Is James Hardie Siding Fire Rated
Read more about fire resistant cladding here.
Is james hardie siding fire rated. Warnock hersey fire resistance rated wall assemblies warnock hersey product listings standards products are certified against astm iso en can cgsb can ulc 1 hour fire resistive rated wall assemblies click the link above each design number below represents a james hardie 1 hour fire resistive wall assembly jh fcs 60 01. Of course wood siding is rather vulnerable to fire due to its nature and building material. Think of jh products as a pan used for cooking. Nfpa 251 fire tests of building construction and materials.
Ul 263 fire tests of building construction and materials. This means that it is a non combustible cladding and will not ignite when exposed to direct flame or extreme heat nor will it contribute fuel to a fire. However they do qualify for use in certain 1 hour fire rated warnock hersey and ul assemblies. All james hardie siding and trim materials from hardieplank lap siding to hardiepanel vertical siding to straight and staggered edge hardieshingle siding are rated as non combustible based on astm fire resistance tests.
James hardie siding products will not combust or spread flame and can be installed as part of a 1 hour fire resistance rated wall assembly which can help buy critical time for the homeowners to evacuate and fire professionals to extinguish flames a main reason it. Ubc 7 1 94 uniform building code standard. Unless otherwise noted fire ratings apply to tests conducted on both sides. Because of this the product itself is not 1 hour fire rated.
It does not provide a good barrier for flames. A homeowner cannot get any better fire safety quality than that. It is not 1 hour fire rated but it is still classified for use in certain 1 hour fire rated warnock hersey and ul assemblies. A fiber cement product simply does not burn.
Designs listed are minimum construction requirements to achieve fire rating. For homes that have a fireplace or live in areas vulnerable to wildfires an investment of james hardie siding could literally save lives. That said while james hardieplank siding won t allow fire to penetrate your home s interior it does allow heat to transfer. While jameshardie products will not ignite when exposed to direct flame or contribute fuel to a fire heat will transfer through them.
Fibre cement cladding from james hardie has a fire rating of a2 s1 d0 which is the highest possible fire rating for a coloured cladding board.