I. What is FM certification? Why does the valve need it?
FM certification is issued by FM Approvals (affiliated with FM Global insurance company) and is a globally recognized authoritative certification in the field of property loss prevention. Unlike UL, which focuses on electrical safety, FM certification is rooted in the insurance industry, and its core goal is to verify whether products can effectively prevent property losses in extreme scenarios such as real fires and floods. In the fields of fire protection and municipal water supply in North America, many engineering projects and insurance clauses clearly require the use of FM certified products.
II. What are the characteristics of FM certification in terms of testing requirements?
Compared with UL, FM’s tests are often more “violent” and closer to the disaster scene. Take the fire gate valve (FM 1120/1130) as an example:
- Strength test: The valve must withstand 2 times the rated working pressure (usually ≥175psi) and maintain the pressure for 5 minutes without breaking or deforming.
- Seal test: The leakage of the metal valve seat must be ≤1 ounce/hour/inch diameter under 2 times the working pressure.
- Harsh conditions: Testing covers extreme water temperature changes from 38°F to 150°F and simulates high-speed water impact of approximately 30 feet/second.
III. What are the main differences between FM certification and UL certification?
The two have different positioning: UL is a safety standard to ensure that products do not cause dangers such as fire or electric shock; FM is a property loss prevention standard to ensure that products can still work reliably under extreme working conditions such as fires. Obtaining UL does not mean that you can pass FM. FM has higher requirements on material aging, sealing durability, coating adhesion, etc.
IV. What special requirements does FM certification have for valve materials?
The requirements are very strict, mainly reflected in three aspects:
- Corrosion resistance: Pressure-bearing parts such as valve bodies and valve covers must be made of specified materials such as ductile iron, cast steel or stainless steel. Ordinary gray cast iron is usually not accepted.
- Coating & sealing: The internal and external coatings must pass the adhesion test and salt spray corrosion test; the sealing ring material must be reported with a specific brand and supplier, and cannot be replaced at will.
- Fire performance: Non-metallic parts (such as handles, indicators) must pass the UL 94 flammability level test to ensure that no toxic smoke is released or contributes to the fire in a fire.
V. Summary
To sum up, although TWS has not yet obtained FM certification, the company’s core products – butterfly valves, gate valves and check valves – strictly follow international general manufacturing standards, have strict quality control, and perform stably and reliably in various industrial application scenarios. In the future, we will continue to pay attention to the development of the FM certification system and strive to provide customers with cost-effective fluid control solutions.
Post time: Aug-31-2026
