This Part of this European Prestandard specifies a test method to be followed for determining the contribution of fire protection systems to the fire resistance of structural timber members. Such fire protection systems include claddings, sprayed fire protection and coatings. The method is applicable to all fire protection systems used for the protection of timber members. These can be fixed directly, totally or in part, to the timber member and can include an air gap between the fire protection system and the timber member, as an integral part of its design. Evaluation of timber constructions protected by horizontal or vertical protective membranes are the subject of ENV 13381-1 or ENV 13381-2 respectively. The test method is applicable to the determination of the contribution of fire protection systems to the fire resistance of loadbearing timber structural members and non-loadbearing parts of the works, including floors, roofs, walls, beams and columns. It is also applicable to timber structural members incorporating insulating materials between the timber members, e.g. between timber joists in floor constructions. The test method and its assessment procedure is designed to permit direct application of the results to cover a range of thicknesses of the applied fire protection material. This European Prestandard contains the fire test which specifies the test to be carried out to determine the ability of the fire protection system to delay the temperature rise throughout the timber member, to determine the ability of the fire protection system to remain coherent and fixed to the timber member and to provide data of the temperature profile throughout the timber test member, when exposed to the standard temperature/time curve according to the procedures defined herein.