Article and photos by Gregory Havel
“Let the buyer beware” is a legal principle derived from America in English Common Law. This principle implies that it is up to the buyer to decide the appropriateness of an item for the purpose for which it is purchased, to evaluate its quality, and to judge whether the price is fair. These are the responsibilities of the buyer, not the seller.
This same principle applies to our understanding of marketing literature and broadcast advertising regarding building materials and products. We need to be cautious and evaluate what is said about a product before we decide that it is true.
The purpose of marketing is to sell products. Marketing carefully chooses words and presentation to show the product in the best light. As the store manager told the new clerk in a 1940’s radio comedy, “If the man wants a green suit, turn on the green light.”
If a building material is advertised as “fire rated” or “fire retardant,” we should be shown the standard to which it was tested and the name of the independent laboratory that performed the tests. These standards and laboratories can guide us in making decisions that balance tested performance against marketing claims. If test standards and laboratory information are not shown, building officials and fire bureau officers should verify the truth of the statement before approving the material for use in code compliance. If this information is included in the advertising, it is simple to verify whether the listing is legitimate.
Most products advertised as “fire rated” have been tested to the proper National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), ASTM, or Underwriters Laboratories (UL) standard by an independent laboratory:
- If the products are advertised as tested and listed for use in assemblies rated in hours (one-hours, two-hours, etc.), they were probably tested for resistance to a test fire according to the procedure in NPFA 251 (ASTM E119, UL 263), Methods of Tests of Fire Resistance of Building Construction and Materials. This test rates how well (and for how long) an assembly of materials like studs, drywall board, insulation, and fasteners will resist the effects of the test fire in a laboratory.
- If the products are advertised as “fire rated” class A, B, or C, they were probably tested for flame spread and smoke developed according to the procedure in NFPA 255 (ASTM E84, UL 723), Standard Method of Test of Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials, when compared to the two standard test materials (cement board = 0, red oak = 100) (photo 1). This test affects how a surface material (paint, wall covering, ceiling tiles, etc.) may be used in exit passageways, stairways, and in other locations regulated by building and fire codes. It is not the same “fire rating” as a wall, a door and frame assembly, or a floor-ceiling assembly. If a door and frame assembly has been rated for resistance to a test fire, it should have been tested according to the procedure in NFPA 252 (ASTM E152, UL 10B), Methods of Fire Tests of Door Assemblies (photo 2).
- If a window and frame assembly, or a glass block assembly, has been rated for resistance to a test fire, it should have been tested according to NFPA 257 (UL 9), Fire Test for Window and Glass Block Assemblies.
- If carpeting is advertised as “fire rated,” it has probably been tested according to NFPA 253 (ASTM E648), Method of Test for Critical Radiant Flux of Floor Covering Systems Using a Radiant Heat Energy Source. This test includes ease of ignition, flame spread, and smoke developed. It is unlikely that the floor covering has been tested according to NFPA 251 as part of a fire-rated assembly.
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If the laboratory used in the testing is not one commonly used for testing and listing building materials and fire-rated assemblies–like Underwriters Laboratories (UL), UL of Canada (ULC), or Factory Mutual (FM Global)–the test results need additional research. This is especially true if the laboratory used is not one that has been approved by your state or local building department for conducting these tests.
Examples of advertised testing and listing results that could need additional research before approval of a material for code compliance include the following:
- Fire-rated suspended ceiling tile: These tiles are usually tested and rated for the speed of flame spread and the amount and density of smoke developed according to NFPA 255 (photo 1). If they are actually “fire-rated,” they will also have been tested according to NFPA 251 as part of a floor-ceiling assembly that includes the suspended ceiling tiles, grid, and its supports.
- Fire-rated carpeting: This is usually tested according to NFPA 253, Method of Test for Critical Radiant Flux of Floor Covering Systems Using a Radiant Heat Energy Source. This carpet test does not apply to carpet applied as a wall covering or as a surface material for cubicle partitions, since the flame spread will be more rapid in a vertical position than when horizontal.
- Plastic foam insulation to be injected into concrete block walls that is advertised to increase the hourly rating of the masonry wall above that which it can achieve without the insulating foam: A check of the UL Fire Protection Directory (or comparable document from FM or another agency) may not include the material in a rated assembly, which suggests that either the advertising is false or that the manufacturer did not have its independent laboratory results verified by UL or another listing service before publication. A properly constructed masonry wall assembly will achieve its fire rating without the assistance of injected plastic foam. At the temperatures inside the wall assembly during the fire test, most plastic foams will deteriorate, shrink, or liquefy, and provide little insulating value after the first few minutes of the test.
- One foam insulation manufacturer states that based on testing according to ASTM E119, conducted by an independent laboratory, the use of its product will not reduce the hourly rating of the listed masonry wall assembly in which it is used (photo 3). A check of this assembly in the UL Fire Protection Directory indicates that this statement is true.
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Even if we check on the fire resistance claims of manufacturers in new construction, building managers and owners often make selections for redecorating and other in-house projects based on appearance and price, with little regard for the suitability of the material according to code requirements, and without verifying the truth in the advertising. This could be another topic for future public fire education.
NFPA codes and standards are published by the National Fire Protection Association (
www.nfpa.org), and can be purchased on CD, as an online resource, or on paper. Your local fire prevention bureau may allow you to use its copy for reference. Technical college and fire training school libraries often have these codes and standards available online or on paper for use by instructors and students.
The Underwriters Laboratories Fire Protection Directory is available online at
http://database.ul.com/cgi-bin/XYV/template/LISEXT/1FRAME/fireressrch.html or at
www.ul.com/.
The Factory Mutual Approval Guide is available on-line at www.fmglobal.com or www.approvalguide.com/. There is no charge for its use after free registration and logging in with password.
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Subjects: Building construction for firefighters
