Fire-Board Systems for Walls & Ceilings in KSA: Achieving 1 & 2-Hour Ratings
- murtaza
- November 9, 2025
- Uncategorized
- 0 Comments
In any KSA commercial or residential building, the separation of spaces is a key fire safety strategy. The Saudi Building Code (SBC) mandates that walls and ceilings separating different tenants, apartments, or critical escape routes (like corridors) must have a specific fire-resistance rating. Fire-Boards are the primary material used to build these “fire-rated assemblies.”
A simple, single-layer plasterboard wall will not stop a fire. A fire-rated partition is a complete, tested *system* of boards, studs, and insulation. Understanding how these systems are built is key to achieving compliance, acoustic privacy, and life safety.
In This Article:
What is a Fire-Rated Assembly?
You cannot buy a “1-hour board.” You build a “1-hour system” using specified Fire-Boards. A tested system (e.g., from UL or British Standards) is a precise recipe that includes:
- The Board Type: e.g., 15mm Type X Fire-Rated Gypsum Board.
- The Framing: The size, gauge, and spacing of the metal studs.
- The Insulation: The type and density of mineral wool insulation inside the wall cavity.
- The Fixings: The specific type, length, and spacing of screws.
- Joints: The method for taping and jointing the board seams.
If any one of these components is changed, the system’s fire rating is void. This is a critical part of our passive fire protection services—ensuring the assembly is built exactly as it was tested.
Achieving 1-Hour vs. 2-Hour Ratings
The fire rating is determined by the number of board layers and the system design.
| Fire Rating | Typical Wall Construction | Common KSA Application |
|---|---|---|
| 60 Minutes (1-Hour) | One layer of 15mm fire-board on *each side* of the metal stud, with acoustic/thermal insulation. | Walls between office tenancies, apartment separating walls, and corridor walls. |
| 120 Minutes (2-Hour) | Two layers of 15mm fire-board on *each side* of the metal stud, with high-density insulation. | Walls enclosing critical shafts, plant rooms, and high-risk separation walls as required by the SBC. |
Critical Installation Details (Joints & Fixings)
The most common failure point is incorrect installation. A specialist ensures:
- Staggered Joints: Board joints must be staggered between layers and on opposite sides of the wall. This prevents a direct path for fire.
- Correct Fixings: Using the specified screws at the correct spacing (e.g., 200mm centers) is essential to hold the board in place as it is attacked by fire.
- Perimeter Sealing: The gap at the top (head-of-wall) and edges of the partition must be sealed with a fire-rated sealant to maintain the rating.
Fire-Rated Ceiling Systems
Fire-rated ceilings work in the same way. They are installed on a suspended grid and are designed to protect the services in the ceiling void (plenum) and the structural slab above from a fire in the room below. This is critical in corridors used as escape routes, ensuring the structural integrity of the floor above is maintained for the required time.
“A fire-rated wall is a life-safety system, not just a partition. It must be built with the same precision as any other engineered safety feature on a project.”
Conclusion: Building Compliant Compartmentation
Using Fire-Boards to construct rated walls and ceilings is the most common and effective method of fire compartmentation. As our past projects demonstrate, the key to compliance is not the board itself, but the *system*. Partnering with a specialist contractor ensures that the entire assembly is built to its tested, certified design, guaranteeing the safety and SBC compliance of your KSA project.
Need to build certified 1-hour or 2-hour fire-rated partitions in KSA?
