Bushfire Building Regulations

Cladding Solutions for Bushfire-Prone Areas

Building in a bushfire-prone area means you need to be careful about how you design your building and what products you use.

With bushfires hitting Australia every summer and thousands of homes being lost, it is important to take precautions to ensure your home is built to withstand burning embers and radiant heat. When cladding your home, make sure you choose products suitable for your area, that can withstand the potential risk of burning ember attack, heat and even flame contact. The Australian Bushfire Standard AS 3959 outlines the requirements for building in bushfire-prone areas, including which products are safe to use.

Read more about our fire safety compliance

Australian Standard AS 3959

After the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires ravaged Victoria and caused over 173 deaths, a new bushfire standard was introduced by the NCC – AS 3959. This standard sets out the requirements for six BAL (Bushfire Attack Level) ratings, and the type of construction and materials that can be used for each of these BAL levels. The importance of meeting the requirements for these ratings has been highlighted further by the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires.

BAL ratings are calculated by determining the radiant heat energy from a bushfire that the building is likely to be exposed to (measured in kW/m²).

The BAL ratings are as follows:

BAL-Low: insufficient risk of a bushfire to warrant any specific construction requirements.
BAL-12.5: Buildings and building materials are expected to be exposed to a heat flux of up to 12.5kW/m². There is also a risk of ember attack.
BAL-19: Moderate risk of ember attack caused by wind borne burning debris and heat flux up to 19kW/m². External walls less than 400m above ground must be made of either non-combustible materials or bushfire-resisting timbers. Decking may be spaced.
BAL-29: Increased risk of ember attack and burning debris ignited by wind borne embers, and heat flux up to 29kW/m². External walls must be sarked on the outside and clad with a non-combustible material or bushfire-resisting timber. Decking may be spaced.
BAL-40: Much increased risk of ember attack and ignition of surrounding debris and heat flux up to 40kW/m². Some likelihood of direct exposure to flames from the fire front. Exposed external walls must be made of non-combustible materials and decks should not be spaced and must be made of a non-combustible material. Gaps greater than 3mm must be covered. Unenclosed subfloors of decks must be made of a non-combustible material.
BAL-FZ: FZ stands for Flame Zone. Buildings in this area are at extreme risk of ember attack and burning debris and high likelihood of extreme radiant heat (greater than 40kW/m²) as well as direct exposure to flames from the fire front. Non-combustible materials tested for bushfire resistance must be used on external walls. Decking must be made of non-combustible materials, must not be spaced and the subfloor must be enclosed.

Source: Standards Australia, 2018. AS 3959:2018 – Construction in Bushfire-Prone Areas, Appendix G: Explanation of Bushfire Attack Levels (BALs), pp. 118-119. SAI Global, Australia.

Fire Safe Cladding: The Bushfire Building Solution

If you are looking for bushfire-safe building products, look no further than Fire Safe Cladding. Fire Safe Cladding’s products have been tested by the CSIRO and comply with AS 1530.1 and AS 1530.3, meaning they comply with the National Construction Code as non-combustible materials. Made from solid aluminium with a fire-safe PowderShield™ powder coat finish that does not burn or spread flame, FSC is the ideal cladding product for bushfire zones. Make your house truly bushfire safe with a product that will not ignite if exposed to burning ember attack, and will not ignite surrounding materials or spread flame.

Fire Safe Cladding can be used in areas up to BAL 29, BAL 40 and BAL FZ, provided an appropriate backing material, such as TBA Firefly, is applied behind it.

To find out more about using Fire Safe Cladding in a bushfire zone, you will need to consult a Bushfire Engineer.