Is James Hardie Siding Fire Rated
However they do qualify for use in certain 1 hour fire rated warnock hersey and ul assemblies.
Is james hardie siding fire rated. While jameshardie products will not ignite when exposed to direct flame or contribute fuel to a fire heat will transfer through them. It does not provide a good barrier for flames. Think of jh products as a pan used for cooking. 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.
For homes that have a fireplace or live in areas vulnerable to wildfires an investment of james hardie siding could literally save lives. 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. Unless otherwise noted fire ratings apply to tests conducted on both sides. 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.
Nfpa 251 fire tests of building construction and materials. While vinyl siding is technically non flammable it does warp and melt when close to flames. Ul 263 fire tests of building construction and materials. Read more about fire resistant cladding here.
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. James hardie fiber cement siding is fire resistant which is a huge advantage compared to wood or vinyl siding. Designs listed are minimum construction requirements to achieve fire rating. A homeowner cannot get any better fire safety quality than that.
A fiber cement product simply does not burn. The astm rating for james hardie siding classifies it as non combustible. Of course wood siding is rather vulnerable to fire due to its nature and building material. 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.
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.