Fire Retardant Panels
Achieve a natural timber finish and meet BCA Fire Hazard regulations with a FR Panel. The FR Panel is the perfect interior wall and ceiling panel that is:
Group 2 compliant (BCA Specification C1.10a)
Natural Hoop Pine veneer face
Fire retardant MDF core
E0/E1 formaldehyde rating
Chain of Custody certified (AS 4707:2014)
Perforations & Slotting
Please note: Alterations, i.e. Perforations or Slotting, to a solid FR Panel will change the panels fire performance. The Group certificate supplied on this page for the FR Panel relates to the solid FR Panel only. Therefore, any altered panel must be fire tested with the perforations or slotting in accordance with AS5637.1:2015 and AS ISO 9705:2003 (R2016) which is a full-scale room test. Where a fire certificate is required for slotted or perforated FR Panel, the specifier will be responsible for conducting testing to Australian Standards, at their own expense.
Standard panel size: 2400mm x 1200mm x 13mm
Fire Resistance
“Fire Resistance” means the ability of a building component to resist a fully developed fire, while still performing its function. Fire resistance in the form of a fire rating, can be applied only to a total building element incorporating plywood eg. a fire door or a wall or roof system. A product cannot be fire rated.
Plywood is suitable as a material used in fire resistance components or structures providing it is combined with other materials so as to meet the fire resistant requirements. This can be achieved chemically, however the usual method is to combine plywood with non-combustible materials such as fibrous-cement or fire grade plasterboard.
The Building Code of Australia (BCA) is a uniform set of technical provisions for the design and construction of buildings and other structures throughout Australia. The BCA includes a section on Fire Resistance, and designers and builders must ensure that their constructions satisfy this section.
There are 3 categories for plywood used in constructions : Floor Materials and Coverings; Wall and Ceiling Linings; and Other materials. For more information, you can download the “EWPAA Fire Resistance” fact sheet from the EWPAA website.
For more information & resources on Briggs Veneer Fire compliance please click here.
Important – Before using oil based coatings & stains, ensure that they are compatible with Hoop Pine plywood. Although we do recommend water based finishes, stains from Livos Australia have been tested and approved by Austral Plywoods as being suitable for use with Hoop Pine plywood. Other oil based coatings are not recommended on plywood where the finished job will be subject to close scrutiny. Other oil based coatings tend to penetrate the face veneer of the plywood and strongly highlight the natural figure in the timber, darkening it considerably. In many applications this may not be desirable. Other oil based stains also tend to swell the grain of the surface veneer, again potentially disfiguring the plywood.