Portable aerosol fire extinguishers

The mandatory standard prescribes requirements for the design, construction, labelling and performance of portable aerosol fire extinguishers.

About portable aerosol fire extinguishers

The mandatory safety standard was last reviewed and maintained in December 2021.

Portable aerosol fire extinguishers, that release chemicals from a spray can in a rapid stream to extinguish a small fire, are subject to a mandatory standard.

These extinguishers are usually:

• hand-held
• typically red in colour
• non-refillable (allowing for once-only use before discarding).

The mandatory standard prescribes requirements for:

• specific materials used in the extinguisher
• construction
• design
• charge
• performance
• testing
• labelling
• instruction requirements.

Mandatory standard

The mandatory safety standard for portable aerosol fire extinguishers is Consumer Protection Notice No. 9 of 2004. It was last reviewed in 2021 with the review concluding that the safety standard would continue to operate without amendment. It sets out the mandatory requirements for portable aerosol fire extinguishers.

The mandatory standard is based on certain sections of the voluntary Australian New Zealand AS/NZS 4353:1995. Portable fire Extinguishers – Aerosol type AS/NZS 4353:1995 is available from SAI Global.

Key requirements

These requirements provide an overview of the mandatory standard. Suppliers must not rely on this information as a complete guide to compliance.

Identification markings

Portable aerosol fire extinguishers must carry wording that states the:

• manufacturer’s or distributor's name
• trade name or trademark.

These must be in letters not larger than those used to state the type of extinguisher.

Performance testing

While the mandatory standard includes some features you can visually check, it also requires testing to ensure portable aerosol fire extinguishers meet specifications for materials and construction design, performance requirements and colour identification. Suppliers need to organise testing through specialist laboratories.