Did You Know Index

SPF has historically met code by being applied behind gypsum or covered with approved, add-on thermal barriers – items like cellulosic and cementitious materials. This presents the issue of who owns the liability during that in-between, safety risk window period. Also pertinent is who ensures the proper application methods of the post-added thermal barrier and which code requirements are being met. This risk affects everyone in the construction phase from the architect to the contractor, to the spray foam applicator, to the insurance company to the owner/end-user. The risk, added materials, labor, governance and complexity are eliminated with Firestable™ NFPA-275 FS 2.0 thermal barrier SPF.

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SPF has historically met code by being applied behind gypsum or covered with approved, add-on thermal barriers – items like cellulosic and cementitious materials. But Firestable™ FS 2.0  monolithic SPF product passes NFPA-275 thermal barrier tests. Because the foam is a composite homogeneous solid, when it meets NFPA-275 requirements, it is a fire and thermal protective barrier throughout the complete volume of the insulation all-in-one.  

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Manufacturers who supply plastics for the building envelope often claim their products are “fire-rated,” and although overly vague and misleading, they are partially correct. All plastics require a minimal level of fire rating to even be allowed for use in buildings. The problem is the robustness of the test procedures they reference. Even when companies claim adequate fire approvals within the jurisdiction of 2303.4 (usually as a function of time), the test behind the measure can be confusing and/or inaccurately communicated, creating confusion and potential safety violations.

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The IBC and the IRC (International Residential Code®) define approved thermal barriers (“15-minute thermal barriers”) as: 

1. ½ inch (12.7 mm) gypsum wallboard; 

2. 23/32-inch (18.2 mm) wood structural panel (IRC only); or 

3. A material that is tested in accordance with and meets the acceptance criteria of both the temperature transmission fire test and the integrity fire test of NFPA 275

Although the IBC defines three methods of permittable thermal barriers, the specific section of the code allows four different methods. Direct compliance, method four (NFPA 275 – also known as equivalent thermal barriers), is a test protocol that requires both tests – the temperature transmission test and the flame spread smoke generation test, both over a period of 15 minutes. Method four establishes a combination of both the prescriptive solution and the special approval solution and defines an equivalent replaceable thermal barrier to the gypsum prescriptive method.

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Another radically new and often overlooked paradigm shift credited to monolithic NFPA-275 SPFs is the ability to increase the fire resistance of a building wall or ceiling system. Historically, this has been reserved for non-combustible building elements like brick, stucco and concrete. With the achievement of method four, NFPA-275 SPF reduces the transmission of temperature through wall and ceiling assemblies. It passes the ASTM E119 temperature transmission tests, the method used to define wall ratings. This extends the thermal barrier SPF into the realm of fireproofing; something foam could never be used for in the past.

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