think: lithium-ion batteries, Level 3 aerosols, foam mattresses and upholstered furniture, rigid plastic totes and empty plastic containers, bulk plastic resin.
Group A PlasticsIFC §3203.7.1
The hottest-burning plastics — they release far more heat than wood or paper. Common ones: polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, PET, ABS, polycarbonate, polyurethane, and most rubbers. If your products or packaging include these, the terms below tell us how they're stored:
Expanded Foamed or cellular plastic — foam cushions, EPS packing foam, foam coolers, foam trays.
Unexpanded Solid plastic — totes, buckets, bottles, toys, resin pellets.
Cartoned Packed inside corrugated cardboard boxes, cartons, or crates.
Exposed Not enclosed in cartons — open on the shelf, in open trays, or only stretch/shrink-wrapped.
One thing that surprises people: even a small amount of Group A plastic inside an otherwise ordinary product — or in its packaging — can bump the whole load up a class or two (IFC §3203.9). That's why the plastic details matter so much.
What a great description looks like
Instead of “electronics,” try: “Flat-screen TVs with plastic housings, packed in EPS foam inside corrugated cartons, on wood pallets, stretch-wrapped.” Tell us what the product is made of, what it sits in, what the packing material is, and whether pallets are wood or plastic.
Plain-language summary paraphrased from the International Fire Code® (§3203.2–§3203.9); the adopted code text governs. For the code's full list of classification examples, see IFC Table 3203.8 in Chapter 32, free to read at codes.iccsafe.org (check your jurisdiction's adopted edition).