Combined Ballistic, Blast, Security & Fire Protection for UK Data Centres

High-threat data centre zones rarely face a single threat in isolation. A control room may need to resist firearms and fire, a battery room blast and fire, and an external facade ballistic attack, blast and forced entry all at once. Premier Security Ballistic & Blast Ltd is one of the very few UK manufacturers holding independent third-party certification across all four threat categories, supplying doors, windows, glazing and curtain walling that combine ballistic, blast, fire and forced entry resistance in a single tested assembly.

Why Data Centres Specify Combined Protection

Following the September 2024 designation of UK data centres as Critical National Infrastructure, threat assessments for new hyperscale and colocation facilities increasingly identify multiple coincident threats at the same building element. The high concentration of value, the national dependence on the services hosted, and the rise of high fire load lithium-ion energy storage all push specifiers toward products that resist more than one threat.

Specifying a single assembly that carries multiple ratings, rather than layering separate single-threat products, gives the design team one tested product, one certificate chain and one supplier accountable for performance. It simplifies NBS specification, reduces design coordination risk, and produces cleaner Golden Thread documentation under the Building Safety Act 2022.

Four Separate Threats, Four Separate Certifications

This is the single most important principle in specifying combined-rating products, and the one most often misunderstood. Ballistic resistance, blast resistance, fire resistance and forced entry resistance are tested independently, by different bodies, to different standards. A product certified to one is not automatically certified to another.

Specifier note: An LPS 1175 SR4 door is not automatically bullet resistant. A bullet resistant door is not automatically blast rated. A blast rated door is not automatically fire rated. Each rating must be explicitly and independently tested and certified for the exact product configuration, including its frame, fixings and glazing. When a Premier product carries all four ratings, it is because it has passed all four separate test regimes.

Threat	What It Defends Against	Governing Standards	Rating Format
Ballistic	Firearm attack on personnel and critical rooms	EN 1522 / EN 1523 (assembly), EN 1063 (glazing)	FB1 to FB7, BR1 to BR7, with S or NS
Blast	Vehicle bombs, satchel bombs, industrial explosion	ISO 16933 (arena), EN 13123 / 13124 (assembly), EN 13541 (glazing)	EXV / SB with hazard letter, EXR, EPR, ER
Fire	Fire spread, smoke, loss of compartmentation	EN 1634-1, EN 16034, BS 476 Part 22	E and EI ratings in minutes (e.g. EI 60)
Forced entry	Intruder attack with tools	LPS 1175 Issue 8	B3 to E10 (SR2 to SR5)

Ballistic Protection for Data Centres

Ballistic resistance is specified at data centre control rooms, network operations centres, meet-me rooms, reception screening points and external facades where a firearms threat has been identified in the assessment. The correct industry term is bullet resistant, not bulletproof: a rating resists a defined calibre at a defined velocity for a defined number of shots, it is not a guarantee against every firearm.

EN 1522 / EN 1523: the assembly standard

EN 1522:1999 (with test method EN 1523:1999) classifies the complete assembly, including frame, fixings, hardware, seals and glazing, against live fire. This is the rating that matters for what actually gets installed, expressed as FB1 to FB7, plus FSG for shotgun threat.

Class	Weapon	Calibre	Typical Data Centre Use
FB1	Rifle	.22 LR	Rarely specified for data centres
FB2	Handgun	9mm Luger	Lower-threat reception screening
FB3	Handgun	.357 Magnum	Reception, transaction points
FB4	Handgun	.44 Rem Magnum	Control rooms, higher-threat reception
FB5	Rifle	5.56 x 45 NATO	Government-adjacent compute
FB6	Rifle	7.62 x 51 NATO	High-threat facades, secure control rooms
FB7	Rifle	7.62 x 51 AP (armour-piercing)	Highest-threat and defence-adjacent facilities

EN 1522 also defines open classes, the most common being the AK47 (Kalashnikov) class, which sits between FB4 and FB5 in penetration power and is tested under different conditions, so it is not directly comparable to the numbered FB classes.

EN 1063: the glazing standard

EN 1063:1999 classifies the glazing alone, mounted in a rigid frame, from BR1 to BR7 (plus SG1 and SG2 for shotgun). The calibre progression matches EN 1522. An FB6 assembly will typically contain BR6 glazing. Both certifications are normally required for a complete specification: the BR rating proves the glass, the FB rating proves the installed assembly.

The S and NS spall classification

Every ballistic rating carries an S or NS suffix. NS (no spall) means no material splintered off the protected face during testing and is the higher rating. S (spall) means splinters were present on the protected face. Data centre control rooms and reception points where staff sit directly behind the line should specify NS. Standoff applications with no occupant directly behind the assembly may accept S.

Frame-to-wall interface: EN 1522/1523 does not test the connection between the product frame and the building structure. That interface is the installer's responsibility and must be detailed separately by the specifier. Premier provides installation detailing to maintain the certified performance at this junction.

Blast Protection for Data Centres

Blast resistance defends against three distinct scenarios in a data centre context: vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices at the perimeter and facade, hand-carried (satchel) devices in public-access areas, and accidental industrial explosion, most notably lithium-ion thermal runaway in UPS and battery energy storage system (BESS) rooms. Different standards address different scenarios, and they are not interchangeable.

ISO 16933: arena air-blast (counter-terrorism)

ISO 16933:2007 is the primary UK counter-terrorism blast standard. It tests glazing, and frames where classified, against real open-air explosive detonations, which makes it the most realistic of the blast standards. Its classifications come in two parts: a type and severity code (EXV for vehicle bombs, SB for satchel bombs) and a hazard rating letter from A to F.

The hazard letter is half the rating. An ISO 16933 classification is incomplete without its hazard letter. EXV25(C) and EXV25(F) describe the same blast load but very different outcomes for the people inside. Always specify and confirm both the EXV or SB number and the A to F hazard letter.

EXV Class	Standoff (100kg TNT equiv.)	Mean Peak Pressure	Typical Data Centre Use
EXV45	45 m	30 kPa	Outer facade, controlled vehicle access at distance
EXV33	33 m	50 kPa	General urban facade
EXV25	25 m	80 kPa	Commercial CNI facade, common pass criterion
EXV19	19 m	140 kPa	Higher-threat urban facade
EXV15	15 m	250 kPa	High-threat, constrained standoff sites
EXV12	12 m	450 kPa	Secure facilities, close standoff
EXV10	10 m	800 kPa	Highest-threat, very close standoff facades

The hazard ratings run from A (no break) and B (no hazard, inner leaf fully retained) through to F (high hazard). For occupied data centre buildings, an A, B or C rating is normally the pass criterion; D, E and F are generally not acceptable for occupied spaces.

EN 13123 / EN 13124: the assembly standards

EN 13123 (criteria) and EN 13124 (test method) classify the entire window, door, shutter or curtain walling assembly, not just the glazing. Part 1 uses a shock tube and produces EPR1 to EPR4 ratings, well suited to the slower-rising pressure of confined industrial explosions. Part 2 uses an open-air arena test and produces EXR1 to EXR5 ratings. Both carry an S or NS suffix for splinters on the protected face.

EN 13541: the glazing-only standard

EN 13541:2012 tests a single pane in a rigid frame using a shock tube, producing ER1 to ER4 ratings. It is useful for material qualification but does not capture how a glass-and-frame system flexes in a real installation, so it is best read alongside an assembly or arena rating rather than on its own.

Which blast standard for a data centre? For counter-terrorism facade and perimeter glazing, ISO 16933 (EXV with hazard letter) is the most commonly specified. For UPS, BESS and plant rooms where confined industrial-style deflagration is the concern, EN 13123-1 / EN 13124-1 (EPR) is often the better reference. Premier can advise on the right standard for each zone as part of a specification review.

Fire Protection for Data Centres

Fire is the threat most likely to coincide with another in a data centre. Battery rooms, UPS rooms and generator halls combine high fire load with security and, increasingly, blast risk. Premier's fire rated doors are independently tested by BRE to achieve 30, 60, 90 and 120 minute ratings, certified to LPS 1056 as standalone fire doors and available dual certified with LPS 1175 forced entry resistance.

Understanding E and EI fire ratings

Fire performance to EN 1634-1 and EN 16034 is expressed in minutes against two criteria:

E (integrity): the time in minutes the element prevents the passage of flame and hot gases (e.g. E60).
EI (integrity and insulation): the time in minutes the element maintains integrity and also limits temperature rise on the unexposed face (e.g. EI 120). EI is the more demanding criterion.

Battery and UPS rooms: The growth of lithium-ion energy storage in AI-era data centres has made the battery room a critical dual-threat zone. Premier supplies doors and louvres that combine fire ratings up to EI 240 with blast resistance and forced entry resistance, addressing thermal runaway containment, explosion venting and security in a single certified assembly.

Forced Entry Resistance (LPS 1175)

The fourth threat category, forced entry resistance to LPS 1175 Issue 8, is covered in depth on our dedicated LPS 1175 for data centres page. In a combined-rating context, LPS 1175 ratings from B3 (SR2) to E10 (SR5) are frequently specified alongside ballistic, blast and fire ratings on the same product, particularly at external facades, data hall boundaries and high-sensitivity internal compartments.

Read the full LPS 1175 for data centres guide

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Covers combined ballistic, blast, fire and forced entry specification, the standards that apply to each threat, and how to map combined-rating products to the zones of a data centre.

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Premier's Combined-Rating Products for Data Centres

Premier manufactures doors, windows, glazing and curtain walling that carry independent certification across multiple threat categories. Each rating below is separately tested and certified for the exact product configuration.

Combined-rating curtain walling

Premier's curtain walling can be specified with ballistic resistance up to FB7 (with BR7 glazing), blast resistance, LPS 1175 forced entry resistance up to E10 and a thermally efficient U-value of 0.5. The same platform underpins our HVM crash-tested glass curtain wall, the first glass curtain wall system to pass HVM crash testing, allowing a single facade to resist firearms, explosion, intrusion and vehicle attack.

Dual and quad-certified doorsets

Premier doorsets are available combining LPS 1175 forced entry resistance, EN 1522 ballistic resistance, EN 13123 blast resistance and EN 1634-1 fire integrity up to EI 240. Common configurations include ballistic and fire-rated control room doors, blast and fire-rated battery room doors, and quad-certified external doors for high-threat facades.

Combined-rating windows and screens

Fixed and operable window systems and internal screens combining ballistic, blast and forced entry ratings for control rooms, meet-me rooms and reception screening, with NS (no spall) ballistic performance where staff sit directly behind the line.

Fire and blast rated louvres

Certified ventilation louvres for plant rooms, generator halls and battery rooms that maintain fire and blast performance while providing the airflow these spaces require, available with E60 and E90 fire ratings.

Where Combined Protection Is Specified

Data Centre Zone	Coincident Threats	Typical Combined Specification
External facade (constrained site)	Ballistic, blast, forced entry, vehicle	FB6 to FB7, ISO 16933 EXV, LPS 1175 E10, HVM crash-rated curtain walling
Control room / NOC	Ballistic, fire, forced entry	FB4 to FB6 NS, EI 60 to EI 120, LPS 1175 D10 to E10
Meet-me room (MMR)	Forced entry, fire, ballistic	LPS 1175 D10 to E10, EI 60, FB4 where assessed
UPS & battery rooms	Blast, fire, forced entry	EN 13123 blast, EI 120 to EI 240, LPS 1175 C5 to D10
Generator halls	Fire, blast, acoustic, forced entry	EI 60 to EI 120, blast-rated louvres, LPS 1175 C5
Reception screening	Ballistic, forced entry	FB3 to FB4 NS, LPS 1175 C5, ballistic transaction screens

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a single door be ballistic, blast, fire and forced entry rated?

Yes. Premier manufactures doorsets that carry independent certification across all four threat categories simultaneously, combining EN 1522 ballistic resistance, EN 13123 blast resistance, EN 1634-1 fire integrity up to EI 240 and LPS 1175 forced entry resistance up to E10. Each rating is separately tested and certified for the exact product configuration, including frame, fixings and glazing.

Does a bullet resistant door also resist blast or fire?

No, not unless it has been separately tested and certified for those threats. Ballistic, blast, fire and forced entry resistance are independent certifications to different standards. A product is only rated for a threat if it has passed that threat's specific test regime. This is why combined-rating products carry multiple distinct certificates.

What is the difference between FB and BR ballistic ratings?

FB ratings (EN 1522/1523) apply to the complete assembly, including frame, fixings, seals, hardware and glazing, which is what gets installed. BR ratings (EN 1063) apply to the glazing alone in a rigid test frame. An FB6 assembly typically contains BR6 glazing. Both ratings are normally required for a complete specification, and both should carry the S or NS spall classification.

What does the letter in an ISO 16933 blast rating mean?

The letter is the hazard rating, from A (no break) to F (high hazard), and describes what happens to the people inside when the glazing is loaded. It is as important as the EXV or SB number. For example, EXV25(C) means the assembly resisted the EXV25 blast load and achieved a C (minimal hazard) outcome. For occupied data centre buildings, A, B or C is the usual pass criterion.

Why do battery and UPS rooms need combined blast and fire ratings?

Lithium-ion battery energy storage carries both a high fire load and an explosion risk from thermal runaway, which can release flammable gases that ignite. As AI-era data centres increase on-site energy storage, battery and UPS rooms increasingly require doors and louvres that contain fire (up to EI 240), resist or vent blast pressure, and maintain forced entry resistance, all in the same certified assembly.

Are Premier's combined-rating products independently tested?

Yes. Premier's products are independently tested by BRE and other accredited laboratories against each threat standard, with current certificates available on request. LPS 1175 products are LPCB Red Book listed, and ballistic, blast and fire ratings are issued against EN 1522, EN 1063, ISO 16933, EN 13123, EN 1634-1 and related standards.

Specify combined protection for your data centre

Premier's specification team can review your threat assessment and recommend combined ballistic, blast, fire and forced entry ratings for each zone of your data centre, supplied as single tested assemblies with full independent certification. We work with architects, M&E consultants, security consultants and main contractors from RIBA Stage 2 onwards.

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Ballistic, Blast & Fire Protection for Data Centres