How is facade cladding made and how does this relate to fire safety?

De calorische waarde van bouwmaterialen heeft een grote invloed op hun prestaties tijdens een brand. Vergelijk de PCS-waarden van de vaakst gebruikte oplossingen voor gevelbekleding en ontdek wat dit betekent voor de brandveiligheid van een gebouw. 

Why is the calorific value of cladding materials important?

Calorific value is the amount of energy that is produced by the complete combustion of a material. This amount of energy determines how much heat a certain material contributes to a fire. More heat simply means a faster spreading of the fire. The calorific content of a panel is indicated by its PCS (abbreviation of the French term ‘Pouvoir Calorifique Supérieur’) value. The higher a PCS value is, the more calorific content a panel has. Non-combustible facade material (Euroclass A1 & A2) has a very low calorific value and thus a very low contribution to the fire. The classification of these non-combustible materials has an upper limit on the PCS values.

Comparing PCS values

In general, the lower the calorific value (pcs value) of a product, the better it is when it comes to fire safety. But what does this imply? When it comes to PCS value, two panels distinct themselves: fibre cement and stone wool (Rockpanel). They both have a very low caloric content. Stone wool, for example, is made from natural volcanic rock basalt, which can withstand extremely high temperatures by nature.