EN 12845 Annex G — Hanging Garment Storage

A hanging T-shirt burns like a flag — flame climbs the upper sleeves at metres per minute. Annex G treats hanging garment storage separately from rack storage, with design density and in-rack rules that depend on hang height. For a fashion brand's warehouse, this is the decisive piece of knowledge.

A clothing brand's logistics warehouse installed a 7 m high hanging system with an automated conveyor running to the ceiling. The designer proposed OH3 sprinklers at 5 mm/min over 260 m². The insurer's audit recorded an Annex G non-compliance: above 6 m hang height, in-rack protection is mandatory, the density must be 12.5 mm/min, and ceiling ESFR should have been evaluated as an alternative. The design was redone, with a four-month delay and a substantial cost increase. The reflex that "textiles equal OH3" is dangerous — Annex G has to be read.

What Annex G means by hanging garment

Annex G describes the fire behaviour of suspended textiles as a "canvas effect": flame catches at the lower hem, spreads rapidly upward with the air current, and jumps to the neighbouring hanger within one or two seconds. Water droplets run sideways along the garment and never reach between the layers. That is why the density and droplet size differ from ordinary storage.

Design density

Hang height	Density	Area	In-rack	Duration
≤ 3 m	7.5 mm/min	260 m²	No	60 min
3–4 m	10 mm/min	260 m²	No	90 min
4–6 m	12.5 mm/min	260 m²	No	90 min
6–9 m	12.5 mm/min	260 m²	Every 3 m	90 min
Above 9 m (ESFR)	K360 at 3.5 bar	12 sprinklers	Ceiling ESFR suffices	60 min

Configuration types

• Single-tier hanging: a standard shop back-store, rails at 2–2.5 m
• Double-tier hanging: a small logistics store, lower rail at 1.5 m and upper at 3 m
• Multi-tier hanging over racking: 6–10 m vertically, on an automated conveyor
• Mixed hanging and cartons: an e-commerce pick-and-pack facility, where the worst-case scenario governs

In-rack sprinklers above 6 m

• A horizontal line every 3 m, 0.3 m below the hanging rails
• Sprinkler spacing 3 m × 3 m
• K-factor 80 (10 mm) or 115 (15 mm)
• Minimum operating pressure 2 bar
• Fast-response bulb, RTI ≤ 50
• Water shields, so drips do not fall onto the garments
• Mechanical protection cages against conveyor movement

Field error — the proportion of plastic hangers

An outlet warehouse stored hanging cotton garments and OH3 was appropriate. The product mix then changed, stock of knitwear and coats grew, and the hangers became polypropylene. Plastic hangers reached about 25 % of the total. Under Annex G, once plastic exceeds roughly 15 % the storage is assessed as a mixed category and the density rises to 16.5 mm/min. It was picked up at the insurer's audit and in-rack protection had to be added.

Automated hanging conveyor systems

Modern automated garment conveyors occupy the full ceiling height. The Annex G interpretation is:

• A conveyor rail counts as a continuous horizontal line of hanging goods, roughly one garment every 1.2–1.5 m
• Storage height is assessed as ceiling height less 0.5 m
• In-rack heads every 3 m, independent of conveyor movement
• ESFR is usually preferred, because in-rack protection here is complex
• Conveyor electrical panels belong in a separate room, with their own protection

The ESFR alternative

Above 9 m hang height, ESFR is the alternative to in-rack protection:

• K360 at 3.5 bar, or K200 at 4.5 bar
• Spacing 3 × 3 m, coverage no more than 9 m²
• Deflector 0.15–0.4 m below the ceiling
• Roof slope no more than 5 %
• Limited skylight and ventilation openings
• Strict obstruction rules — the hanging system itself can count as an obstruction
• EN 12845-2:2024 Annex P gives the detail

Shop back-stores

The small stock rooms behind shops, typically 50–200 m² with rails at 2–2.5 m, are usually compatible with OH3. But any arrangement above 4 m — over a mezzanine, or double-tier racking — triggers the Annex G rules. In a shopping centre the central sprinkler system is designed once, on the worst-case tenant scenario, and the 12.5 mm/min hanging garment density generally fits within that design.

Worked water demand

Hang height 7 m, 260 m² area, 12.5 mm/min plus six in-rack heads at 80 L/min: ceiling 12.5 × 260 = 3250 L/min, in-rack 480 L/min, hose reels 500 L/min, giving about 4230 L/min. Over 90 min that is 380 m³. The ESFR alternative — twelve K360 heads at 3.5 bar, roughly 8000 L/min for 60 min — comes to 480 m³. ESFR needs more water but removes the complexity of in-rack protection entirely.

Comparison with NFPA 13 and FM Global

NFPA 13 covers compact storage of clothing on hangers in terms compatible with Annex G, but gives more weight to K200 and K360 ESFR solutions. FM Global's commodity classification data sheet treats hanging garments by distinguishing boxed goods from goods on hangers, so the packaging state matters. International textile brands operating in Turkey generally work to the NFPA 13 plus FM Global combination.

Turkish regulation and local practice

BYKHY gives no separate density for textile warehouses; it treats them under high-hazard storage, whose density of 12.5 mm/min over 360 m² is compatible with Annex G. Insurers ask for Annex G or the FM Global equivalent for hanging garment storage. Annex G applications are widespread in Turkey's textile export hubs.

Quick check list

• Hang height measured at the highest point.
• Density matches the height per the Annex G table.
• Plastic hangers below 15 % — otherwise upgrade.
• In-rack sprinklers included above 6 m.
• ESFR alternative evaluated above 9 m.
• Conveyor electrical panel in a separate room.
• Mixed hanging-and-carton stores designed on the worst case.
• Tank sized for 90 min duration.
• Stock management discipline — category changes are reported.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is hanging garment storage treated separately?

Because of the canvas effect: flame climbs the garment rapidly, jumps to the neighbouring hanger within a second or two, and water runs sideways along the fabric rather than penetrating between layers.

At what height does in-rack protection become mandatory?

Above 6 m hang height. Between 6 and 9 m, a horizontal in-rack line is needed every 3 m at 12.5 mm/min ceiling density.

Do plastic hangers change the classification?

Yes. Once plastic hangers exceed roughly 15 % of the stock, the storage is assessed as a mixed category and the density rises to around 16.5 mm/min.

Is ESFR better than in-rack for tall garment conveyors?

Usually yes. Above 9 m, ceiling ESFR removes the complexity of running and maintaining in-rack lines through a moving conveyor, at the cost of somewhat higher water demand.

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