Almost every box model in our range is made from PP (polypropylene) that is halogen-free, rather than PVC. This matters on projects — schools, hospitals, transport infrastructure, and increasingly standard commercial specification — where the material spec calls for halogen-free components specifically because of how each material behaves in a fire, not just how it performs in normal use. It’s a real, verifiable difference in our range that doesn’t get mentioned often enough given how much some specifiers actually care about it.
What “halogen-free” actually means
Halogens are a group of elements — chlorine, bromine, fluorine among them — that are often used in flame-retardant plastics, including in some PVC formulations and some flame-retardant additives. In a fire, halogen-containing materials can release corrosive and toxic gases (such as hydrogen chloride) as they burn. “Halogen-free” material is formulated without those halogen-based flame retardants and, in PVC’s specific case, without the chlorine that’s structurally part of the polymer itself. The practical difference shows up specifically in a fire scenario: less corrosive, less toxic smoke.
Why PP is halogen-free by nature, and PVC structurally isn’t
Polypropylene (PP) is a hydrocarbon-based polymer — chlorine isn’t part of its basic chemistry, so a PP product can be genuinely halogen-free without relying on halogenated flame retardants to meet its performance targets. PVC (polyvinyl chloride), by contrast, has chlorine built into the polymer itself — a PVC product is inherently a chlorine-containing (halogenated) material, regardless of what else is or isn’t added to it. This is a structural difference between the two materials, not a manufacturing choice that either material could simply opt out of.
What this means for compliance-sensitive and public building projects
Many public building, transport and increasingly general commercial specifications call for halogen-free components specifically in escape routes, cable management and other applications where smoke toxicity and corrosivity in a fire event are a defined risk factor. A box specified into one of these projects needs to be halogen-free in fact, not just described loosely as “low-smoke” or “safety-rated” — those are related but not identical claims, and a specifier checking a material callout wants the specific one that was actually asked for.
This is also where fire-hazard testing comes in as a separate, complementary data point: our range is tested to a glow-wire fire hazard result of 850 °C, to IEC 60695-2-11, alongside compliance to EN 60670-1 — the harmonised European standard specifically covering boxes and enclosures for electrical accessories. A specifier asking “is it halogen-free” and a specifier asking “what’s the glow-wire rating” are asking two different, equally legitimate questions, and this range has documented answers to both.
Our range’s material specification
| Series | Material | Halogen-free stated? |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete & Precast Boxes (ETM780S, ETM784S, ETM812S, ETM834S, ETM850S, ETM931S) | PP | Yes — explicitly stated |
| Hollow & Timber Wall Boxes (e.g. ETM610S, ETM680S, ETM750S, ETM761S, ETM742S) | PP | Yes — explicitly stated |
| ETM002S-4 and the ETM002S roof-box family | HDPE, not PP | Not stated as halogen-free — a genuine exception in the range, not an oversight |
A checklist for confirming material spec against your project requirement
- Check exactly which claim your project specification calls for — “halogen-free,” “low-smoke,” “zero-halogen,” and general fire-rating language are related but not interchangeable; use the specific term your spec actually names.
- Confirm the material for the specific model you’re ordering, not the series in general — check the current product record rather than assuming every model in a series shares the same formulation.
- If your project needs a formal material declaration for the compliance file, request it explicitly and in writing rather than relying on the marketing description alone.
- Where a model’s material isn’t yet confirmed in the published record, treat it as unconfirmed rather than assuming it matches similar models.
What we do differently
We state material per model as it’s confirmed, and we don’t extend a halogen-free claim across the range by association — the ETM002S-4 roof-box family is a real, stated exception. If a project’s material spec is the deciding factor, tell us the exact model and we’ll confirm the current, verified answer before you order.