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. 

Natural Terra

The classic, timelessly beautiful

Terra is a naturally dried grey fibre cement board with a translucent, strongly pigmented surface. The name Terra represents the epitome of the character for the earthy warm tones. Without noticeably large colour gradations, Terra manages to go from a light to a very dark brown with 6 tones, while preserving the harmony of the colour family. The finely balanced colours are reminiscent of earth tones and give the building envelope an earthy, natural look. Terra allows buildings to merge with their natural surroundings, giving them an approachable warmth and comfort without losing their strength and expressiveness.

»With the earthy warm colours of Terra, the architecture blends harmoniously with the natural environment.«

COLOURS

comes in a range of colour

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