Is James Hardie Siding Fire Rated

James hardie fiber cement siding is fire resistant which is a huge advantage compared to wood or vinyl siding.

Is james hardie siding fire rated.

Ubc 7 1 94 uniform building code standard. That said while james hardieplank siding won t allow fire to penetrate your home s interior it does allow heat to transfer. While vinyl siding is technically non flammable it does warp and melt when close to flames. Of course wood siding is rather vulnerable to fire due to its nature and building material.

Unless otherwise noted fire ratings apply to tests conducted on both sides. The astm rating for james hardie siding classifies it as non combustible. 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. 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.

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. 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. Read more about fire resistant cladding here.

For homes that have a fireplace or live in areas vulnerable to wildfires an investment of james hardie siding could literally save lives. However they do qualify for use in certain 1 hour fire rated warnock hersey and ul assemblies. Designs listed are minimum construction requirements to achieve fire rating. Nfpa 251 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. A homeowner cannot get any better fire safety quality than that. Because of this the product itself is not 1 hour fire rated. A fiber cement product simply does not burn.

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.