frx® exterior fire retardant wood
DESCRIPTION
Learn about the history and chemistry behind FRX® Exterior Fire Retardant Wood.TRANSCRIPT
FRX® Exterior Fire Retardant Treated Wood
• Arch Wood Protection, Inc.Developed Dricon® fire retardant treated wood for interior applications and Wolmanized® Outdoor® wood, among other brands of pressure-treated wood
• CHEMCO Inc.Developed FTX™ fire retardant shakes and shingles
Introduction
FRX® exterior FRT wood developed by: Arch Wood Protection, Inc., and CHEMCO, Inc.
FRX® Fire Retardant Treated Wood
• Pressure-treated lumber and plywood that is chemically treated to reduce the spread of flames in applications directly exposed to weather.• May be substituted for materials classified as
noncombustible in certain building types designated by model building codes and requiring ASTM D 2898 conformance.
• Combines the beauty and versatility of wood with the fire safety and insurance advantages of noncombustible materials.
Typical Applications
• Exterior decks• Balconies• Stairways• Covered walkways• Siding• Trim & molding• Open air roof systems• Stables• Soffit & fascia• Construction staging• Scaffolding
Advantages of FRX®
Wood• Complies with major building codes
(issued ESR-1159)• Tested, proven fire performance• Stringent quality control• From the people who developed Dricon® FRT wood
and the people who developed FTX™ shakes and shingles
Fire Performance Tests
FRX® wood complies with the following requirements for exterior FRT wood:
• ASTM E 84 Tunnel TestExtended to 30 minutes with the flame not progressing
more than 10.5 feet beyond burners and showing no evidence of progressive combustion.
• ASTM D 2898 Accelerated Weathering TestAlso referred to as the “800-inch rain test,” FRX® lumber
and plywood maintain flame spread indexes of less than 25.
Strength Properties
Strength of FRX® wood has been tested following ASTM D 143 and MIL-L-19140E.
Strength Design Factors ―FRX® Lumber Compared to Untreated Lumber (=1.00)
Applicable at Ambient Temperatures Up to 80°F
SYP Doug fir
Compression Parallel 1.00 1.00
Horizontal Shear 0.95 0.99
Tension Parallel 0.85 0.89
Bending: Modulus of Elasticity, E 1.00 1.00
Extreme Fiber Stress, Fb 0.92 1.00
Product Processing
• Treating– Treatment of FRX® wood is performed
at properly equipped and supervised treatment plants in accordance with industry standards
• Kiln drying– Following treatment, FRX® wood is re-dried to moisture
content of:• 19% or less for lumber• 15% or less for plywood
Product Confidence
• Quality control– Comprehensive quality control
conducted by third-party agency– Provides assurance that both the FRX® fire
retardant chemical and FRX® wood are consistently produced to meet performance standards dictated by the model building codes
Product Information
• Lumber and plywood sizes– All common lumber dimensions and
plywood thicknesses– Size is limited only to treating plant’s ability
to treat, dry, and handle
• Species available– Douglas fir– Southern yellow pine– Spruce– Western red cedar lumber– Hem-fir lumber
Notes on Use
1. FRX® treatment does not substantially change the physical characteristics of ordinary lumber.
2. FRX® wood should not be installed where exposed to high temperatures in interior applications, nor where it will contact the ground.
3. When staining, apply only non-filming oil-based stain to clean, dry surfaces and follow the manufacturers’ recommendations.
4. Take same common sense precautions when handling FRX® treated wood as untreated wood or other building materials.
For more information, contact your supplier of FRX® wood or visit www.useFRTW.com or call Arch Wood Protection at 866-use-FRTW