Which metal cladding types are safe?

There are a lot of misconceptions floating around about aluminium cladding panels. Since high rise fires such as the 2017 Grenfell and 2014 Lacrosse fires, Australians have become wary of aluminium cladding, believing it caused these fires. However, this is not quite true.

What caused the cladding fires?

These horrific cladding fires were spread as a result of Aluminium Composite Panels, a type of wall cladding which consists of two thin aluminium ‘skins’ with a high density polyethylene core. It is this plastic core, and not the aluminium, which is highly combustible, and can spread flame across the façade of a building. This may be exacerbated by the use of wet paint finishes to decorate the front of the panels. The aluminium itself,  however, is not the cause of the spread of fire.

Aluminium: a fire safe product

Aluminium itself is non-combustible, and when exposed to heat or flames, it will not spark, ignite or spread the fire. The worst aluminium will do is melt when it reaches 660.3 degrees Celsius. Solid aluminium products therefore are completely safe to use on high rises, or in other areas where fire is a serious risk, such as in bushfire zones.

Longboard: the fire-resistant metal cladding

Longboard is the specially-designed non-combustible wall cladding by Fire Safe Cladding. Made from 100% solid aluminium, Longboard does not contain any flammable plastics or chemicals, and therefore is safe to use on high rise buildings, bushfire-prone buildings and all buildings in between. Longboard will not ignite or spread flame, and has been tested to and complies with the Australian Standards for non-combustibility: AS 1530.1 and AS 1530.3.

PowderShield: the fire-resistant finish

In addition to being made out of non-combustible solid aluminium, Longboard is coated in FSC’s special PowderShield finish, a powder coat finish that will char but not ignite if exposed to fire. This means the coating will not contribute any way to a fire. PowderShield is available in both woodgrain and contemporary finishes, meaning you can achieve your perfect country or urban look for your project, minus the fire risk.

Longboard is brought to you by Fire Safe Cladding and is available from Bunnings Trade.