Is a fire rating important to you? For many years very few people east of the Rocky Mountains cared about how flame resistant each product was on their home. Today, however, many people are looking for the assurance a Class “A” fire rated product provides.
The porch is an extension of the home and it is the most vulnerable to wildfires. But wildfire isn’t the only threat to your safety. During the colder seasons many people are using gas heaters and exterior fireplaces on their porches. The porch is becoming very much an extended living space area. With this extra time spent here and with the rise of exterior kitchens and sleeping porches, you need the assurance that your porch isn’t going to be flammable and act like a wick, drawing the fire right into your home, as will most porch flooring products on the market. The peace of mind knowing you have a Class “A” fire rated product on your porch will give you the security you need to know your home is protected.
But what does Class “A” really mean, anyway. The chart below shows the varying levels of performance that a product must meet during the burn tests in order to score well:
Class | Rating |
---|---|
A | 0-25 |
B | 26-75 |
C | 76-200 |
D | 201-500 |
E | over 500 |
US building code officials recognize the ASTM E 84 rating system as the standard method for testing against flame spread. A Class “A” is the highest rating a product can score when tested under this testing method. There is nothing beyond or above a Class “A”. For example, if a product scored as a Class “A” was compared to a product that is a Class “C” the flame spread is over 4 times faster on the Class “C” product. This was calculated by taking the maximum amount of flame spread of a Class “A” product, 25 and dividing it into the Class “C” 200 flame spread rating. A Class “A” product out performs a Class “C” by over 4 times. This is the assurance we all should be looking for when our loved ones lives could be at risk.