Yellow band fire extinguisher: wet chemical for cooking oil fires
A yellow band, or a yellow label on some models, marks a wet chemical extinguisher. It is the specialist for burning cooking oil and fat, and the one you want within reach of a deep-fat fryer.
Contains: wet chemical, applied as a fine spray
Fire class: Class F: cooking oils and fats
Not for: general use; not for flammable liquid fires such as petrol
Usually found: commercial, canteen, care home and school kitchens
What a yellow band means
Every UK extinguisher has a red body, as BS EN 3 requires, with a coloured band or label showing what is inside. The colour coding is now covered by BS 5306-10:2019. Yellow belongs to one type only: wet chemical. If you see a yellow band, you are looking at a Class F extinguisher, and the pictogram on the label should show a pan on fire.
People search for the "yellow label" and the "yellow band" interchangeably. They mean the same thing. The colour code is shown as a band on some models and a coloured panel or label on others.
Why cooking oil needs its own extinguisher
Burning cooking oil is much hotter than a burning wooden pallet, and it behaves differently. Water sinks below the oil, turns to steam instantly and throws burning oil out of the pan. That is why a water extinguisher is the most dangerous wrong choice in a kitchen.
A wet chemical extinguisher is built for this. It delivers a fine spray that cools the oil, and the chemical reacts with the hot oil to form a soapy layer on the surface (saponification). That layer seals the oil from the air, which makes re-ignition less likely than with other agents.
What it is for, and what it is not
Use it on Class F fires under BS EN 2: cooking oils and fats in deep-fat fryers, fat pans and similar equipment. Fire services describe it as a specialist unit: Avon Fire & Rescue lists it for Class F only, and Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue says not to use it on Class B (flammable liquid) fires.
Do not assume it is safe on live electrical equipment. Look for the electrical symbol on the label, and where a kitchen has electrical risks, isolate the power if you can do so without putting yourself at risk.
How to use it safely
Wet chemical has its own technique, because the danger is hot oil splashing back at you.
- Raise the alarm first and make sure people are leaving.
- Turn off the heat only if you can do it without reaching over the fire.
- Stand back at the distance shown on the label.
- Apply it gently, in slow circular movements. This is the technique fire services give, so hot oil is not splashed onto you.
- Cover the whole surface of the oil, and keep watching it.
- Do not move the pan. Leave it to cool. Hot oil can re-ignite for some time.
Only fight a fire if it is small, you are trained, the alarm is raised and you have a clear exit behind you. Otherwise get out, stay out and call 999.
Report any discharge to your manager so the extinguisher is replaced or serviced.
Where you will find one
You will usually see wet chemical extinguishers beside the cooking line in commercial kitchens, canteens, care home and school kitchens. How many you need, and where, is a risk assessment decision, worked out to BS 5306-8, and each one should have extinguisher signage above it. A fire blanket is often provided alongside; your assessment decides that too. See our fire risk assessment guide and what fire safety signs mean.
Common mistakes
- A water extinguisher left beside the fryer, because it was the nearest red unit.
- The wet chemical unit stored away from the cooking line, or behind a door that is shut during service.
- Staff who have never discharged one, or who have only ever been told "point and spray".
- Using it on a petrol or solvent fire because "it is the strongest one".
Frequently asked questions
Which fire extinguisher has a yellow label?
A wet chemical extinguisher, for Class F fires involving cooking oils and fats.
Do I need a wet chemical extinguisher in a kitchen?
Where cooking oil or fat is used in commercial premises, Class F cover is normally needed. Your fire risk assessment decides the number and position, working to BS 5306-8.
Can I use one on a chip pan fire at home?
Fire services advise against tackling a domestic chip pan fire. Turn off the heat only if it is safe to do so, never throw water on it, get out and call 999.
Related guides
- Fire extinguisher colours and chart: what each band means
- Which fire extinguisher for which fire?
- Cream band fire extinguisher: foam and where it fits
- Red band fire extinguisher: what water is for, and what it isn't
- Black band fire extinguisher: CO2 for electrical and liquid fires
- Blue band fire extinguisher: dry powder, and the catch indoors
Practise picking the right extinguisher
The Extinguisher Match drill puts real scenarios in front of you, including the kitchen fire, and times your choice.
Play Hazard Hunt →Sources
- Fire extinguishers (Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service)
- Fire extinguishers (Avon Fire & Rescue Service)
- BS 5306-10:2019, colour coding of portable fire extinguishers (BSI)
This guide is for learning and applies to England & Wales. Always work from the current standards, the label on your own extinguisher and your fire risk assessment; Scotland and Northern Ireland have equivalent regimes.