Fire Performance and Acoustic Rating
Cold formed steel framing members, when used with the proper accompanying products, can greatly improve both fire performance and acoustic ratings.
The design of buildings often requires that the assemblies have minimum fire endurance or sound attenuation properties. The Canadian Steel Construction Council and the Steel Framing Alliance have published a compilation document which can be found below:
- Steel Framing is a non-combustible, fire resistant material and will not feed a fire.
- Building with steel can reduce cost of construction insurance as well as Homeowners insurance premiums.
- On average, wood structural members or framing rank third as the first-ignited material in home fires according to the National Fire Protection Association.
Bailey Metal has three ULC listings for fire resistance ratings of generic load bearing assemblies:
Bailey Metal has two ULC listings for fire resistance ratings of generic LSF floor assemblies:
Bailey Metal has a new ULC listing for COMSLAB®:
In addition to ULC, there are a large number of UL listings for cold-formed steel assemblies. UL has recently ruled that applications of UL listings in Canada can be applied with a Load Restricted Factor of one (i.e. no load reduction). This means that the whole range of UL listings can be more readily used in Canada.
The Canadian Steel Construction Council has also developed the following Fire Protection Bulletins pertaining to cold-formed steel:
Additional Fire Performance Information:
Acoustic Ratings
The advent of high quality audio systems and the increasing popularity of home theaters and entertainment rooms, in combination with rising demand for high density housing, have intensified the need for sound isolating solutions within the residential construction sector. Although there are many products and techniques available to enhance sound attenuation between living spaces, resilient channel remains the most cost effective and commonly used technique.