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This document summarizes the issue of structural damage to roof sheathing where fire retardant plywood roof sheathing, or FRT plywood was used on buildings. The material can degrade seriously due simply to high attic temperatures. Special inspection and testing methods are available.

FRT or flame resistant plywood is required by building codes for certain structures such as on either side of the fire wall between building units in multiple-living unit structures (apartments, condos, townhouses). Alternative products have included masonry walls that penetrate the roof and fire-resistant drywall laminated on the under-side of the roof sheathing on either side of the wall. As a substitute for through-roof firewalls on multiple-dwelling buildings, the advent of FRT-plywood permitted omission of the more costly fire-wall extending through roof design and simplified building construction. Typically FRT plywood roof decking was used for four feet on either side of the firewall between building sections, and the firewall terminated just below the roof decking.

But on older buildings where FRT plywood was used, attic heat and age was found to lead to deteriorated roof decks even where no actual fire had ever occurred. Apparently the fire resistive treatment, intended to lead to a "surface charring" of the plywood to slow flame spread, also led to surface oxidation and deterioration. Often structural repairs will be required.

While FRT plywood seemed as if it was going to be a terrific product, it appears that high attic temperatures in some buildings caused early deterioration of the material. In some cases the plywood became so soft that someone walking on the roof could simply step right through it. The material, as it was formulated in its problematic form, is no longer used in new construction but may still be found on some buildings.

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Premature Degradation of Fire-Retardant-Treated (FRT) Plywood Used in Roof Decks

Original Fire-Retardant-Treated (FRT) Plywood article in Professional Roofing was by Tom Bollnow, Professional Roofing, May 1999 p.62.

A. During the late 1980s, there was an outbreak of structural roof deck failures directly related to degradation of FRT plywood used as roof sheathing. Because the potential for FRT ply- wood degradation still exists, roofing professionals should be knowledgeable about FRT plywood properties so the likelihood of degradation occurring can be reduced.

FRT plywood is produced by pressure treating plywood with fire retardant chemicals. During the mid 1980s, the search for lower hygroscopic (i.e., less moisture-absorbing) chemical compounds to treat plywood resulted in a change from ammonium sulfates that cause fastener corrosion to ammonium phosphate salts. Ammonium phosphate salts with additional treatments using buffers, such as Borax, and organic and less acidic chemicals were developed to decrease fastener corrosion and raise the threshold temperatures of fire-retardant materials.

FRT plywood's structural strength changes from 10 percent to 20 percent after an initial pressure treatment procedure. The drying process follows the pressure treatment procedure and is critical to achieving maximum product performance. Problems result if the kiln drying process is accelerated. Air drying causes fewer problems, but it is more time-consuming. Products should be marked "KDAT" if kiln dried after treatment or "ADAT" if air dried after treatment.

FRT plywood treatments are divided into three categories: exterior, interior Type A and interior Type B. A roof deck typically will be interior Type A because it is not exposed directly to outside elements. Type B treatments can cause excessive moisture to accumulate in wood, allowing chemicals to react with steel fasteners and connectors.

Building code authorities, such as the Building Officials and Code Administrators (BOCA) International Inc., have specific requirements for treatment processes and labeling. For example, plywood must be manufactured according to American Wood Preservers Association (AWPA) standards, and the treatment process must be evaluated by BOCA Evaluation Services, National Evaluation Services or an AWPA-approved, independent agency.

In addition, each plywood piece must be labeled properly with its performance rating and design-strength adjustment values. FRT plywood must be used according to manufacturers' recommendations. It must be kept dry and used strictly within the parameters of design-load values.

Open flames' elevated temperatures activate fire-retardant chemicals that produce. low-level acids (i.e., acid hydrolysis) in FRT plywood. The acids lower the temperature at which thermal degradation occurs, increase the amount of surface char and reduce the production of flammable volatiles (i.e., by-product gases that contribute to flame spread). The results are a reduction of the flame spread across a surface and capacity to support combustion. When a flame is removed from FRT plywood's surface, the plywood will char but not burst into flames.

Chemicals that produce low-level acids causing fire-retardant effects also cause premature FRT plywood degradation at lower temperatures. Untreated plywood experiences no major problems at temperatures up to 200 F (93 Q. Roofing professionals should note that achieving fire retardancy at the expense of structural integrity is not desirable.

Acid hydrolysis and degradation can occur at lower elevated temperatures of about 130 F (54 C to 180 F (82 Q. Temperatures at the interface surface between a roof covering and deck can reach 200 F (93 X with 150 F (66 C commonly found. As a result, degradation can occur at temperatures that are below open flame temperatures.

Roofing professionals should note that there are construction alternatives available that can eliminate the use of FRT plywood. But local codes (e.g., fire, building) first must be referenced to be sure the alternative construction is in compliance. These options include fully sprinkled interior systems; noncombustible decks; %-inch- (16-mm-) thick water- and fire-resistant gypsum board beneath untreated plywood; and fire walls that extend through a roof system on a multi tenant building (e.g., an apartment complex).

If FRT plywood is installed new or encountered during a recover situation, the use of light-colored shingles, a radiant-reflecting roof covering (e.g., white single-ply) or improved ventilation may diminish potential degradation. These materials may lower temperatures at a roof deck's surface. Roofing professionals should use caution and precise documentation when confronted with FRT plywood roof decks to avoid repercussions if failures occur.

-- Original Source: Page 62 Professional Roofing May 1999. Photograph, edits and additions by D. Friedman.

Current (2009) Uses of Fire-Retardant-Treated (FRT) Plywood

Fire retardant treated FRT plywood, while it is still a combustible material, has been chemically treated to provide a lower flame-spread rate than un-treated plywood used in building construction. The plywood industry states that the flame-spread rate of FRT plywood is at least as low as gypsum wallboard (although without specifying which fire-rated wallboard was used for comparison).

Current Definition of FRT Plywood

In the Uniform Building Code, Fire-Retardant-Treated Wood is defined as

any wood product impregnated with chemicals by a pressure process or other means during manufacture, and which, when tested in accordance with UBC Standard 8-1 for a period of 30 minutes, shall have a flame spread of not over 25 and show no evidence of progressive combustion

Identification of and Current Applications of Modern FRT Plywood

In a "how to" article on equipment room fire safety design discussing FRT plywood backer boards for electrical panels, thanks to engineer Ronald Belleza de los Santos, datacom provides this FRT identification detail:

A Fire-Retardant-Treated backboard will be designated with a fire-rated stamp “branded” or “stamped” along the edge or center of the plywood—“UL FR-S Plywood 1780 R-7003.” Marine-grade plywood does NOT qualify even though it is saline “treated”—as it will have a different UL number.

Fire resistant or fireproof buildings and FRT wood use

According to the APA, and in accordance with the International Building Code (IBC), noncombustible buildings Types I and II (usually built of steel and concrete), allow fire-retardant-treated plywood and heavy timber construction in limited uses. In buildings type IIIA and IV (less fire resistant than Types I and II), interior walls, floors, and roofs may be built of conventional, untreated wood. Non-combustible exterior walls (required for building types IIIA and IV) are required however. The IBC permits FRT wood for these exterior walls as a design option.

Conventional Wood Frame Buildings and FRT wood use

IBC building type V (conventional wood frame buildings) have the lowest fire resistance and are the least costly to construct. Type V buildings may be constructed using conventional un-treated wood throughout the structure. However the sue of fire sprinkler systems, fire spacings (set-backs), and fire-resistant-rated walls, floors, and roofs, are required to obtain larger interior spaces.

American Plywood Association Information about Fire Retardant Treated FRT Plywood

For a detailed, industry-provided and current description of Fire Retardant Treated FRT Plywood, see Fire-Retardant-Treated (FRT) Plywood, American Plywood Association (APA), representing the engineered wood industry, publication NO. K320, January 2009. This document includes the types of construction where FRT plywood is used, specifies the proper type of fasteners used for FRT plywood, describes the burn-through resistance and design capacities of FRT wood, provides the FRT plywood treating process and test standards, outlines code-approved applications for FRT Plywood, and explains how to identify fire-retardant treated plywood. -- thanks to Arlene Puentes for assistance with this material.

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Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

ROOFING INSPECTION & REPAIR
STRUCTURAL INSPECTIONS & DEFECTS
ASBESTOS CEMENT & FIBER CEMENT ROOFING
ASPHALT ROOF SHINGLES
ATTIC LEAKS, CONDENSATION & ATTIC MOLD
ATTIC VENTILATION
BUILT UP ROOFS
CERTIFICATIONS for ROOFING CONTRACTORS
CHIMNEY INSPECTION & REPAIRS
CLAY TILE ROOFING
CHOOSING A ROOFING CONTRACTOR
CONCRETE ROOFING
CORRUGATED ROOFING
ENERGY SAVINGS in BUILDINGS
FIRE RETARDANT PLYWOOD
  FRT Premature Degradation
  FRT Current Uses & Standards
FLAT ROOF MOISTURE & CONDENSATION
HEAT TAPES & CABLES on Roofs for Ice Dams
LOW SLOPE ROOFING MATERIALS
MASONITE WOODRUF FIBERBOARD ROOFING
MEMBRANE & SINGLE PLY ROOFS
METAL ROOFING TYPES
MODIFIED BITUMEN ROOFING
ROOF INSPECTION SAFETY & LIMITS
ROOF VENTILATION SPECIFICATIONS
SLATE ROOF INSPECTION & REPAIR
SOD ROOFING
SIDING WOOD
STAIN DIAGNOSIS on Building Exteriors
STAIN DIAGNOSIS on Roofs
STANDARDS for ROOFING
STONE ROOFING
THATCH ROOFING
THERMAL EXPANSION of MATERIALS
THERMAL MASS in BUILDINGS
THERMAL MASS in UPSTAIRS
TILE ROOFING
WARRANTIES for ROOF SHINGLES
WOOD SHAKE & SHINGLE ROOFING
WORKMANSHIP & WIND DAMAGE

• Arlene Puentes is a licensed home inspector, past chapter president of the Hudson Valley chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors, an educator, and building failures researcher in Kingston, NY. Contact Arlene Puentes at: ap@octoberhome.htm or at 845-339-7984.
• Fire-Retardant-Treated (FRT) Plywood, American Plywood Association (APA), representing the engineered wood industry, publication NO. K320, January 2009, thanks to Arlene Puentes.
• About Backboards for Datacom Rooms, datacom "how to" article, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 72 - 74, courteously provided by Ronald Belleza de los Santos, a Lima Peru engineer. This article answers the question "What codes and standards specify the backboard requirements in the Equipment Room (ER) and/or the Telecommunications Rooms (TR)?

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