# How to categorise electric strikes, IDF panels, egress paths, and more? **URL:** \ **Category:** IFC\ **Created:** [November 18, 2019, 5:53am UTC](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/t/how-to-categorise-electric-strikes-idf-panels-egress-paths-and-more/2018 "2019-11-18T05:53:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Moult](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forums.buildingsmart.org/moult/32/196_2.png) [@Moult](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/u/Moult)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2019, 5:53am UTC](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/t/how-to-categorise-electric-strikes-idf-panels-egress-paths-and-more/2018/1 "2019-11-18T05:53:45Z")
A few objects which I’m not quite sure which IFC class they belong to - some perhaps straightforward, others a little less so. Some are also outside of my domain, so perhaps they are easy for others? Looking forward to your confirmations / best guesses? 1. [Electric strike - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_strike) - my best guess is `IfcSensor` with `PredefinedType` of `CONTACTSENSOR`. 2. [Intermediate distribution frame - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermediate_distribution_frame) - perhaps something under `IfcFlowController`? 3. [Panic button - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_button) - seems to be `IfcAlarm`, but what would the appropriate `PredefinedType` be? 4. [Reed switch - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed_switch) - I think it’s `IfcSwitchingDevice` with `PredefinedType` of `CONTACTOR`? 5. Egress paths - Perhaps `IfcBuildingElementProxy` with `PredefinedType` of `PROVISIONFORSPACE`? 6. Load bank [Load bank - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Load_bank) - No idea? 7. Fire hydrant boosters [https://allpumps.com.au/pumps-by-type/fire-hydrant-systems/](https://allpumps.com.au/pumps-by-type/fire-hydrant-systems/) - Perhaps `IfcCompressor` with `PredefinedType` set to `BOOSTER`? 8. Air pressure maintenance devices [https://www.vikinggroupinc.com/air-pressure-maintenance-device-model-d-2](https://www.vikinggroupinc.com/air-pressure-maintenance-device-model-d-2) - No idea? 9. Pipe sight glasses [pipe sight glass at DuckDuckGo](https://duckduckgo.com/?q=pipe+sight+glass&iax=images&ia=images) - perhaps `IfcDistributionChamberElement` but with which `PredefinedType`? 10. Pipe clamps [Domain Registered](http://www.clampingsolutions.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Cofil-clamp3.jpg) - Perhaps `IfcDiscreteAccessory`? Which `PredefinedType` should it have? It isn’t a mechanical fastener - since it is a clamp, not the bolts that hold the clamp together. 11. Tundish [Tundish - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tundish) - I think it’s a `IfcPipeFitting` with `PredefinedType` set to `ENTRY`, or an `IfcWasteTerminal`, but which `PredefinedType` applies? 12. Vent cowl [https://pipecowa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/DWV-Insect-Proof-Vent-Cowls.jpg](https://pipecowa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/DWV-Insect-Proof-Vent-Cowls.jpg) - not sure? 13. Rainwater outlet filter cover [https://static.roofingsuperstore.co.uk/u/prod/l/kf7800-1-leaf-filter-grill-47398.jpg](https://static.roofingsuperstore.co.uk/u/prod/l/kf7800-1-leaf-filter-grill-47398.jpg) - not sure? 14. UV disinfection system [UV disinfection systems - Lenntech](https://www.lenntech.com/systems/uv/uv_disinfection.htm) - uh, some form of filter? Not sure? 15. VAV box [Variable air volume - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variable_air_volume) - some form of `IfcFlowController`, but not sure which one, or which predefined type. Perhaps it’s a control damper? 16. Access panels [http://accesspanel.com/](http://accesspanel.com/) - an `IfcDoor`? But we don’t put them in door schedules, if they are in the ceiling should they be `IfcCovering` with type `CEILING`? 17. ATM machines, ticketing machines - Some form of electric appliance, so an `IfcFlowTerminal` subtype? 18. Signage - they come in quite a few forms. Are they `IfcFurniture` or in some cases `IfcCovering`? ---
**Author:** ![Moult](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forums.buildingsmart.org/moult/32/196_2.png) [@Moult](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/u/Moult)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 5:27am UTC](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/t/how-to-categorise-electric-strikes-idf-panels-egress-paths-and-more/2018/2 "2020-01-28T05:27:54Z")
Bump. No takers? ---
**Author:** ![Herb](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forums.buildingsmart.org/herb/32/757_2.png) [@Herb](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/u/Herb)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 6:57am UTC](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/t/how-to-categorise-electric-strikes-idf-panels-egress-paths-and-more/2018/3 "2020-01-28T06:57:29Z")
Electric strike is an actuator (elec to mech) instead of a sensor (mech to elec) ---
**Author:** ![Herb](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forums.buildingsmart.org/herb/32/757_2.png) [@Herb](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/u/Herb)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 6:39am UTC](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/t/how-to-categorise-electric-strikes-idf-panels-egress-paths-and-more/2018/4 "2020-01-29T06:39:11Z")
For electrical elements primarily look at " 7.4 IfcElectricalDomain" at [https://standards.buildingsmart.org/IFC/DEV/IFC4\_2/FINAL/HTML/](https://standards.buildingsmart.org/IFC/DEV/IFC4_2/FINAL/HTML/) For electrical intermediate distribution frame I would propose [https://standards.buildingsmart.org/IFC/DEV/IFC4\_2/FINAL/HTML/schema/ifcelectricaldomain/lexical/ifcelectricdistributionboard.htm](https://standards.buildingsmart.org/IFC/DEV/IFC4_2/FINAL/HTML/schema/ifcelectricaldomain/lexical/ifcelectricdistributionboard.htm) or for very simple decentral junctions without structured patch field [https://standards.buildingsmart.org/IFC/DEV/IFC4\_2/FINAL/HTML/](https://standards.buildingsmart.org/IFC/DEV/IFC4_2/FINAL/HTML/) ---
**Author:** ![Herb](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forums.buildingsmart.org/herb/32/757_2.png) [@Herb](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/u/Herb)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 6:42am UTC](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/t/how-to-categorise-electric-strikes-idf-panels-egress-paths-and-more/2018/5 "2020-01-29T06:42:32Z")
For panic button I propose IfcSwitchingDevice e.g. of type MOMENTARYSWITCH For reed switch I prefer IfcSensor because reed switches sense magnetic field (e.g. to detect mechanical position like open/closed windows or doors). IfcSwitchingDevice is more related to switches and buttons controlled by humans intention. For load bank I propose IfcElectricAppliance of type ELECTRICHEATER because a load bank converts electrical energy into heat energy but is not an IfcSpaceHeater. ---
**Author:** ![Moult](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forums.buildingsmart.org/moult/32/196_2.png) [@Moult](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/u/Moult)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 11:41pm UTC](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/t/how-to-categorise-electric-strikes-idf-panels-egress-paths-and-more/2018/6 "2020-05-20T23:41:37Z")
Bumping this thread, as I am encountering many of these ambiguous categorisations. It would be good to have these either clarified in the documentation or added as predefined types in the next IFC version, if some of the ones listed here are truly ambiguous. ---
**Author:** ![Moult](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forums.buildingsmart.org/moult/32/196_2.png) [@Moult](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/u/Moult)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 8:29am UTC](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/t/how-to-categorise-electric-strikes-idf-panels-egress-paths-and-more/2018/7 "2020-07-14T08:29:54Z")
Might’ve missed something, but what is a fire extinguisher classed as? The closest match, a `IfcFireSuppressionTerminal`, describes itself as connecting to a pipework system, whereas an extinguisher is standalone, so I believe needs clarification. (i.e. to separate system elements from non-system elements) Can I also request that the word “VAV” or “Variable Air Volume Box” is mentioned explicitly in the specification so as to prevent confusion as to its classification? I have encountered many situations where people dismiss IFC as not properly handling these. ---
**Author:** ![LETO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@LETO](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/u/LETO)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2022, 2:52pm UTC](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/t/how-to-categorise-electric-strikes-idf-panels-egress-paths-and-more/2018/8 "2022-04-19T14:52:43Z")
Hello, I am also looking for the ifc classification of fire extinguishers. Your post is 2 years old and I don’t understand why this specific and important equipment is not yet defined with a particular ifc object. I tried to get the information from the BIM object libraries but I can’t find a file in ifc format. Oddly, few manufacturers offer a BIM library and when there is one, the ifc format is not available. Did you get any responses to your post? ---
**Author:** ![stefkeB](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forums.buildingsmart.org/stefkeb/32/1755_2.png) [@stefkeB](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/u/stefkeB)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 10:49am UTC](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/t/how-to-categorise-electric-strikes-idf-panels-egress-paths-and-more/2018/9 "2024-09-13T10:49:55Z")
Two years further, I was looking (again) with no success to a reasonable mapping of the Fire Extinguisher to an IFC entity. You could set the IfcFireSuppresionTerminal enumeration to USERDEFINED, but actually it’s not a terminal connected to a system, as Dion mentioned already. As a standalone object it does not fit the IfcPlumbingFireProtectionDomain [https://ifc43-docs.standards.buildingsmart.org/IFC/RELEASE/IFC4x3/HTML/ifcplumbingfireprotectiondomain/content.html](https://ifc43-docs.standards.buildingsmart.org/IFC/RELEASE/IFC4x3/HTML/ifcplumbingfireprotectiondomain/content.html) Is it rather a IfcFurniture? Or an IfcAsset? ---
**Author:** ![stefkeB](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forums.buildingsmart.org/stefkeb/32/1755_2.png) [@stefkeB](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/u/stefkeB)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2026, 2:44pm UTC](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/t/how-to-categorise-electric-strikes-idf-panels-egress-paths-and-more/2018/10 "2026-03-23T14:44:53Z")
Another two years further… I have seen a company using IfcDistributionControlElement, which is also not a semantically correct fit. I still don’t see a suitable entity in the current IFC schema. Maybe it’s an IfcFurnishingElement? ---
**Author:** ![jwouellette](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forums.buildingsmart.org/jwouellette/32/2140_2.png) [@jwouellette](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/u/jwouellette)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2026, 7:43pm UTC](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/t/how-to-categorise-electric-strikes-idf-panels-egress-paths-and-more/2018/11 "2026-04-07T19:43:53Z")
So, I’m going to go out on a limb here… but I think @Moult is on the right track. Sometimes an imperfect compromise is the best case solution to an imperfect construct. It is IFC, after all… we should all be used to it. If we leverage the current fluid logic (I’m being polite) of IFC, one could equate a fire extinguisher to an electric appliance. Electric appliances are considered Flow Terminals, even if not directly connected to a system [https://ifc43-docs.standards.buildingsmart.org/IFC/RELEASE/IFC4x3/HTML/lexical/IfcElectricAppliance.htm](https://ifc43-docs.standards.buildingsmart.org/IFC/RELEASE/IFC4x3/HTML/lexical/IfcElectricAppliance.htm) By that logic, a Fire Extinguisher COULD be an IfcFireSuppressionTerminal, [https://ifc43-docs.standards.buildingsmart.org/IFC/RELEASE/IFC4x3/HTML/lexical/IfcFireSuppressionTerminal.htm](https://ifc43-docs.standards.buildingsmart.org/IFC/RELEASE/IFC4x3/HTML/lexical/IfcFireSuppressionTerminal.htm) as a part of a fire suppression “System” but just not physically connected to a distribution network. Use USERDEFINED for the PredefinedType and state “FIRE\_EXTINGUISHER” as the value. Then add any necessary custom psets and properties. You could also make the case of ALL Fire Extinguishers in a building (or per storey/floor) being part of their own IfcDistributionSystem.USERDEFINED:FIRE\_EXTINGUISHERS. It would just lack the IfcPort instances and “physical” network… but that’s never stopped anyone before! Then, one should make a proposal on GitHub about how to classify Fire Extinguishers moving forward. Maybe it’s a simple change of changing the documentation to fit the above method, rather than figuring out a new class or sub-class… but entertain possible options/suggestions. ---
**Author:** ![DanPeel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@DanPeel](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/u/DanPeel)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 4:28pm UTC](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/t/how-to-categorise-electric-strikes-idf-panels-egress-paths-and-more/2018/12 "2026-06-24T16:28:46Z")
> [@Moult](#): > > 1. Egress paths - Perhaps `IfcBuildingElementProxy` with `PredefinedType` of `PROVISIONFORSPACE`? Funny how these things come around again. For fire escape routes i used an IfcSpace with Pset\_SpaceFireSafetyRequirements applied to indicate that the space is a fire exit (both in terms of a corridor in a building but also in terms of a marked path externally). However, i notice that the applicability of this to IfcSpace was deprecated in IFC4.3\_DEV\_6fcac87 - do i now have to use IfcSpatialZone instead? What was the reasoning behind this deprecation? ---
**Author:** ![jwouellette](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forums.buildingsmart.org/jwouellette/32/2140_2.png) [@jwouellette](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/u/jwouellette)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 9:24pm UTC](https://forums.buildingsmart.org/t/how-to-categorise-electric-strikes-idf-panels-egress-paths-and-more/2018/13 "2026-07-03T21:24:35Z")
Was there no note on the DEV submission? Bad practice, if not. Somewhere there should be a list of changes and what the “new” solution is.