U.S. flag
        An official website of the United States government
          Here’s how you know
        Here’s how you know**Official websites use .gov**
              
              A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
        **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
              
              A **lock** (  A locked padlock
) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. https://www.nist.gov/laboratories/tools-instruments/cone-calorimeter
  Search NIST
    Search
              Menu

      


Close
    Topics
        All Topics
                                                        Advanced communications
                                                        Artificial intelligence
                                                        Bioscience
                                                        Buildings and construction
                                                        Chemistry
                                                        Climate
                                                        Cybersecurity
                                                        Electronics
                                                        EnergyEnvironment
                                                        Fire
                                                        Forensic science
                                                        Health
                                                        Information technology
                                                        Infrastructure
                                                        Manufacturing
                                                        Materials
                                                        Mathematics and statisticsMetrology
                                                        Nanotechnology
                                                        Neutron research
                                                        Performance excellence
                                                        Physics
                                                        Public safety
                                                        Resilience
                                                        Standards
                                                        Transportation
            Publications
            Labs & Major Programs
        Laboratories
                                Communications Technology Laboratory
                                  Engineering Laboratory
                                  Information Technology Laboratory
                                  Material Measurement Laboratory
                                  Physical Measurement LaboratoryUser Facilities
                                NIST Center for Neutron Research
                                  CNST NanoFab
                                                        Research Test Beds
                                                        Research Projects
                                                        Tools & InstrumentsMajor Programs
                                Baldrige Performance Excellence Program
                                  CHIPS for America Initiative
                                  Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)
                                  Office of Advanced Manufacturing
                                  Special Programs Office
                                  Technology Partnerships Office
            Services & Resources
        Standards and Measurements
                                Calibration Services
                                  Laboratory Accreditation (NVLAP)
                                  Quality System
                                  Standard Reference Materials (SRMs)
                                  Standards.gov
                                  Time Services
                                  Office of Weights and MeasuresSoftware
                                                        Data
                                Chemistry WebBook
                                  National Vulnerability Database
                                  Physical Reference Data
                                  Standard Reference Data (SRD)
                                                        Storefront
                                                        License & PatentsComputer Security Resource Center (CSRC)
                                                        NIST Research Library
            News & Events
        News
                                                        Events
                                                        Blogs
                                                        Feature Stories
                                                        AwardsVideo Gallery
                                                        Image Gallery
                                                        Media Contacts
            About NIST
        About Us
                                Leadership
                                  Organization Structure
                                  Budget & Planning
                                                        Contact Us
                                                        Visit
                                                        Careers
                                Student programsWork with NIST
                                                        History
                                NIST Digital Archives
                                  NIST Museum
                                  NIST and the Nobel
                                                        Educational Resources
 
 TOOLS & INSTRUMENTS

Cone Calorimeter
    
  Cone Calorimeter
  
      In the late 1970s and early 1980s the fire community was pushing for reliable bench-scale tools to measure material flammability based on heat release rate. A measure of heat release rates was thought to be the most reliable and accurate measure of the flammability of a material. Unfortunately, only a few heat release rate measurement tools were available at that time and they were difficult to operate and the data were very inconsistent. In response in 1982, the Fire Research Division at NIST (then called the Center of Fire Research at the National Bureau of Standards) introduced the next generation instrument to measure material flammability, the Cone Calorimeter. In 1988, the Cone was awarded with a "R&D 100 Award", often called the “Oscar of Innovation”, this prestigious American award was given to the top 100 innovations of the year. It was the first-ever fire testing tool to be recognized by this award at NIST.

In the mid-1980s, the Cone became commercially available. Today, there are more than 300 Cones in service worldwide and the Cone is the basis of more than a half-dozen fire testing standards, such as ASTM E1354 and D5485, ISO 5660-1, NFPA 271, and CAN\ULC-S135. The Cone has become a reliable, accurate, and most commonplace method to assess material flammability.

The Cone is a fire testing tool based on the principle that the amount of heat released from a burning sample is directly related to the amount of oxygen consumed during the combustion. The amount of heat a material generates is directly aligned with the severity of a fire, such as fire growth rate. In order to assess a material’s flammability, it is exposed to an external radiant heat source. Therefore, since this is a forced combustion test, the Cone values are most often thought to reflect flammability of a second item ignited.

Pictured is a schematic of a Cone Calorimeter. A sample is placed below a cone-shaped radiant heater and typically exposed to an external flux from the heater of 35 kW/m2. However, for more fire-resistant materials the heater frequently increases to 50 kW/m2. Once enough pyrolysis products are generated, ignition occurs. The combustion products travel through the Cone heater and through an instrumented exhaust pipe. The values measured/calculated that are typically important include, but are not limited to, the time to ignition, the mass-loss rate during combustion, time to and the value of the maximum amount of heat released during combustion, and total amount of heat released during the test.
                  Fire
  
            Organizations
      
      NIST HeadquartersLaboratory ProgramsEngineering LaboratoryFire Research DivisionFlammability Reduction Group
              Details
          Campus
                    Gaithersburg

    
    Created June 5, 2014, Updated December 3, 2021
 HEADQUARTERS
            100 Bureau Drive
              Gaithersburg, MD 20899301-975-2000
            Webmaster | Contact Us | Our Other Offices
        Twitter
            
Facebook
            
LinkedIn
            
Instagram
            
YouTube
            
Giphy
            
RSS Feed
            
Mailing List
                              How are we doing? Feedback

  
  Site Privacy
                      Accessibility
                      Privacy Program
                      Copyrights
                      Vulnerability Disclosure
                      No Fear Act Policy
                      FOIA
                      Environmental Policy
                      Scientific Integrity
                      Information Quality Standards
                      Commerce.gov
                      Science.gov
                      USA.gov
                      Vote.gov