Buying Fire Extinguishers: Supply Costs and Provision Planning
By the DC Fire & Security engineering team — installing and maintaining fire and security systems since 2010. Updated June 2026.
Quick answer
Extinguisher supply costs: water/foam 6L £25–£45; CO2 2kg £35–£60; powder 6kg £30–£50; wet chemical £60–£100 — plus stands/brackets (£10–£25), ID signage (£5–£10) and commissioning service on installation. Provision follows BS 5306-8 calculation (coverage by floor area and risk), not guesswork: typical small premises need 2–6 units totalling £150–£400 supplied, commissioned and signed.
Unit costs and the kit around them
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Water (6L) / Foam (6L) | £25–£45 | The Class A backbone (types per the colours guide) |
| CO2 (2kg) | £35–£60 | The electrical partner — every pairing's second half |
| Powder (6kg) | £30–£50 | Outdoor/vehicle/specialist placements (the indoor warnings stand) |
| Wet chemical (6L) | £60–£100 | Kitchens — with fire blankets (£15–£30) alongside |
| Stands/brackets | £10–£25 | Mounted or stood — never floor-loose |
| ID signage per unit | £5–£10 | Type/usage signs above each (inspector-read) |
| Commissioning service | £5–£15/unit | The install-day baseline service starting the label history |
Provision: how many and where
BS 5306-8's logic, summarised usably: Class A coverage by floor area (one 13A-rated unit per 200m² guide-figure, minimum two units per storey typically), travel distance ceilings (30m to an extinguisher), risk-specific additions (CO2 at electrical concentrations, wet chemical per frying range, specials per process), and siting conventions (exit routes and final exits, conspicuous, handle-height mounts, the signage above). The FRA integration: provision is an assessment output (the small-office guide's category logic paralleled) — buy to the assessment/BS calculation, resist both under-provision and the fear-stocking the budget guide flags (extinguisher walls impress nobody who counts). Typical honest outcomes: small shop/office 2–4 units; café/restaurant 3–6 with kitchen kit; small industrial 4–8 mixed — the £150–£400 supplied-and-commissioned band covering most.
Buying channels and quality judgement
Supplier landscape navigated: service-company supply (units arriving commissioned, labelled, sited and folded into the service rhythm — the integrated default our packages run; per-unit prices at the table's bands with installation sanity included), trade/online supply (kitemarked stock at sharp prices — fine for the competent, but commissioning service, siting judgement and the label-history start remain to arrange; 'delivered in a box' isn't provisioned), and the doorstep/cold-call channel (the industry's enduring mis-sell vector — overpriced units, phantom 'requirements', service contracts at multiples; the red-flag literacy from every choosing guide applies with extinguishers' full force). Quality markers: BS EN 3 kitemarked units, BAFE-registered suppliers/servicers, 5-year-plus body warranties on quality stock. The commissioning point completes every purchase: BS 5306-3's install-day service (checks, mounting, labels) is what makes bought extinguishers compliant extinguishers — boxes on floors await it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we just buy extinguishers from Amazon/Screwfix?
How many extinguishers does a small office need?
Do new extinguishers need servicing immediately?
Foam or water for our premises?
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