By When you are working on a building or remodelling project, you may need to use fire resistant plasterboard. Plasterboard in general is also called drywall, and it is often used for walls and ceilings. It is made with a core that is between heavy paper on each side. Plasterboard is lightweight, smooth and easy to install. You can choose plasterboard with different properties, as some are water-resistant, others are soundproof, and it can be fire resistant.
Properties of Fire Rated Plasterboard
People often choose fire plasterboard to improve the building’s protection from fire. You can choose from different cores and thicknesses, but fire rated plasterboard is usually made with a Type C or a Type X core. When you use this type of drywall, it will reduce the spread of flames and smoke in case of a fire. This drywall is non-combustible, has a fire resistance time ranging from thirty minutes to as much as four hours, and has low thermal conductivity.
What Is Type X Plasterboard?
Type X plasterboard is also called fireproof drywall or fire rated drywall. It has a thickness of ⅝” and contains glass fibres that slow the flames in fires. The core is more dense than standard drywall, which means that it takes longer for it to be engulfed in flames. Most of the Type X drywall has a fire rating of one hour.
A side benefit of using fire rated plasterboard is that it offers some soundproofing as well because it is more dense. Another type of fire rated plasterboard is Type C, which contains more additives in the core. It is a little bit more fire resistant for this reason.
What Does Fire Rated Mean?
When they label drywall as Fire Rated, this does not mean it is fireproof. It means that the drywall can stand up to fire for a longer period of time than standard drywall, which gives you more time to get out of the house. In addition, it doesn’t prevent fire from coming through vents, doors, gaps, or other areas in the room. In general, a standard sheet of drywall can stand up to fire for thirty minutes, and Type X or Type C plasterboard will stand up for sixty minutes. In fact, it is sometimes referred to as a one-hour fire wallboard. It is most commonly used in utility rooms, furnaces, rooms with a wood stove, and the garage. You can use it in any room in the home, but these are the most common places.
