Don’t forget about fire protection of your (roof) terrace

Follow the fire-safety rules

The fire-safety requirements depend on the building authority in your country. So better inquire about the rules before starting any building project. For private terraces, usually there are no specific fire regulations, however you don’t want a possible fire to damage your investment. When planning a roof terrace, preventive fire protection plays a bigger role, because your terrace flooring might be considered as part of the roofing of your building. In that case, you must follow the regulations for hard roofing. Mostly this means that it should withstand flying sparks and radiant heat. And depending on the structural layout, roof terraces also need to have a second escape route in case a fire breaks out.

Common causes of fire on terraces

You might not immediately expect a fire on a terrace, but still it happens more than you would think. The causes of fire are varied and depend very much on how the respective terrace is used. Candles, radiant heaters and smouldering cigarettes are just as dangerous as electrical installations. The greatest risks for patio fires, however, stem from a barbecue or fire basket. When barbecuing or burning some logs in a brazier on your balcony or terrace, flying sparks or falling ashes can quickly create a dangerous source of fire - especially if the floor is made of wood or other non-fire-resistant materials. Therefore, we recommend the use of non-flammable terrace flooring, such as Cedral Terrace.

Cedral Terrace, the non-flammable choice

Cedral Terrace is made of fibre cement and is classified as A2-s1-d0 according to the EN 13501 European fire-safety standards. This so-called Euroclass system is recognised throughout Europe as the standard for fire protection. It classifies the reaction to fire of materials on three different aspects: combustion, smoke and burning droplets. When it comes to contribution to fire, Cedral Terrace scores A2. This means that it has a negligible contribution to fire. When a candle, sparks, glowing ashes or burning charcoal would fall on your Cedral Terrace, the fibre-cement would not add to the fire. It simply doesn’t burn. As for smoke development, Cedral was put through the SBI test (Single Burning Item). This test measures how much smoke is generated – not fire – during the first 10 minutes of fire exposure. Cedral Terrace achieved the best performance: s1, which means that the fibre-cement planks develop little smoke. Last but not least, the ‘d’ score stands for the formation of burning droplets or particles that are generated within the first 10 minutes of fire exposure. This is a particularly important indicator if your terrace would be on top of a roof or storage area that, as a result, could catch fire. D0 however means that Cedral Terrace does not generate any dangerous drippings.

Cedral Terrace meets the highest standards

The test results above show that Cedral Terrace flooring meets or exceeds high fire safety requirements. The fibre-cement planks are non-combustible, generate little smoke and form no burning droplets. This guarantees maximum security for architects and building users alike. As the EN 13501 standards are European, this means that Cedral Terrace fulfils the same strict fire-safety regulations in all EU countries.

Ask your Cedral Terrace sample today.