Is olive oil considered to be a combustible oil? | The Olive Oil Source

Is olive oil considered to be a combustible oil?


Is olive oil considered to be a combustible oil? For the purpose of providing fire sprinkler protection in a warehouse containing olive oil, we need to determine what classification of oil that we are dealing with. If combustible, what is the flash point?

The Olive Oil Source

Your insurance company or the company installing your fire protection system would certainly have more expertise to guide you on what standards they require of your storage area, but we can suggest that you might benefit from reviewing the standard definitions established by the National Fire Protection Association. The NFPA considers olive oil a Class IIIB oil, or one whose flash point is equal to or greater than 200°F. Here are three resources that might be helpful to you:

  1. Here is a full explanation of the NFPA rating system.

  2. Here is an explanation in greater detail from an insurance standpoint.

  3. Wikipedia also has a very solid, simple explanation regarding the differences between flammable and combustible liquids.

We hope this helps to answer your question.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Submit a question to The Olive Oil Source!
