Fire Safety
Every Rockwool product is suitable for fire safety, but only some Kingspan products are suitable for fire safety.
Rockwool
Rockwool is naturally non-combustible and achieves a Euroclass A1/A2 fire rating – the highest possible rating. It does not contribute towards the spread of fire, nor produce toxic smoke, and can withstand high temperatures over 1,000°C.
Rockwool is often used as a fire barrier in cavity walls, floors and ceilings for this very reason.
Kingspan
Kingspan has many product ranges, with the majority made from PIR foam and achieving a Euroclass rating of F (the worst fire rating possible). However, there are some products which achieve a higher rating than F.
- Kooltherm:
K15: C fire rating
K103: C fire rating
K118: B fire rating
- GreenGuard: F fire rating
- K-Roc: A2 fire rating
- ThermaRoof: F fire rating
- ThermaWall: F fire rating
- ThermaBate: F fire rating
- Alpacore: A2 fire rating
- Optim-R: E fire rating
A1/A2 is non-combustible / very limited contribution to fire
B-F will contribute towards a fire, increasing the worse the grade becomes
Kingspan boards achieving less than an A2 fire rating are not suitable for fire safety.
Those achieving a Euroclass rating of F are made from foam and will contribute towards the spread of fire. This means it will burn and emit toxic gases if exposed to flames. In fact, building regulations often require it to be covered with plasterboard or another fire-resistant layer if installed.
The Kooltherm range, which is made from phenolic foam, produces less smoke and toxic gas when exposed to fire compared to other rigid foams.
The boards from Kingspan achieving A2 rating don’t use PIR or Phenolic cores, K-Roc uses a stone based fibre (similar to Rockwool) and the Alpacore uses a silica-based core which allows them to achieve higher fire ratings.
