Forming the building envelope, it is vital to carefully assess how insulated panel systems can withstand destructive forces such as fire, wind and foot traffic to protect both people and property. Insurer-developed test standards are a useful performance indicator as they require the products to be installed in similar quantities and applications to how they would be used in everyday field constructions. One body that has developed a significant number of these tests for insulated panel systems is FM Approvals.

What is FM Approvals?

FM Approvals, part of FM Global - a worldwide insurance and risk management enterprise, is an international third party testing and certification service for property loss prevention products and services used in commercial and industrial facilities.

FM Approved panels are subjected to a significantly more rigorous test regime than non-approved panels, and their mark is recognised and respected by consumers and accreditation organisations around the world, such as the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

Approval is based on satisfactory evaluation of the product during the tests, but also of the manufacturer through examination of manufacturing facilities and audit of quality control procedures to ensure the manufacturer’s ability to consistently produce the products which are examined and tested and the marking procedures used for identification. These examinations are conducted at a minimum frequency of annually as part of FM Approvals’ Surveillance Audit Programme.

What is FM 4880?

FM 4880 Approval Standard for Class 1 Fire Rating of Insulated Panels, Interior Finish Materials, or Coatings and Exteriors Wall Systems is designed to assess how a panel could contribute to a fire. It is often considered to be the foundation of the FM Approvals approach to determining the fire performance and assessing the risk of insulated panel systems.

The standard involves using a mixture of small and larger scale corner tests, assess the fire performance of these building panels or interior finish materials. Class 1 systems exhibit limited fire spread and fuel contribution in the event of fire.

FM 4880 categorises panels into two grades:

• Class 1 Limited Height (products must pass 25-foot FM Room Corner Test and various other testing)

• Class 1 No Height Restrictions (products must pass a 50-foot FM Room Corner Test or FM Approvals 16 ft Parallel Panel Test, and various other testing)

What is FM 4881?

FM 4881 was developed in 1'2 following a Category 5 Hurricane in North America. It builds on the fire performance requirements of FM 4880, seeking to establish how well these Class 1 rated panels resist damage when exposed to extreme weather conditions and natural hazards. This can help to determine their suitability for almost any geographic area, including those prone to cyclones.

To achieve FM 4881, panels must first pass FM 4880 to determine that they are Class 1 Fire Rated. They are then tested to establish their wind load rating, windborne debris resistance and hail resistance. These tests have been designed to emulate natural weather hazards, with an initial test that includes static and cyclic pressure tests and a second simulated hail resistance test.

What is FM 4882?

Again, building on the performance requirements of FM 4880, FM 4882 certifies that Class 1 insulated panels do not allow self-propagation of fire and generate significantly less smoke than traditional wall or ceiling panels. This means that they are appropriate for smoke sensitive occupancies, such as facilities used for food or pharmaceutical manufacturing and storage. In addition to presenting a life safety risk, fires in these types of buildings can cause significant product losses and business downtime whilst the area is decontaminated of smoke debris. In fact, in many situations the financial loss caused by smoke damage can be higher than those associated with direct flame damage.

It tests this performance through a combination of small, medium, and large-scale fire tests designed to mimic real life applications, including a severe 16ft Parallel Panel test.

Watch this short Kingspan Fire FAQ video to see the test in action.

What is FM 4471?

The FM 4471 test standard looks at fire, wind, foot traffic and hail damage resistance of Class 1 Panel Roofs. This includes all the necessary components for the complete panel roof assembly. Tests include examining the potential for fire spread on the interior (FM 4880) and exterior (ASTM E108) of the roof panel, and its ability to resist simulated wind uplift, and maintain adequate strength and durability.

What is FM 4478?

FM 4478 states the approval requirements for rigid PV modules that are installed with a roof assembly. To achieve certification, the assembly must remain intact when subjected to fire from above the structural deck, simulated wind uplift, hail damage, and gravity load resistance.

Quality and Auditing

As well as undergoing rigorous testing, FM Approvals also requires manufacturers to undergo an ongoing auditing process to ensure that the products they send to the market will achieve the same standards as those that were tested. It states that “Continuance of Approval and listing depends on compliance with the Approval Agreement, satisfactory performance in the field, on successful re-examinations of equipment, materials, and services as appropriate, and surveillance audits of the manufacturing facility.” Any products or practices found to be missing the mark can lose their approval status.

Important note: the certification of the external envelope is only relevant for specified and tested build ups which a member of our Tech-eXchange team will discuss with you on a project specific basis.