FIRERETARDANTTREATEDWOOD
ca
INTRODUCTION
Fireretardanttreated
wood(FRTW),asdefined
by the National Building
Code of Canada (NBCC),1
is wood which has been
impregnated with fire
retardant chemicals in solution under high pressure in
accordancewiththeCAN/CSAO80SeriesofStandards,
WoodPreservation.
This means that any wood product that has been only
coated on the surface (or has been impregnated using
some method other than pressureimpregnation in
accordancewiththeCAN/CSAO80SeriesofStandards)
does not meet the NBCC definition of fireretardant
treated wood. As a result, in Canada, a more
appropriatetermforwoodproductsusingfireretardant
surfacecoatingsisfireretardantcoatedwood.
The treatment used in FRTW (as defined by the NBCC)
reduces surface burning characteristics, such as flame
spread,rateoffuelcontributionandsmokecontribution.
FRTWcontainsdifferentchemicalsthanproductsknown
as preservative treated wood. However, the same
manufacturing process is used to apply the chemicals.
The products are not interchangeable. FRTW products
arehardertoignitethanuntreatedwoodproducts.
Fireretardant chemical treatments applied to FRTW
retard the spread of flame and limit smoke production
fromwoodinfiresituations.
FireretardanttreatmentsappliedtoFRTWenhancethe
fireperformanceoftheproductsbyreducingtheamount
of heat released during the initial stages of fire. The
treatments also reduced the amount of flammable
volatilesreleasedduringfireexposure.Thisresultsina
reductionin therateofflamespread overthesurface.
Whentheflamesourceisremoved,treatedwoodceases
tochar.
CanadianWoodCouncil,40099BankStreet,OttawaK1P6B9
www.cwc.
During a fire, fireretardant chemicals begin to react
when temperatures reach a point slightly below the
pointwherewoodwillignite.Nonflammablegasesand
watervapourareformedandreleasedataslowsteady
rate thereby insulating the wood fibres from
temperaturesthatwouldcausethemtoburn.
The fireretardant treatments used in FRTW do not
generallyinterferewiththeadhesionofdecorativepaint
coatings unless the treated wood has an increased
moisturecontent.Thefinishcharacteristicsofparticular
productsshouldbediscussedwiththemanufacturersof
thetreatedwood.
FLAMESPREADRATING
FRTWasdefinedandspecifiedintheNBCCmusthavea
flamespread rating of not more than 25. It therefore
qualifiesasaninteriorfinishforanyapplicationsincethe
mostrestrictiveflamespreadratingis25.FRTWmustbe
identified by a label (Figure 1) from an independent
testing laboratory or certification organization which
indicates that the necessary tests were performed and
productioncontrolsmaintained.
For many wood species, and particularly plywood and
lumber in sizes common to frame construction, FRTW
treatmentresultsinchemicalretentionshighenoughto
obtainaflamespreadratingof25orless.Itshouldbe
notedthatthechemicalswillnotusuallypenetratethe
entirewoodmember,asrefusalwillusuallyoccurwhen
the chemicals have penetrated approximately 13 mm
fromtheoutersurfaceoftheproduct.
The actual flamespread rating of treated lumber or
plywood depends on the fireretardant chemicals used
and the amount of chemicals retained in the wood,
which depends on several factors, including wood
species.
Commonly used chemicals are proprietary mixtures
which are free of halogens, sulphates, ammonium
phosphate and formaldehyde. These provide superior
performancecharacteristicsoverpreviousformulations
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 FIRERETARDANTTREATEDWOOD
and lower corrosivity to metal fasteners. These water
solublechemicalsareeffectiveinreducingflamespread,
and through careful proportioning succeed in reducing
smokedevelopmentandafterglow.
To dispel any myths that may still exist, it should be
understood that the fireretardant treatment does not
make the wood noncombustible. This idea stems from
certainearlierversionsofbuildingcodeswhichequated
a 25 surface flamespread rating to noncombustibility.
The 2010 NBCC uses a different method to determine
noncombustibility (CAN/ULCS135, Standard Method
ofTestforDeterminationofDegreesofCombustibilityof
Building Materials Using an Oxygen Consumption
Calorimeter (Cone Calorimeter)), and FRTW does not
meetthenoncombustibilitycriteriaunderthatmethod.
Theuseofafireretardanttreatmentdoesnotprevent
ignition or charring. The rate of burn through fire
retardanttreated wood is approximately the same as
that for untreated wood, even though ignition is more
difficult and the rate at which flame travels across its
surface(FSR)hasbeenreduced.
Figure1.Samplelabels/markingsfromoneindependent
certification organization for fireretardanttreated
lumberandplywood.
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www.cwc.ca
FRTW is generally restricted to interior use because of
thepossibilitythattheprotectivesaltsinthetreatment
chemicals will leach out of the materials if they are
exposedtotheweather.
FRTW products are used in many interior applications,
such as millwork and panelling, where the code
requirementsforflamespreadaremostrestrictive.The
Canadian building codes also permit the use of fire
retardanttreatedlumberandplywoodforroofandfloor
trusses,beams,interiorroofdecks,andforinteriorload
bearingandnonloadbearingpartitions.
FRTW is suitable for indoor applications where the
humidityisnotexpectedtoexceed60percentforlong
periods of time. FRTW should be protected from
excessivemoistureandweatherduringtransit,storage,
and erection. While some wetting might be expected
during installation, frequent wetting or ponding is
unacceptable. In general, FRTW requires more care in
installationthanwouldnormallybeconsideredsufficient
goodpracticefornonFRTWproducts.
EXTERIORUSE
When FRTW products are used in areas where the
materialisexposedtoweatherorhighhumidity,itmust
betreatedwithspecialnonleachingchemicalssimilarto
those used for fireretardant treated cedar shakes and
shingles.
An accelerated weathering test (ASTM D2898) exposes
FRTWtoregularwettinganddryingcyclestorepresent
actual longterm outdoor conditions. FRTW must still
achieveaflamespreadratingof25afterundergoingthis
acceleratedweatheringprocedureinordertoqualifyfor
exterioruse.
Theserequirementsapplytoproductsused,forexample,
as exterior grade fireretardant treated plywood siding
over wood studs in exterior walls of noncombustible
buildings and FRTW decorative cladding on exterior
marqueefasciasofnoncombustiblebuildings.
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 FIRERETARDANTTREATEDWOOD
FIRERETARDANTCOATINGS
As mentioned above, in addition to chemical
impregnationbypressuretreatingthatproducesFRTW,
therearealsofireretardantcoatingsthatcanbeapplied
to the surface of wood products (referred to as fire
retardantcoatedwood(FRCW))toreducethesurface
flamespreadratingtolessthan75or25.Thesecoatings,
are generally used for architectural woodwork
applicationswhereappearanceisimportant.
Thesecoatedproductscanbeusedforinteriorfinishin
noncombustiblebuildingsundertheNBCCexceptwhere
theflamespreadratinglimitsapplynotonlytoexposed
surfaces but also to surfaces that may be exposed by
cutting through the product in any direction. FRTW
products are excluded from these requirements, while
products protected by fireretardant coatings are not.
This recognizes the permanency of the pressure
impregnatedfireretardanttreatments.
Theimageshownhereisaphoto
oftheatticofachurch.Trusses
in the attic spaces were fire
stoppedand coatedwith afire
retardantpaint.Thisavoidedthe
cost of sprinklering the
concealedspaces.
Fireretardant coatings are
available in clear and white
finishes.Whereasolidcolouris
required,oneortwocoatsofalkydpaintcanbeapplied
overtheclearorwhitefireretardantcoatingwithonlya
small increase in the flamespread rating. Check with
manufacturersofspecificproductsformoreinformation.
The reaction of these coatings to fire and the actual
mechanism of protection varies according to the
composition of the coating. Some of the basic
mechanismsofprotectionareasfollows:
Insulation:thickcoatingsthatinsulatethetreated
materialagainsthightemperatures.
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www.cwc.ca
Crust formation: the coating melts under the
actionofheat,coveringthetreatedmaterialwith
animpermeableinsulatingcrust.
Heatabsorption:thecoatingabsorbstheheatand
maintains the temperature of the protected
surfacebelowitsignitiontemperature.
Intumescent insulation: the coating swells when
heatedtoformathickinsulatinglayerthatdelays
thespreadofflameandthetransmissionofheat
totheprotectedsurface.
Like FRTW products, wood products protected by fire
retardant coatings, because of their reduced flame
spread rating, canbe used in areas where untreated
wood products cannot be used. However, many fire
retardant coatings are not suitable for use in high
humidityorexteriorapplications.
Fireretardantcoatingsaremanufacturedasproprietary
products. For specifications on rate of coverage and
testedproperties,amanufacturershouldbeconsulted.
These products can be applied by brush, roller, or
sprayer.Becausefireretardantcoatingsareusuallyhigh
viscosity (thick) liquids, they should be maintained at
room temperature, especially when sprayapplied, to
ease application. Where appearance is important, two
lightcoats,toreducesagging,aresuperiortooneheavy
coat and usually provide the required flamespread
characteristics as long as total application thickness is
achieved.
FIRERETARDANTTREATEDWOODROOFSYSTEMS
Incertainunsprinkleredonestoreybuildings,theNBCC
permitstheuseofaroofdeckconstructionsystemusing
FRTW that meets the flamespread performance
standard originally developed for noncombustible roof
assemblies.
Therequiredfireresistanceratingoftheroofassembly
canbewaivedifthedeckisconstructedofFRTWandthe
assembly passes the requirements of CAN/ULC S126
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 FIRERETARDANTTREATEDWOOD www.cwc.ca

StandardMethodofTestforFireSpreadUnderRoofDeck FRTWornoncombustibleceilingsmaybeattachedtothe
Assemblies. underside of the system, with the resulting concealed
spacesappropriatelyfirestopped.
AroofdecksystemofFRTWmaybesupportedby:
metalandreinforcedconcretebeamsorjoists; FRTWroofassembliesarepermittedasanalternativeto
heavytimbersupports;and/or, roof assemblies of noncombustible construction or
FRTWjoistsortrusses. ordinary woodframe roof assemblies having a fire
resistance rating of 45 minutes. When used, however,
WhensupportinganFRTWroofsystem,unlessthewood
the NBCC requires that, except for mercantile or light
members are heavy timber, which has an inherent
industrial occupancies, the area of the building be half
capacity to withstand fire exposure, they must be fire
thatwhichwouldbepermittedifeitheroftheothertwo
retardant treated. Experience shows that both lumber
typesofroofassemblywereused.
and plywood decking must have a minimum actual
thickness of 19 mm and both should be tongue and As noted earlier, fireretardantcoated wood is not the
groove.Plywooddecking,ifnottongueandgroove,must sameasFRTW,andFRTWisspecificallycitedintheNBCC
alsohaveunsupportedjointssolidlybackedwithFRTW for this application; therefore, fireretardantcoated
orplywood. wood is not permitted to be used under this
requirement. However, its use may be accepted via
Figure2showsthattheconstructionofroofassemblies
approval of an alternative solution by the Authority
using FRTW is similar to that of other types of roof
HavingJurisdiction.
assemblies, using a metallic vapor barrier membrane
betweenthedeckingandtheinsulation.Usually0.05mm
aluminum sheeting is attached with an approved
Moredetailedinformationaboutfireretardanttreated
adhesive, although steel foil is also acceptable.
woodandtheNBCCprovisionsrelatedtoitcanbefound
Galvanized roof nails may be used to fasten the
inChapter6ofCWCsFireSafetyDesigninBuildings.2
insulationtothevaporbarrierwhichisthenstapledto
thedeck.

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 FIRERETARDANTTREATEDWOOD www.cwc.ca

Figure2.Fireretardanttreatedwoodroofsystem.

1
NationalBuildingCodeofCanada,NationalResearchCouncil,Ottawa,ON,2010.
2
Availableatwww.cwc.caasafreePDFfordownload.

CanadianWoodCouncil,40099BankStreet,OttawaK1P6B9 April2015