Guardian Fire Testing Laboratories

What Guardian Fire Testing Laboratories does

Guardian Fire Testing Laboratories, Inc. is a third-party independent fire testing laboratory founded in 1994 by Joe Pearson and Lalit Kumar, operating from its corporate headquarters in Cobleskill, NY and a testing laboratory in Buffalo, NY. The company performs fire endurance, flame spread, hose stream, and safety/efficiency evaluations for building products (door assemblies, coatings, expansion joints, floor/ceiling assemblies, insulation, fiberboard/particleboard/plywood, wall assemblies, fabrics, fire curtains/shutters) and heating appliances (solid fuel room heaters, wood/pellet stoves, chimney liners, gas heaters) to UL, ASTM, NFPA, CSA, and ULC standards. The testing infrastructure includes upgraded test booths with enhanced thermocouple arrays and Data Taker data acquisition software enabling more frequent temperature sampling than UL 1482 requires, alongside concurrent UL 1482 / CAN/ULC-S627 testing for dual U.S.–Canadian certification.

Beyond core lab testing, Guardian operates a Product Certification program under ISO/IEC 17065:2012 with ongoing factory inspection follow-up, an on-site Field Labeling Evaluation Service (GL-97-02) that applies time-rated fire labels (20–180 minutes) to door assemblies missing labels, a Specialty Door Labeling Program for oversized and non-standard doors, third-party Factory Inspections, and Small-Scale Fire Testing for textiles and consumer goods. The company holds three ANAB accreditations (Product Certification Body, Inspection Body, Testing Laboratory) and ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and 17020:2012 certifications, with APAC and ILAC mutual recognition arrangements supporting cross-border acceptance.

The company is family-run and privately held with no disclosed institutional funding. Revenue is generated through project-based testing fees, a $250 product certification application fee, ongoing factory inspection contracts tied to certified product listings, and per-visit field labeling charges. Go-to-market is consultative direct sales driven by website contact forms, conference presence (DHI, ASHE), industry association referrals, and inbound manufacturer inquiries — with no resellers or channel partners. Primary customer segments are building product manufacturers and solid fuel/heating appliance manufacturers, supplemented by building owners/facility managers (field labeling) and certified manufacturers requiring ongoing compliance inspections.

Name

Guardian Fire Testing Laboratories

Legal name

Guardian Fire Testing Laboratories, Inc.

Website

https://firetesting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Guardian Fire Testing Laboratories is a privately held, family-run independent fire testing laboratory founded in 1994, providing ANAB-accredited fire endurance, certification, factory inspection, and on-site field labeling services to building product and heating appliance manufacturers in the U.S. and globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fire Testing and Product Certification Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Building Inspection Services (541350)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Fire Door, Firestop & Passive Fire Protection Inspection/Installation (IMAIAJAJ)

Keywords

• Fire testing services
• Product certification labs
• Fire door labeling
• Building product certification
• Solid fuel appliance testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Cobleskill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Fire Testing Services: Guardian performs fire testing for building products (door assemblies, coatings, expansion joints, floor/ceiling assemblies, insulation, fiberboard, particle board, plywood, wall assemblies, fabrics, fire curtains/shutters), heating appliances (solid fuel room heaters, chimney liners, gas heaters), and record protection equipment. Testing is performed to UL, ASTM, NFPA, CSA, and ULC standards. Revenue is generated per test/project, with pricing dependent on installation orientations and fuel types.
2. Product Certification: Full product certification (listing and labeling) under ISO 17065, involving initial testing, factory inspection, and ongoing compliance monitoring. A $250 non-refundable application fee is charged to initiate the certification process. Certification provides ongoing revenue through follow-up inspection services.
3. Field Labeling Evaluation: On-site evaluation and labeling of fire door assemblies and frames that are missing time-rated fire labels. Technicians visit facilities, evaluate assemblies, apply appropriate time-rated labels (20, 45, 60, 90, or 180 minutes), and provide a comprehensive report. Saves clients from replacing non-compliant doors and frames.
4. Third-Party Factory Inspections: Third-party factory inspections to review production conformity and ensure fire-rating requirements are met. Covers fire-resistant products, components, assemblies, building materials, solid-fuel-burning heating appliances (including EPA audits), and gas-burning equipment. Includes independent product selection for additional testing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Guardian Fire Testing Laboratories is an independent fire testing laboratory performing timed fire endurance, flame spread, hose stream, and safety/efficiency evaluations for building products (door assemblies, coatings, expansion joints, insulation, wall/ceiling assemblies) and heating appliances (solid fuel room heaters, chimney liners, gas heaters) to UL, ASTM, NFPA, CSA, and ULC standards. The company also provides product certification under ISO 17065, third-party factory inspections, and on-site field labeling evaluation services that apply time-rated fire labels (20–180 minutes) to existing doors and frames to resolve code violations.

Product overview

Guardian Fire Testing Laboratories is a third-party independent fire testing laboratory offering a comprehensive suite of fire safety testing and certification services. The core offerings include Testing Services for building products (door assemblies, coatings, insulation, etc.), Field Labeling Evaluation Service for on-site fire door/frame labeling, and the Specialty Door Labeling Program for oversized/custom doors. The company also provides Product Certification with ongoing compliance monitoring, Factory Inspections for quality assurance, Small-Scale Fire Testing for textiles and consumer products, and Solid Fuel Appliance Testing for heating equipment. All services are backed by ANAB and ISO/IEC accreditations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Testing Services Independent third-party fire testing for building products used in residential and commercial construction, including door assemblies, coatings, expansion joint systems, fabrics, floor and ceiling assemblies, insulation, and solid fuel burning appliances. Conducted to UL, ASTM, NFPA, CSA, and ULC standards at Guardian's ANAB-accredited testing laboratory.
• Field Labeling Evaluation Service On-site analysis and evaluation of fire doors, door frames, and protective plates by trained Field Labeling Technicians, applying time-rated fire labels (20, 45, 60, 90, or 180 minutes) based on materials, design, and construction per IBC accepted door assembly codes and test standards. Includes a comprehensive report for each evaluated assembly.
• Specialty Door Labeling Program Customized evaluation and labeling service for oversized and one-of-a-kind fire doors that fall outside standard fire testing protocols. Covers steel door frames (rated up to 180 minutes), steel doors, fire doors per UL 10B, and 45/90-minute mineral core wood-faced fire doors.
• Product Certification (Listing and Labeling) Full product certification under ISO 17065, covering building products including fire door assemblies, adhesives, floor and ceiling assemblies, expansion joints, record protection equipment, and solid fuel heating appliances. Includes initial testing, factory inspection, and ongoing compliance monitoring through the Product Certification Division based in Albany, NY.
• Factory Inspections Third-party factory inspections reviewing production conformity and ensuring fire-rating requirements are met for fire-resistant products, components, assemblies, building materials, solid-fuel-burning heating appliances (including EPA audits), and gas-burning equipment. May include independent product selection for additional testing.
• Small-Scale Fire Testing Expanded testing services covering textiles, decorations, flammable materials, and home and commercial products including furniture, bedding, and floor coverings, assessing flame spread properties and surface burning characteristics.
• Solid Fuel Appliance Testing Testing services for solid fuel room heaters, wood-burning stoves, pellet stoves, and solid fuel-burning heating appliances per UL 1482, ASTM E-1509, and CAN/ULC-S627 standards, with concurrent U.S./Canadian compliance testing capability and enhanced thermocouple monitoring using Data Taker software.

Quantifiable outcome

• Concurrent UL 1482 and CAN/ULC-S627 testing can save weeks or months compared to sequential testing
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SGS: One of the world's largest testing, inspection, and certification companies; provides fire testing and product certification services comparable to Guardian's across multiple global markets.
• Exponent: Engineering and scientific consulting firm with fire testing, failure analysis, and product safety capabilities serving manufacturers; overlaps with Guardian's testing and certification services for building products.
• Intertek: Global TIC giant offering fire testing, product certification, and factory inspection across building products and heating appliances, directly competing with Guardian for manufacturer certification work.
• UL LLC (Underwriters Laboratories): The dominant global fire testing and certification organization; Guardian operates in UL's shadow as a smaller, more specialized independent lab serving many of the same manufacturers under the same UL standards (UL 1482, UL 10B, etc.).
• TÜV Rheinland: Major European-based TIC organization that performs fire testing and certification for building products and appliances, competing with Guardian for international manufacturer accounts.
• Bureau Veritas: Global TIC company offering fire safety testing, product certification, and factory inspection services across building and consumer product categories comparable to Guardian's offerings.

Direct peers

• MET Laboratories: Independent testing and certification lab offering product safety, EMC, and fire testing for building and consumer products; directly competes with Guardian for manufacturer certification business in the U.S. market.
• ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES): Provides building product evaluation, listing, and inspection reports used by code officials and AHJs; directly comparable to Guardian's product certification and factory inspection services for building products.
• QAI Laboratories: Independent testing and certification laboratory offering fire testing, product certification, and factory inspections for building products and appliances; the closest mid-sized pure-play peer to Guardian in the North American market.

Emerging players

• Fire Testing Technologies (FTT): Specialized provider of fire testing equipment and laboratory services focused on reaction-to-fire testing; comparable niche competitor in fire testing laboratory services for building materials.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/guardian-fire-testing-laboratories-inc

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Guardian Fire Testing Laboratories