There’s 5 different types of fire extinguishers that you can differentiate by their color codes.
Red - Water based
Creme - Foam based
Blue - Powder based
Black - CO2 or carbon dioxide based
Yellow - Wet chemical based
What would determine the type of fire extinguisher used would be the class of fire it is.
Class A - Combustible materials ( i.e. paper, wood) Extinguishers to use - Red, Creme, Blue, and Yellow. (Do not use Black)
Class B - Flammable liquids ( i.e. paint, petrol, alcohol) Extinguishers to use - Creme, Blue, and Black. (Do not use Red or Yellow)
Class C - Flammable gases ( i.e. butane, methane) Extinguishers to use - Blue (Do not use Red, Creme, Black or Yellow)
Class D - Flammable metals ( i.e. lithium, potassium) Extinguishers to use - Blue (Do not use Red, Creme, Black or Yellow)
Class F - Deep fat fryers ( i.e. chip pans) Extinguishers to use - Yellow (Do not use Red, Creme, Blue or Black)
Electrical - any sort of electrical equipment
( i.e. computers, generators) Extinguishers to use - Blue and Black (Do not use Red, Creme or Yellow)
