Extinguisher type · Blue band
Blue fire extinguisher: Dry powder (ABC)
First: raise the alarm, get out, call the fire service
UK: However, if in doubt, employees should not put themselves or anyone else at risk, but simply raise the alarm, leave the premises, and call the fire and rescue service.
HM Government (GOV.UK), A guide to making your small non-domestic premises safe from fire (accessible version), section ‘Fire extinguishers’
US: If you're unsure about whether it is safe to use a fire extinguisher, and for all other situations, alert others, leave the building, and call 911 from a mobile or neighbor's phone.
US Fire Administration (FEMA), Choosing and Using Fire Extinguishers, ‘Help people decide when to use a fire extinguisher’
Blue band on a red body.
- Colour code
Powder BLUE
London Fire Brigade (London Fire Commissioner), Fire Safety Guidance Note GN08: Hand Held Portable Firefighting Equipment, Rev 20, §4.3, colour table- UK/EU classes named for it
- Class A, Class B, Class C, Electrical
What the guidance says it is for
Powder (blue): for liquid and electrical fires.
HM Government (GOV.UK), Fire safety risk assessment: offices and shops (accessible version), Part 1, 3.4.2, Figure 8Dry powder extinguishers are blue and are multi-purpose, they can be used for Class A, B and C fires.
Avon Fire & Rescue Service, Fire extinguishers (business fire safety guidance), ‘Dry powder’It can be used for fires caused by flammable liquids including petrol and paint, as well as flammable gases including acetylene and liquid petroleum gas. Dry powder extinguishers can also be used on fires that involve electrical equipment up to 1000 volts.
Surrey County Council (Surrey Fire and Rescue Service), Extinguishers and fire blankets, ‘Dry Powder Extinguishers’
What the guidance says not to use it on
Do not use on metal fires.
HM Government (GOV.UK), Fire safety risk assessment: offices and shops (accessible version), Part 1, 3.4.2, Figure 8 (powder)This type of fire extinguisher should not be used for fires that involve electrical equipment over 1000 volts and cooking oil fires.
Surrey County Council (Surrey Fire and Rescue Service), Extinguishers and fire blankets, ‘Dry Powder Extinguishers’Carbon dioxide and powder extinguishers are effective in extinguishing the flame, but without sealing the surface of the liquid from oxygen, the oil rapidly re-ignites.
Fire Industry Association, Fact File 99: Class F Fires, Version 1, §3 Limitations of non-class F extinguishers
In the US
US extinguishers are not colour-coded by agent; read the letters on the label.
Fire extinguishers of this type contain an ammonium phosphate base agent.
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Fire Extinguisher Types (NFPA Today blog, Brian O’Connor), ‘Multipurpose Dry Chemical’
Not for, in US guidance
For this reason, extinguishment of deep-seated fires might not be accomplished unless the agent is discharged below the surface or the material is broken apart and spread out.
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Fire Extinguisher Types (NFPA Today blog, Brian O’Connor), ‘Multipurpose Dry Chemical’
Also worth knowing
There are special dry powder extinguishers but these are typically used only on flammable metals such as magnesium and titanium.
Surrey County Council (Surrey Fire and Rescue Service), Extinguishers and fire blankets, ‘Dry Powder Extinguishers’- Class D special powder extinguisher →
The label is the authority
Most modern fire extinguishers are simple to use and instructions on how to use it safely are written on the extinguisher itself.
HM Government (GOV.UK), A guide to making your small non-domestic premises safe from fire (accessible version), section ‘Fire extinguishers’
Other colours
Sources
Official guidance only: UK government, UK fire and rescue services, the Fire Industry Association, NFPA, OSHA and the US Fire Administration. Words in quotation marks are theirs.
- HM Government (GOV.UK): Fire safety risk assessment: offices and shops (accessible version) (updated 12 September 2023). Quoted here: Part 1, 3.4.2, Figure 8 (powder); Part 1, 3.4.2, Figure 8. www.gov.uk Checked 2026-09-29.
- Surrey County Council (Surrey Fire and Rescue Service): Extinguishers and fire blankets (reviewed 24 August 2026). Quoted here: ‘Dry Powder Extinguishers’. www.surreycc.gov.uk Checked 2026-09-29.
- Fire Industry Association: Fact File 99: Class F Fires, Version 1 (October 2024). Quoted here: §3 Limitations of non-class F extinguishers. www.fia.uk.com Checked 2026-09-29.
- HM Government (GOV.UK): A guide to making your small non-domestic premises safe from fire (accessible version) (updated 20 January 2025). Quoted here: section ‘Fire extinguishers’. www.gov.uk Checked 2026-09-29.
- US Fire Administration (FEMA): Choosing and Using Fire Extinguishers (page last reviewed 1 April 2023). Quoted here: ‘Help people decide when to use a fire extinguisher’. www.usfa.fema.gov Checked 2026-09-29.
- London Fire Brigade (London Fire Commissioner): Fire Safety Guidance Note GN08: Hand Held Portable Firefighting Equipment, Rev 20 (January 2025). Quoted here: §4.3, colour table. www.london-fire.gov.uk Checked 2026-09-29.
- Avon Fire & Rescue Service: Fire extinguishers (business fire safety guidance) (page last updated 29 February 2024). Quoted here: ‘Dry powder’. www.avonfire.gov.uk Checked 2026-09-29.
- National Fire Protection Association (NFPA): Fire Extinguisher Types (NFPA Today blog, Brian O’Connor) (2023). Quoted here: ‘Multipurpose Dry Chemical’. www.nfpa.org Checked 2026-09-29.