Downer-DCS031 - Marco Industries

Following recent events, it’s really important to know the fire standards of the cladding you’re using on buildings. By law, all buildings above 18 metres in height need to have cladding which is fire rated. Most cladding has some sort of protection built in, but only those which are FR should be used on these taller buildings.

These ratings range from an A1 to a D in accordance with European Standards EN-13501-1.

What does A1 and A2 Rated mean?

Class A1 – Products are described as having no contribution to fire at any stage. BS EN 13501 sets several thresholds for combustion performance when tested to both EN ISO 1716 and EN ISO 1182. One of these thresholds is a maximum heat of combustion of 2MJ/kg. Typical products meeting this classification include most inorganic materials such as metal and stone.

Class A2, s3, d2 – Products are described as having no significant contribution to fire at any stage. BS EN 13501 sets several thresholds for combustion when tested to EN ISO 1182, or both EN ISO 1716 and EN 13823. One of these thresholds is a maximum heat of combustion of 3MJ/kg. A typical product meeting this classification is plasterboard.For comparison, Wood has a typical value of 15 MJ/Kg.

Some products use a slightly different fire classification known as the BR 135 standard, set by the BRE (Building Research Establishment). When using a cladding product that is classified using this method, a full classification report must be supplied to prove compliance with BR 135.

For full information on the fire rating of a specific product, get in touch with us. We’d be more than happy to help.

DCS031 HELPING HAND® SYSTEM

Downer DCS031 HELPING HAND® bracket framing system is designed to provide vertical support to most rainscreen cladding panels using the principle of a ventilated façade.

HELPING HAND® brackets combined with extruded aluminium L & T profiles provide the installer with an adjustable system allowing for thermal and structural movement and variation in cavity depth to suit project specific requirements.

DCS031 vertical rails offer direct support to the cladding panels by face or adhesive fixing them.

It can also be used as a support to other framing systems such as our DCS004 Mechanical Secret Fix, DCS021 Omega and Zeds for horizontal support or Downer Timber Batten Holders to build an adjustable timber frame.

DCS031 HELPING HAND® brackets are available as standard with Ø6.5mm holes (SFS / Timber) and 22xØ11mm slots (masonry / concrete) to suit project specific primary anchors

Product images

DOWNLOADS

DCS031-SPSLOT Elongated Slots

DCS031 Adhesive Fix

DCS031 Framing Components

DCS031 Face Fix

DCS031 Technical guide

Looking for Technical Information?

Visit our Technical Information page.