Myth Busters: Is Aluminium Cladding Flammable?

After horrific cladding fires occurred across the world, builders have become wary of using some cladding products, for fear they might be contributing to a high-risk building, compromising their professional indemnity insurance or not complying with bushfire zone building regulations.

One concern among builders is that all aluminium cladding might present a fire hazard, which has made them wary of using it for facade cladding, on bushfire-zone homes and on multi-storey buildings where strata insurance may be affected. This, however, is not true.

Aluminium Composite Panels (ACPs) are flammable due to their polyethylene core – and it is because of this combustible core that so many cladding fires have spread out of control.

Aluminium itself, however, is a non-combustible material that does not burn, spread smoke or increase the spread of fire. Solid aluminium cladding is completely safe for use on multi-storey residential and commercial buildings and is safe for use in bushfire zones.