Aerosol Product Storage

Hazard picture

Aerosol products are classified into hazard levels ranging from weakly flammable to highly flammable, based on the combustibility of the propellant and active ingredient. If a can ruptures in a fire due to internal overpressure, it acts like a small rocket, throwing burning contents into the surroundings; in dense palletised storage this can spread a fire across several rack rows within minutes, considerably faster than most solid commodity classes.

Protection measures

Sprinkler design for aerosol storage is not based on general commodity classification but on the specific hazard level and stacking arrangement of the product; higher hazard levels require in-rack protection or substantially enhanced ceiling sprinklers. Partition walls or adequate separation from other storage areas further limit fire spread, and physical separation from open flames or ignition sources is mandatory.

Insurance relevance

Because aerosol fires are among the fastest-escalating warehouse fire scenarios, property insurers require evidence of a suppression system sized for the specific hazard level stored wherever such product ranges are present. An unnoticed change in product mix – for example introducing highly flammable products into a warehouse designed for weakly flammable aerosols – is regarded as one of the most underestimated risks in warehousing.