Category: Commercial application

Fire Ratings for Decorative Wall Panels in Australia

How Wall Panel Fire Ratings Work in Australia

If you’re specifying decorative wall panels for any commercial, hospitality or multi-residential project in Australia, you’ll need to deal with fire ratings. The system isn’t complicated once you understand the basics — but getting it wrong has real consequences. Here’s how it works.

The Group Number System (1–4)

Australia classifies wall and ceiling linings into four fire performance groups under the National Construction Code (NCC). The Group number comes from how a material behaves in a standardised fire test — specifically, how quickly it contributes to flashover (the point where an entire room ignites).

Group What It Means Where It’s Accepted
Group 1 Does not reach flashover under full test exposure (100 kW for 10 min + 300 kW for 10 min) All locations, all building classes
Group 2 Reaches flashover under 300 kW but not under 100 kW within 10 min Most locations — restricted in some high-risk areas
Group 3 Reaches flashover under 100 kW within 10 min (but after 2 min) Limited — excluded from fire exits, public corridors
Group 4 Reaches flashover within 2 minutes Not permitted in Australian buildings

Source: AS 5637.1:2015, AS ISO 9705-2003

Two Test Methods

There are two ways to determine the Group number:

1. Full-scale room burn test (AS ISO 9705-2003) — A 3.6m × 2.4m × 2.4m room with the product installed on walls and ceiling. Ignition source starts at 100 kW, then increases to 300 kW. Time to flashover (1 MW total heat release) determines the Group. More expensive, but definitive.

2. Cone calorimeter test (AS/NZS 3837:1998) — A 100mm × 100mm specimen exposed to 50 kW/m² heat flux. Results are fed through an empirical model to predict full-scale performance. Cheaper, but has limitations.

Important: Per AS 5637.1:2015, the cone calorimeter test (AS/NZS 3837) cannot be used for products with gaps, openings or discontinuous surfaces. These must use the full room test (AS ISO 9705). This affects many decorative 3D wall panels with deep profiles or slatted designs.

Smoke Requirements (Unsprinklered Buildings)

For Class 2–9 buildings without a sprinkler system, wall linings also need to meet one of these smoke thresholds under NCC Specification 17:

  • Smoke growth rate index (SMOGRARC) ? 100, or
  • Average specific extinction area < 250 m²/kg

Where Each Group Number Is Required

The NCC’s Table S7C4 spells out exactly which Group number you need for each location within a building. Here’s the quick reference for sprinklered buildings:

Building Location Class 2, 3
Apartments, Hotels		 Class 5
Offices		 Class 6
Shops, Retail		 Class 9a
Hospitals		 Class 9b
Theatres, Halls
Fire-isolated exits 1 1 1 1 1
Fire control rooms 1 1 1 1 1
Public corridors (walls) 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 2
Specific areas* 1 2 3 1 2 1 2 1 1
Other areas 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 1 2 3

*Specific areas vary by class: Class 2/3 = sole-occupancy units; Class 5 = open plan offices; Class 6 = shops; Class 9a = patient care areas; Class 9b = auditoriums. Unsprinklered buildings have tighter requirements — typically one Group lower permitted.

The takeaway is straightforward: Group 1 is the only rating accepted in every location across every building class. If you’re specifying decorative wall panels for a commercial project and want to avoid zone-by-zone compliance headaches, Group 1 is the simplest path.

Source: NCC 2022, Specification 7, Table S7C4

European Fire Classification (Euroclass) Cross-Reference

Working with imported products or international projects? Here’s how the European Euroclass system maps against the Australian NCC Groups:

Euroclass (EN 13501-1) Approx. NCC Equivalent Description
A1 Better than Group 1 Non-combustible, no smoke contribution
A2-s1, d0 ~ Group 1 Very limited combustibility
B-s1, d0 ~ Group 1 Very limited contribution to fire
C-s2, d1 ~ Group 2 Limited contribution to fire
D-s2, d2 ~ Group 3 Acceptable contribution to fire
E / F Group 4 Not permitted

The Euroclass system also rates smoke production (s1 = little, s2 = moderate, s3 = high) and flaming droplets (d0 = none, d1 = limited, d2 = heavy). The Australian Group system doesn’t directly classify droplets, so these are additional data points worth checking on imported products.

Common Wall Panel Materials — Typical Fire Performance

Fire performance varies significantly by material. This table covers the most common decorative wall panel types you’ll encounter in Australia:

Material Typical Group Key Risk / Notes
PVC panels 3 – 4 Releases toxic hydrogen chloride gas when burning. Melts and drips. Banned from fire-isolated exits.
MDF / timber veneer 2 – 3 (untreated) Combustible. Performance varies with thickness and surface area. AS 5637.1 requires full room test for slatted or gapped timber — cone calorimeter is not sufficient.
Gypsum-based (plasterboard) 1 Low risk, fire-resistant core. Limited decorative options — standard lining material.
Fibre cement 1 (typically) Non-combustible mineral composition. Durable but heavy with limited 3D design flexibility.
Hand-cast stone composite 1 (when tested) Mineral-based composition (gypsum/calcium silicate core with resin binders). Lightweight alternative to solid stone with full decorative flexibility — 3D profiles, concrete textures, stone finishes. Requires test certificate per specific product.
Mineral resin composite 1 (when tested) Engineered mineral panels with resin matrix. Performance depends on specific formulation — always verify with product-specific test data.
Aluminium composite (PE core) 4 Polyethylene core is highly flammable — the direct cause of the Grenfell Tower and Lacrosse Building fires. Banned in Victoria since Feb 2021
Aluminium composite (mineral core) 1 / Euroclass A1 Non-combustible mineral core. Must verify core composition — “FR” (fire retardant) does not mean non-combustible.

Product Examples — Fire-Rated Decorative Wall Panels

Four manufacturers producing fire-rated decorative wall panels available in or relevant to the Australian market:

Stonini — Sydney, Australia
Group 1

Hand-cast stone composite panels — 3D profiles, concrete textures, stone & earth finishes

Fire Group
Group 1
AWTA test 20-002719 (AS/NZS 3837)
Combustibility
Non-combustible
Ignis Labs IGNL-8282-01C (AS 1530.1)
Smoke (Specific Extinction)
11.9 m²/kg
Limit: 250 m²/kg
VOC — TVOC
0.072 mg/m²/hr
Limit: ?0.500 · 86% below
VOC — Formaldehyde
0.009 mg/m²/hr
Limit: ?0.100 · 91% below
Composition
Plaster, water-based resin, fibreglass mesh, inert fillers · 12mm

Green Star compliant (CETEC P25100008). Suitable for all NCC locations including fire-isolated exits and public corridors.

SUPAWOOD — Australia
Group 1 (product-dependent)

Timber-look acoustic panels

Fire Group
Varies by product — some achieve Group 1 via fire-retardant treatment on specific substrates
Key Consideration
AS 5637.1 requires full room test (AS ISO 9705) for slatted configurations

Specifiers should request product-specific test reports matching the exact variant, thickness and mounting method being installed.

ALPOLIC NC/A1 — Global (distributed in Australia via Network Architectural)
Euroclass A1

Aluminium composite panels — mineral core

Fire Classification
Euroclass A1 (EN 13501-1) — non-combustible
Australian Testing
Passed AS 5113 large-scale fire test

Primarily used for external cladding and facade remediation post-Grenfell. Not a decorative interior panel.

Kaza Concrete — Hungary
Non-combustible

Decorative 3D concrete tiles

Fire Performance
Non-combustible — inherent to concrete composition
Application
Primarily interior decorative

How to Verify a Wall Panel’s Fire Rating

Before accepting any manufacturer’s fire rating claim, here’s what to check:

  1. Test method — Is the Group number based on AS ISO 9705 (full room test) or AS/NZS 3837 (cone calorimeter)?
  2. Lab accreditation — Was the test conducted by a NATA-accredited laboratory? (Check NATA’s online directory.)
  3. Test validity for the product — If the product has gaps, profiles or is mounted on battens, was the full room test used? Cone calorimeter is not valid for these configurations per AS 5637.1.
  4. Product match — Does the test report match the specific product variant, thickness, finish and substrate you plan to use?
  5. Smoke data — What is the smoke growth rate index (SMOGRARC) or specific extinction area? Required for unsprinklered buildings.
  6. Downloadable proof — Can the manufacturer provide a downloadable test certificate or laboratory report (e.g. from CSIRO, Warringtonfire, AWTA, Ignis Labs)?

References & Standards

  • NCC 2022, Specification 7 — Fire hazard properties — ncc.abcb.gov.au
  • AS 5637.1:2015 — Determination of fire hazard properties — Wall and ceiling linings
  • AS ISO 9705-2003 — Fire tests — Full-scale room test for surface products
  • AS/NZS 3837:1998 — Method of test for heat and smoke release rates (cone calorimeter)
  • EN 13501-1 — European fire classification of construction products (Euroclass)
  • ABCB Guidance — “The what and how of fire hazard properties for wall and ceiling linings” — abcb.gov.au

What You Need to Know About Decorative Wall Panels for Commercial Applications

Decorative wall panels are an accessible way of making commercial buildings more beautiful and enhancing their value. A well-chosen wall panel can make a commercial structure stand out, and with only a minimal expense.

Benefits of wall panels for commercial applications
Decorative wall panels such as those that mimic stone can be used for accent, but also for the entire structure, to change its look dramatically. What’s more, wall panels can be used to give a modern structure the appearance of an old building, thus increasing the chances of local authorities allowing constructions in town centres or other areas where they wish to preserve a heritage look.

Wall panels are lightweight. Their installation is easy when professionals handle it. Although they can look like stone, they weigh much less, and therefore don’t require any structural reinforcement. Sometimes they can even be installed by your own team.

Types of wall panels for commercial applications
Wall panels come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and they can also be customised by the purchaser. Here are some popular products sold by Australian manufacturers:

  • 3D wall panel textures including brown and black leather, grey leather tiles, wave, cubes, circles, triangles, squares, arabesque, driftwood, elephant, erosion, rhythm, sand. 3D textures come in hundreds of striking colours, from milky white to pitch black.
  • 3D wall panels that mimic brick are extremely varied. They can faithfully reproduce historic brick, contemporary brick, rustic brick, ledge brick, riverstone, stonewall, coral wall, granite, fieldstone, castle stone, and garden stone. All are available in several colours, so you can always find what you need.
  • 3D wall panels with creative textures can come as ellipses, vaults, gaps, sweeps, pitches, splashes, kites, craters, tetris, flows, pebbles, sands, and many others.

In addition to these, some decorative wall panel makers allow customers to place custom orders, choosing their own desired texture, based on a photo for example. Using latest generation processes, companies can replicate many patters and effects into 100% recyclable wall panels made from bagasse.

Conclusion
In the end, decorative wall panels, whether used indoors or outdoors, can prove to be an excellent investment for companies that want to make their structures stand out or blend in without doing major renovation, and without spending too much. Their lightness, quick installation, durability and resistance, easy removal, affordability compared to traditional construction materials, all make decorative wall panels a worthwhile investment.