A blog written by Medite Smartply

Fire safety in buildings is an important issue. Architects, contractors and specifiers need to ensure that everything is being done to keep everyone as safe as possible.

Flame retardant solutions that are added to wood panel products are designed to improve the products ‘reaction to fire’ which is the measurement of how a material or materials property will contribute to a fire’s development and spread—especially in the very early stages of a fire, when evacuation is crucial. As a result, flame retardant panels allow more time for people to escape a building, or to extinguish smaller fires.

MEDITE SMARTPLY have developed a product that is suitable for a wide range of applications, including roofing—SMARTPLY MAX FR B. This flame retardant OSB/3 panel boasts high racking strength and limitless design possibilities, while providing enhanced fire protection.

How does SMARTPLY MAX FR B differentiate to other SMARTPLY MAX products? As well as being a structural, moisture resistant panel, it features outstanding and reliable reaction to fire properties, suitable for use where strength, moisture resistance and improved flame retardance are paramount. It is independently certified for the most demanding structural applications in permanent construction such as wall sheathing, flooring and roofing.

SMARTPLY MAX FR B is the first Euroclass B board manufactured in the UK and Ireland to feature wood flakes treated with flame retardant solution during pressing—providing enhanced fire protection throughout the whole panel.

This makes it stand from other wood-based panels that are treated after manufacture. Applying flame retardant treatments post-manufacture can have a destructive impact on the physical strength properties of the wood-based panels, which may cause them to crack or shatter.

Overall, SMARTPLY MAX FR B achieves a Reaction to Fire Classification of B-s2, d0, and Bfl-s1 (flooring) in accordance with EN13501-1.

Sustainably manufactured using wood from our own sustainable forests, these panels are available in a range of sizes and thicknesses.

SMARTPLY MAX FR B is an ideal product for residential and commercial use, thanks to its outstanding reaction to fire properties and limitless design possibilities.

Discover more information on SMARTPLY MAX FR B here.