Consultant

There is only one original, and that is Woodsafe® WFX™ water-resistant fire protection. All other alternatives are imitations that, regardless of what is claimed or promised, cannot in any way be compared to WFX.

Arguments such as the claim that through-impregnation provides equivalent properties, or that surface treatment with oil would provide equivalent properties, are far from the truth.

Let us explain the difference.

Product (A) is composed of, for example, diammonium phosphate and water. So what exactly is durable about it? The composition remains water-soluble even after drying and is also highly hygroscopic.

Product (WFX), on the other hand, is a complex formula that, through a combination of impregnation and curing processes, chemically bonds into a polymer. The WFX fire retardant is classified as water-resistant in exterior environments by the WPA and AWPA.

This is the difference!

The question you should ask yourself when choosing products: Who has certified these promises and claims? Who bears responsibility when other fire retardants—which cannot demonstrate equivalent performance—leach out?

As an expert, you must consider the properties of the fire-retardant product and not blindly focus on the SP FIRE 105 facade requirement. There are many different fire-retardant products that meet the facade requirement, but only a few are suitable for use. Two products that appear to have the same performance characteristics may in fact be complete opposites, even though both meet the SP FIRE 105 standard.

Let’s describe a common scenario.

You have two products (A and B). Both products have passed the SP FIRE 105 test; product A has a test report from RISE confirming its approval, while product B has received type approval.
If you’re wondering for a moment what the difference is, it will be explained shortly.

The answer is: Both products have passed the SP FIRE 105 test, but Product B is the only one that meets the legal requirement! You might wonder why, but the answer is simple. SP FIRE 105 does not set any requirements for fire-resistant properties, but type approval certificates do, in accordance with guidelines established in the Planning and Building Act (SFS 2010:900) PBL.

So ask yourself whether you should really specify Product A when its properties aren’t fire-resistant in exterior and damp environments. How long will it remain functional, what happens afterward, and how safe can the residents really feel? The questions are many.

The B-s1,d0 fire rating is met by a wide variety of brands and systems, but you need to think beyond that. Fire class B-s1,d0 is based on factors such as the thickness of the wood, the presence or absence of an air gap, surface treatment, the underlying substrate, and whether the wood is coated with paint or impregnated.

The best way to ensure properties that fall outside the scope of CE marking requirements is to use a type approval certificate.

Type approval certificates confirm compliance with the SP FIRE 105 facade fire requirement as well as with use classes EN 16755 INT1, INT2, and EXT. This is because it is not possible to obtain type approval for a facade cladding according to test method SP FIRE 105 without meeting the requirements of EN 16755 EXT.

There is a wide range of documentation available. The question is which documentation is the right one.

Often, common sense is enough. —Claims based on arguments such as “through-impregnation” and, consequently, properties that last as long as the wood itself. The response to this claim is that if the wood panel is thoroughly impregnated with a hygroscopic fire retardant, this does not mean that the fire protection is permanent; it simply takes a little longer for the retardant to leach out.

Contact the Woodsafe support department for more information.

Woodsafe Timber Protection AB is the only manufacturer—apart from one partner—that holds a type approval certificate. Our services are based on in-house manufacturing with a 30-year history and a quality management system compliant with ISO 9001 and the WPA Benchmark. The testing and certification institute we use is RISE. Woodsafe Timber Protection AB has been CE marked since 2009, long before it became a mandatory requirement under CPR 305/2011 (2013).