Fire resistance levels for walls and ceiling systems: A specifier’s guide

Building fires pose a serious risk to people's lives, their property, and the economy. To see why fire-safe design requires careful attention, one just needs to consider the millions of dollars' worth of property damage brought on by the 2014 Lacrosse and 2019 Neo200 tower fires. Integral to fire safety, passive fire protection is a technique for containing a fire at its source and stopping the spread of flames and smoke throughout a building for a predetermined amount of time so occupants can escape. Under the National Construction Code (NCC), wall and ceiling assemblies are among the key areas of focus for passive fire protection design strategies.

Fire resistance levels for walls and ceiling systems: A specifier’s guide answers the essential questions of: how passive protection works in the context of building design, what Fire Resistance Levels are required by the NCC, and how these requirements impact the design and specification of wall and ceiling systems. We also provide some useful design considerations and examples of wall and ceiling systems that offer high levels of fire resistance.

Gyprock™, a division of CSR Building Products, supplies a comprehensive range of high-performance products and systems for many applications to meet fire, acoustic and thermal requirements across all segments of the construction industry. Rondo is a market leading manufacturer of a wide range of wall and ceiling systems and complementary accessories.

Download this whitepaper to access valuable guidance on the NCC Fire Resistance Level requirements and how they impact the design of wall and ceiling systems.