Fire extinguisher color code in the Philippines
The Fire Code does not have one. It gives no colour to any type of fire extinguisher, and identifies one by its label, which says what classes of fire it is for.
Written for the Philippines. Checked against the full text of the 2019 Revised IRR of RA 9514, the Fire Code.
The coloured bands you may have seen online, red, cream, blue and black, are the British code. They are explained below, with one warning: on a British label, the letter C means something different.
Read the label, not the colour
The Fire Code says every extinguisher label carries these (Section 10.5.3.2 B, page 326):
- Name, address, and contact details of the manufacturer and/or dealer
- Date of original filling of the container
- Chemical contents. The extinguishing agent shall be identified both under the common name and the chemical formula.
- Whether or not useful for Class A, B, C, or D fires
- Numerical rating of the extinguisher
- Opening instructions
- Safety procedure in usage
The fourth and fifth lines are the ones to look for. A label can carry several classes at once. The IRR's own example is a rating of 2-A: 20-B: C: "Where fire extinguishers have more than one letter classification (such as 2-A: 20-B: C), they can be considered to satisfy the requirements of each letter class." (Section 10.2.6.9 G.1.e, page 69)
What each letter means, and which extinguisher the Fire Code allows for each, is on the fire extinguisher types page.
Source: Bureau of Fire Protection, Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 9514, the Fire Code of the Philippines, revised 2019. Read 12 October 2026. Read from the BFP file RA9514-RIRR-rev-2019.pdf. bfp.gov.ph blocks automated readers, so the page may ask a person to pass a check. Page numbers are the ones printed at the foot of each page.
What the Fire Code says about colour
A search of the whole 2019 IRR, 448 pages, finds colour rules for signs and markings and none for extinguishers. NO SMOKING signs are "preferably with white-colored letters upon a red background" (Section 10.5.2.2, page 325). Exit signs must be "distinctive in color" (page 55). Fire lane curbs are "painted red" (page 331). Nothing assigns a colour to water, foam, powder or carbon dioxide.
That the IRR is silent is a fact you can check in the PDF. What follows from it is this site's reading: a unit sold here is not required by the Fire Code to follow any colour scheme, so its colour does not tell you its class.
Source: Bureau of Fire Protection, Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 9514, the Fire Code of the Philippines, revised 2019. Read 12 October 2026. Read from the BFP file RA9514-RIRR-rev-2019.pdf. bfp.gov.ph blocks automated readers, so the page may ask a person to pass a check. Page numbers are the ones printed at the foot of each page.
The British colour code, which is the one you have seen
Most of what comes up for this search is written for the United Kingdom. Its code works like this. The body is red: "The body colour of fire extinguishers is signal red, irrespective of the extinguishing media they contain." (GN08 paragraph 4.1). A small band marks what is inside: "In the United Kingdom a colour zone of up to a maximum of 5% of the surface area of the extinguisher body may be used to identify the extinguishing agent." (GN08 paragraph 4.3).
The British colour bands, on a signal red body
The United Kingdom's code, as the London Fire Commissioner's guidance note GN08 sets it out. The band is up to 5 per cent of the body. GN08 names the colours without giving colour values, so the swatches here are screen approximations. Not a Philippine rule.
- RED
- Water
- PALE CREAM
- Foam
- BLUE
- Powder
- SIGNAL VIOLET
- Powder Class D
- BLACK
- Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
- CANARY YELLOW
- Wet Chemical
- GREEN
- Clean agent (including halons)
Source: London Fire Commissioner, Fire Safety Guidance Note GN08, Hand Held Portable Firefighting Equipment, Rev 20, January 2025. Read 12 October 2026. A United Kingdom document. It describes the British colour code and British fire classes, which are not Philippine rules.
| Band | What is inside |
|---|---|
| RED | Water |
| PALE CREAM | Foam |
| BLUE | Powder |
| SIGNAL VIOLET | Powder Class D |
| BLACK | Carbon Dioxide (CO2) |
| CANARY YELLOW | Wet Chemical |
| GREEN | Clean agent (including halons) |
One more from the same note: "Water mist fire extinguishers have a white body." (GN08 paragraph 3.6). And it allows company-branded units in less conspicuous colours, which may still carry the band.
Source: London Fire Commissioner, Fire Safety Guidance Note GN08, Hand Held Portable Firefighting Equipment, Rev 20, January 2025. Read 12 October 2026. A United Kingdom document. It describes the British colour code and British fire classes, which are not Philippine rules.
On a British label, C does not mean electrical
This matters more than the colours. The two systems use the same letters for different fires. If an imported extinguisher is labelled to the British classes, its C is not the Philippine C.
| Letter | Philippine Fire Code | British code |
|---|---|---|
| C | Fires involving energized electrical equipment. | Fires involving gases. |
| K and F | Class K: fires in cooking appliances that involve combustible cooking media (vegetable or animal oils and fats). | Class F: fires in cooking appliances that involves vegetable or animal fats. |
The British code has no letter for electrical fires. GN08 lists carbon dioxide and powder among the types for Class B, and the Philippine IRR says an extinguisher for live electrical equipment has to be "specifically listed for use on Class C hazards". If the label is not clear about electrical equipment, ask the seller or the fire station before you rely on it.
Source: Bureau of Fire Protection, Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 9514, the Fire Code of the Philippines, revised 2019. Read 12 October 2026. Read from the BFP file RA9514-RIRR-rev-2019.pdf. bfp.gov.ph blocks automated readers, so the page may ask a person to pass a check. Page numbers are the ones printed at the foot of each page.
Source: London Fire Commissioner, Fire Safety Guidance Note GN08, Hand Held Portable Firefighting Equipment, Rev 20, January 2025. Read 12 October 2026. A United Kingdom document. It describes the British colour code and British fire classes, which are not Philippine rules.