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P.O. Box 269
305 South 4th Street
Springfield, OR 97477-0055
(541) 747-4577
(800) 547-9520
Fax: (541) 744-4237

October 1, 2011
Subject: Flame Spread of Hardwood Plywood

The American Forest & Paper Association, Inc. has conducted numerous tests on a variety
of wood products , all in accordance with test method ASTM E-84. The findings from these
tests are published in the Design for Code Acceptance, "Flame Spread Performance of
Wood Products. "
The rnost commonly accepted flame spread rating system in use today is set forth by the
National Fire Protection Assoc iation, Life Safety Code, NFPA 101. The NFPA classifies
flame spread in the following manner:
Class A 0 to 25 Flame Spread 0 to 450 Smoke Developed
Class B 26 to 75 Flame Spread 0 to 450 Smoke Developed
Class C 76 to 200 Flame Spread 0 to 450 Smoke Developed
These ratings for both Flame Spread and Smoke Developed are based on arbitrary values
of 0 for asbestos cement board and 100 for solid red oa k flooring .
The above referenced Design for Code Acceptance thus concludes, "as can be seen from
these examples, most tested wood products have a flame spread index less than 200,
making them acceptable under current building codes for a wide range of interior finish
uses." As the published values also show, no panel product tested exceeded a flame spread
value of 200 , which falls within the range for Class C as outlined above .

To view the entire AF & PA document, use this link:

http://www.awe.org/Publieations/dca1/DCA 1.pdf

Contact your Timber Products Company Sales Representative if you need information for a
specific product.

Flame Spread Performance of Wood Products

Wood and wood-based products are widely used

in interior wall, ceiling, and floor surfaces in all types
of build ings.
Appearance, acoustical qualities, and interior de
sign versatility have made wood surfaces highly de
sired by architects, designers, and building occupants.
This publication briefly describes building code flame
spread regulations on products used in interior finish
and presents performance data on a range of wood
products.

Flame Spread Requirements

Most code requirements fo r wood interior fini sh
materials are expressed in terms of flame spread index
numbers. These values are determined in a standard
fire test which evaluates the surface burning character
istics of a material. Different maximum flame spread
indices are permitted depending upon building occu
pancy, location of the material in the building, and the
presence of sprinklers. Flame spread indi ces in this
publication are provided for wood material s that qual
ify for various building design requirements.

Test Method
The standard fire test used to evaluate flame
spread characteristics of wood building materials in
the United States is ASTM E-84, Standard Test

Method f or Swjace Burning Characteristics of Build

ing Materials.

The test procedure exposes candidate materials in

a hori zontal, rectangular tunnel 17 3/4" wide by 12" in
height and 25' long. The tunnel is equipped with two
gas burners at one end that direct a flame onto the sur
face of the test material under a controlled air flow .
Flame s preads al ong the surface of the material as the
test progresses. Distance of the flame travel and the
rate at which the flame front advances during a 10

Copyright 2010 American Wood Council

FLAME SPREAD PERFORMANCE OF WOOD PRODUCTS

minute exposure determine the calculated flame spread

index.
To provide standard conditions for each test, the
tunnel is calibrated to an index of 0 for noncombusti
ble materials and 100 for 23/32" red oak flooring. In
dices for tested materials can range from 0 to over
1000.

Classification in Codes are:

Class

Flame Spread Range

Example Locations

lor A

0-25

Enclosed vertical exits

1I or B

26-75

Exi l access corridors

III or C

76-200

Other rooms and areas

Wood Products
Lumber, plywood, and other wood-based materials
exhibit a relatively narrow range of flame spread. D if
ferences result from factors such as density, thickness,
surface characteristics, and chemical constituents. If
the material is homogeneous, flame spread may be
considered nearly independent of material thickness at
th icknesses greater than 114".
Flame spread indices for a number of species of
lumber, plywood, particleboard, shakes, and shingles
are listed in Table L In products such as softwood and
hardwood plywood, the arrangement and type of com
ponents may also infl uence surface flame spread .
Some such products are described by face species and
core composition in Table I.. All ratings are based on
the ASTM E-84 test method.
Flame spread indices for a number of commer
cially available wood products with factory applied

overlay fi nishes are listed in Table 2. Factory finished

wall panels are ty pically tested and labeled to identify
the flam e spread classifi cation of the finished product.
Fin ish composition, adhesive, and finish thickness
may, however. affect fl ame spread.
As can be seen from the listed indices, most tested
wood products have a flam e spread index less than
200, mak ing them acceptable under current building
codes for a wide range of interior finish uses . Flame
spread indices for a range of proprietary wood-based
interior finish materials are also available from their
manufacturers. Commercially available fire retardant
treatm ents fo r wood and panel products can reduce
flam e spread performance to an index of 25 or less.
Check w ith the manufacturer for flame spread index.
A smoke-developed index was also measured for
some of the wood products listed in Table I and Table
2. This index also has a value of 100 for red oak. None
of the products tested exceeded 450, a limiting value
common ly used in building code reg ulations.

While effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication , the
American Wood Council, an d the Companies and Associations identified , do not assume re
sponsibility for the accuracy of the indices reported , the app licability or extension of the re
ported flame spread values to specific products, or their acceptance for use in particular appli
cations. Includes updates through June 2008 .

American Wood Council

FLAME SPREAD PERFORMANCE OF WOOD PRODUCTS

Table 1

Reported Flame Spread Indices

Material

HARDWOOD PLYWOOD'

PARTICLEBOARD

, Wal nut 3/4"

;ii.Ii'~

Copyright 1997, ) 998,200 1, 2002, 2008, 20 I0

American Wood Council

NOTE: Table 1 footnotes on next page,

American Wood Council

FLAME SPREAD PERFORMANCE OF WOOD PRODUCTS

Table 1 Footnotes
Th ickness of material tested is one-inch nominal except where Indicated.
2 The ASTM E-84 test method has been revised a number or times during the years referenced by the source reports. However, the E-84 test apparatus has
changed little over this period. Slightly different tlame spread indices, usua ll y lower, result wilen rccent E-84 llame spread calc ul ation techniques are appl ied to
older wood product data. These changes in tlame spread ind ices are not suffi cie nt to change the llame spread class for the wood products described in this re

port.

Sources:

APA - APA-The Engineered Wood Association, Research Reports 128, Revised, August 1979.

APA2 - APA-The Engineered Wood Assoc iat ion Test Results.

CWC - Fire Safety Des ign in Bui ldin gs, Ca nad ian Wood Council , 1996.

HPV A - Hardwood Pl ywood and Veneer ASSociation, Test Reports , 202 , 203 , 335, 336, 337, 592, and 596; Special tlam e spread performance tests, Aug. 1974;

T923 4, T9237, T9317, T9344, T9354 , May 1995; T9422, T9430, T943 I , T945 3, T9665 , Feb/J uly 1997.

HPVA2 - Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Assoc iation , March/Apfll 1995 , October/Decembe r 2000; June 2008.

NIST - National Institute of Standards and Techno logy (formerly National Bureau of Standard s), Technical Notes 879 and 945.

UL - Underwriter's Laboratory, UL 527, May 197 1, Subject 723, Assignm ent 71 SC509, Mar 15 & 16,1971, Assignment 84NK 1898, Fil e R I09 17, Mar 9, 1984.

WEY - Weyerhaueser Fire Laboratory, 1973, 1987, January & February 1988.

4 Average of 18 tests was 154 with three va lues over 200.

5 The Hem-Fir Species Group represents SIX spec ies Californ ian Red Fir, Grand Fir, Nobel Fir, PaciJic Sil ve r Fir, Western Heml ock , and White Fir. The re
ported name spread index represents a prod uct containing a mi xture of these species When lumber is from a single spec ies refer to the spec ific spec ies tl ame
spread index.
6 Ex posure I or ex terior. A verage of 22 tests was 128.
7 Flame spread of pl ywood is affected by the spec ies of the face ve neer but can al so be innuenced by the species of the underlying core venee r. Various panel
constructions in volvin g certain core spec ies show a relati ve ly high degree of variability and potential to yield flame spread va lues above 200. Panel construc
tions in volving cores of aspen, sumauma, ye ll ow poplar and white tlr have exhibited thi s be havio r with average tlame spread indi ces rang ing from 78 to 259.
Other factors, in addition to spec ies, includin g material and process variabl es related to speC ifi C manufacturers can also affect !l ame spread. Thus, for plywood
panels with certain core speci es, test data from the actua lillanufacturer is paI1i cul arl y Imporlantln es tablishing the tlame spread class iticati on of the product.
Co pyright 1997, 1998,200 1,2002, 2007, 2008,20 I0 Amer ican Wood Council

American Wood Council

FLAME SPREAD PERFORMANCE OF WOOD PRODUCTS

Table 2

Reported Flame Spread Indices of Factory Finished Products

Table 2 Footnotes
I
2
3
4

Source: Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Association Test Records, except as noted.

Canadian Wood Council, Fire Safety Design in Buildings, 1996.

APA - The Engineered Wood Association Test Rcsulls.

Exposure I or exterior.

For additional information or assistance contact:

American Wood Council
803 Sycolin Rd, Suite 20 J
Leesburg, VA 20175

http:// www.awc.orgl
202-46 3-2766

American Wood Council