Fire extinguisher types and colours

Fire extinguisher types chart

Limited means the agent is not the first choice for that class but may have some effect. Class D (metals) needs a special purpose extinguisher, so it is not in the chart.

Fire extinguisher colours in Australia

Since 1999 every extinguisher sold in Australia has a red body. The coloured band or label near the top tells you the agent inside. Older units may still carry the pre 1999 colours, and extinguishers on ships, aircraft and imported gear can use other schemes, so the label is the final word.

• Water: solid red.
• Foam: red with a blue band (before 1999: solid blue).
• Dry chemical powder: red with a white band.
• Carbon dioxide (CO2): red with a black band.
• Vaporising liquid: red with a yellow band.
• Wet chemical: red with an oatmeal band (before 1999: oatmeal).

Two powder extinguishers share the white band. ABE powder is suitable for Class A, B, C and E fires. BE powder is not suitable for Class A fires such as wood and paper. Read the rating on the label to tell them apart.

Fire classes in Australia

• Class A: ordinary combustibles, such as wood, paper, plastic, cardboard, fabric.
• Class B: flammable and combustible liquids, such as petrol, diesel, solvents, paint thinners.
• Class C: flammable gases, such as lpg, acetylene, natural gas.
• Class D: combustible metals, such as magnesium, aluminium swarf or powder, sodium.
• Class E: electrically energised equipment, such as switchboards, power tools, computers still plugged in.
• Class F: cooking oils and fats, such as deep fryers, cooking oil in a site kitchen.

How it works

Each fire class burns a different way, so each needs a different agent. The selector matches the class you pick against a chart of the six fire extinguisher types and sorts them into suitable, limited and do not use. The colours are the ones used on extinguishers sold in Australia since 1999, when foam changed from solid blue to a blue band and wet chemical from solid oatmeal to an oatmeal band. You may still see the older colours on old units.

Where our two sources differ, we show the more cautious answer. One example is vaporising liquid on cooking oil fires: one source rates it limited and the other says it is not effective, so the chart says not suitable. Choosing and placing extinguishers for a building is covered by AS 2444, Portable fire extinguishers: Selection and location. This tool helps you read the label; it does not replace advice from a fire protection supplier.

On a construction site, hot work is a common fire risk. Use the hot work permit checklist and the fire safety checklist to confirm the right extinguisher is in place before work starts.

Common questions

Sources

• WA Department of Transport, Portable fire extinguisher guide
• FPA Australia fact sheet, Fire extinguishers: types and uses (published by CFA Victoria)
• ABLIS (Australian Government), AS 2444-2001 Portable fire extinguishers: Selection and location