A comparative study of combustibility and surface flammability of building materials

Results are presented of a project to evaluate the combustibility and surface flammability of building interior finish materials commonly used in Taiwan. The project was conducted at the Fire Laboratory of the Architecture and Building Research Institute in Taipei. Eighteen different wall-covering materials were tested according to Chinese National Standard (CNS) 6532, which is equivalent to Japanese Industry Standard (JIS) 1321, and according to ASTM E 1354-92 (Cone calorimeter). A comparison of test results is presented, and a qualitative relationship is developed between the performance in the two methods. The classification system for degrees of combustibility developed in Canada by Richardson and Brooks was hereby used to group materials based in performance in the ASTM test method.