Chemical storage cabinets for flammable liquids and chemicals

Chemical storage cabinets for flammable liquids and chemicals

Which chemical cabinet do I need?

It depends on what goes in the cabinet. Chemical cabinets are built for different contents, and they cannot stand in for each other:

• Flammable liquids are stored in fire rated chemical cabinets to EN 14470-1. The cabinet resists a fire outside for a stated time.
• Flammable liquids and aerosols in a shop are stored in shop cabinets, see the section on shops below.
• Chemicals that are not flammable can be stored in unrated cabinets, which may have ventilation and a spill sump in the base. They are not fire cabinets.

Gas cylinders are stored in cabinets of their own with other requirements. They are under gas cylinder cabinets.

The Protects filter sorts the cabinets by what they are made for. Cabinets without a fire rating are listed there as "Fire-retarding for" what they protect.

What do Type 30 and Type 90 mean?

The number is the cabinet's fire resistance in minutes to EN 14470-1. A Type 90 cabinet has withstood fire from outside for 90 minutes in the test, a Type 30 for 30 minutes.

The cabinets have self-closing doors that close when the temperature rises, and dampers in the ventilation that close by themselves at around 70 degrees. In normal use the ventilation is open, and in a fire the cabinet closes.

The rating of each cabinet is shown in the Fire rating filter.

Does the cabinet need ventilation?

Many cabinets are made to be connected to extract air, with supply and extract spigots on the top or the back. The ventilation removes fumes day to day, and in the fire rated cabinets the dampers close in a fire so the protection remains.

Unrated ventilated cabinets have adjustable vents or an extract connection, but no fire rating. They suit chemicals where a fire rating is not required.

The shop cabinets have no ventilation, and need none: the containers in them are unopened and do not leak fumes.

The Ventileringsanslutning filter shows which cabinets can be connected. The connection diameter is listed under Equipped with on the product page.

Flammable liquids and aerosols in a shop

Shop cabinets are a kind of their own. Cabinets that display goods and let flammable liquids and aerosols be stored together on a sales floor are tested to SP method 2369, and often have glass doors, shelves and a sump that collects spills.

Under edition 6 of the method the cabinets are tested against fire for 30 minutes, but the test is not the same as EN 14470-1. Shop cabinets are made for unopened packages. For containers that are opened and closed again, for example in a laboratory or workshop, choose a Type 30 or Type 90 chemical cabinet. The shop cabinets are here and also gathered under fire resistant display cabinets.

Which rules apply to chemical storage?

It depends on what is stored. The table shows the Swedish regulations and who supervises them. The regulations were checked in September 2026. Other countries have their own rules.

The MSBFS regulations are issued by the Swedish Agency for Civil Defence (MCF), known as MSB until 2026. The Work Environment Authority restructured its regulations in 2025, and older references such as AFS 2011:19 no longer apply.

If you are unsure what is required where the cabinet will stand, ask the fire and rescue service about flammable goods, the environmental office about chemicals and waste, and the Work Environment Authority about the work environment.

How should a chemical cabinet be labelled?

Chemical products are labelled under CLP, with hazard pictograms, signal words and hazard statements. That labelling is on the containers in the cabinet.

The signage required for the cabinet where it will stand is a question for the fire and rescue service, which supervises flammable goods.

Size and location

Measure the space in three directions and filter on Outer height in mm, Outer width in mm and Outer depth in mm. There are low cabinets that fit under a bench and tall cabinets for larger volumes.

Allow for the doors and the ventilation. Self-closing doors need clear space in front, and a cabinet connected to extract air needs room for the duct above or behind. Fire rated cabinets are heavy, and the floor and the way in need to take the weight, which is shown on each product page.

How to use the filter

Start with Protects. Choose what is to be stored: flammable liquids and chemicals, or flammable aerosols and liquids in a shop. Cabinets without a fire rating come last, as fire-retarding.

Then Fire rating if the cabinet needs a certain fire time, Ventileringsanslutning if it is to be connected to extract air, Outer height in mm, Outer width in mm and Outer depth in mm for the space, and Lock system for the rest.

Can't find the right one? Call us on +46 770 22 01 22. We would rather help before you buy than after.