AbstractA review is presented of the nature of the potential heat test method. It is emphasized that the procedure usually yields a property‐type measurement of the material or composite when applied. As a result, care must be taken to insure that necessary supplementary tests are performed by other methods to guarantee that a substantial fraction of the possible fire hazard has been considered. Suggestions for appropriate use of the procedure are included and information available on the precision of the procedure is reviewed. It is concluded that, when properly applied, the procedure can serve well as one of the tools for characterizing possible fire hazards. Suggestions are made for possible future development of the procedure to yield information on rate of heat releas