This European Standard specifies a test method for determining the contribution of fire protection systems to the fire resistance of structural concrete filled hollow steel columns. The concrete can be lightweight, normal-weight or heavy-weight concrete and of all strength classes provided for in EN 1994-1-2. Alternatively the use of a dry sand is considered to be a conservative approach to using wet concrete. A specification for the dry sand is given in 5.6.3. The method is applicable to all fire protection systems used for the protection of concrete filled hollow columns and includes sprayed fire protection, reactive coatings, cladding protection systems and multi-layer or composite fire protection materials. If there is no hollow section data from prEN 13381-4 or EN 13381-8 then this European Standard cannot be used. For passive systems, this data can be derived using the equation in Annex A of prEN 13381-4. Testing to this European Standard is not required if the fire protection thicknesses for hollow sections derived from prEN 13381-4 or EN 13381-8 are to be used for concrete filled hollow sections. The evaluation is designed to cover a range of thicknesses of the applied fire protection material, a range of steel sections, characterized by their diameters and wall thicknesses, a range of design temperatures and a range of valid fire protection classification periods. The test method is applicable to fire protection systems which are intimately in contact with the structural column, or which include an airspace between the structural column and the protection system. This European Standard specifies the fire tests which shall be carried out to determine the ability of the fire protection system to provide fire protection to composite columns and produces data on the average steel temperatures of the composite column, when exposed to the time/temperature curve according to the procedures defined herein. This European Standard also provides the assessment procedure, which prescribes how the analysis of the test data should be made and gives guidance on the procedures by which interpolation shall be undertaken. In special circumstances, where specified in national building regulations, there can be a need to subject reactive protection material to a smouldering curve. The test for this and the special circumstances for its use are detailed in EN 13381-8. This exposure, applicable to reactive fire protection materials, is used only in special circumstances, where specified in the national building regulations of a member state of the European Union, and is not intended to be mandatory for all fire protection materials applied to concrete filled hollow steel columns. This European Standard ignores any contribution from the concrete to the structural capability of the hollow column and therefore only deals with thermal performance.