Calculating masonry’s

fire resistance
Table 1 NBS fire-resistance periods For most types of
Table 1 for clay masonry walls construction, only lab
Members framed into
testing can establish
wall or partition fire-resistance ratings;
Wall or partition assembly Combustible
None or non-
combustible
but masonry and
minimum nominal thickness (minutes) (minutes) concrete offer an
Clay or shale, solid alternative that saves
4-in. brick 175
6-in. brick 153 time and money
8-in. brick 120 240
12-in. brick 240 By Christine Beall
Clay or shale, hollow
8-in. brick, 71% solid 120 180

B
12-in. brick, 64% solid 240 uilding codes dictate the
8-in. brick, 60% solid, cells filled with loose fill fire ratings required for
insulation 240 walls, partitions, floors,
Clay or shale, rolok roofs, and o t h e rs t r u c t u r a le l e-
8-in. hollow rolok 160 150 m e n t si n buildings. The require-
12-in. hollow rolok 180 240 ments depend on the function of
8-in. hollow rolok bak 240 the elements and the occupancy
Cavity walls, clay or shale of the spaces they enclose. Tables
8-in. wall; two 3-in. (actual) brick wythes in the codes then give the ratings
separated by 2-in. air space; masonry joint for various constructed assem-
reinforcement spaced 16 in. o.c. vertically 180
9-in. wall; two nominal 4-in. wythes separated blies a designer may use to satis-
by 2-in. air space; 1⁄4-in. metal ties for each 3 sq. fy 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-hour require-
ft. of wall area 160 240 ments.
Clay or shale brick, metal furring channels The ratings are based on ASTM
5-in. wall, 4-in. nominal brick (75% solid) backed with E 119 tests (Ref. 1), in which
a hat-shaped metal furring channel 3⁄4-in.-thick specimens of the assemblies are
formed from 0.021-in. sheet metal attached to
brick wall on 24-in. centers with approved
subjected to controlled heat. They
fasteners; and 1⁄2-in. Type X gypsum board are assigned, generally in hour or
attached to the metal furring strips with 1-in.-long half hour increments, according
Type S screws spaced 8 in. on centers 120 to the time elapsed when the test
Hollow clay tile, brick facing is terminated. The test is termi-
8-in. wall; 4-in. units (40% solid)† plus 4-in. solid nated when any one of three end-
brick 160 210 point criteria is reached:
12-in. wall; 8-in. units (40% solid)† plus 4-in. solid
■ An average temperature rise of
brick 120 240
250° F (or a maximum rise of
*A 9-in. wall has a 120 min. rating if the hollow spaces near combustible members are 350° F) is measured on the un-
filled with fire-resistant materials for the full thickness of the wall and for at least 4 in.
above and below and between the combustible members. exposed side of the specimen
†Units shall comply with the requirements of ASTM C34. ■ Heat, flame, or gases escape to
Source: Brick Institute of America, Technical Note 16B, BIA, Reston, Va. the unexposed side, igniting
cotton waste samples
■ The assembly fails under the brick unit with a coring pattern spaces, and dividing by the area
design load (loadbearing con- or percentage of solid material of the exposed face of the unit,
struction only) different from those listed in the using the equation
Because masonry, of course, is governing code, you can calculate ET = V ÷ (l × h)
noncombustible, masonry assem- the fire rating based on the unit’s where: ET = equivalent thickness,
blies usually reach the tempera- “equivalent solid thickness” (ET). in inches
ture increase criterion first. ET is found by taking the total V = net volume (gross vol-
Although fire tests have been volume of a hollow unit, subtract- ume less void area),
conducted o nm a n ym a s o n r yw a l l s , ing the volume of core or cell in cubic inches
not all conceivable combinations
of unit size, shape, and core area
have been tested. However, the Table 2 NBS fire-resistance periods
fire resistance of untested con- Table 2 for clay tile masonry walls
crete or masonry walls can be
calculated, because the fire test Members framed into
wall or partition
behavior of concrete and masonry
None or non-
materials is well-documented and Wall or partition assembly Combustible combustible
predictable. When we need to minimum nominal thickness (minutes) (minutes)
know the fire rating of an untest- Hollow clay tile
ed wall or partition, the codes 8-in. unit; 2 cells in wall thickness, 40% solid 145 175
permit calculation of fire resis- 8-in. unit; 2 cells in wall thickness, 43% solid 145 190
tance based on formulas first 8-in. unit; 2 cells in wall thickness, 46% solid 160 105
published by the National Bu- 8-in. unit; 2 cells in wall thickness, 49% solid 175 120
reau of Standards (NBS) in 1942 8-in. unit; 3 or 4 cells in wall thickness, 40% solid 145 105
8-in. unit; 3 or 4 cells in wall thickness, 43% solid 145 120
(Ref. 2).
8-in. unit; 3 or 4 cells in wall thickness, 48% solid 160 150
8-in. unit; 3 or 4 cells in wall thickness, 53% solid 175 180
Calculating equivalent thickness 12-in. unit; 3 cells in wall thickness, 40% solid 120 150
How long a clay masonry as- 12-in. unit; 3 cells in wall thickness, 45% solid 150 180
sembly will resist the transfer of 12-in. unit; 3 cells in wall thickness, 49% solid 180 210
heat from a fire is based on its 12-in. wall; 2 units with 3 or 4 cells in wall
thickness, 40% solid 120 210
mass. This same characteristic
12-in. wall; 2 units with 3 or 4 cells in wall
that gives masonry its high energy thickness, 45% solid 150 240
performance also gives it excellent 12-in. wall; 2 units with 3 or 4 cells in wall
fire resistance. A masonry wall re- thickness, 53% solid 180 240
sists the flow of heat from one side 16-in. wall; 2 or 3 units with 4 or 5 cells in wall
thickness, 40% solid 240 240
to the other by absorbing and
storing thermal energy, whether Structural clay tile
from the sun or from a fire. 4-in. unit; 1 cell in wall thickness, 40% solid*† 175
6-in. unit; 1 cell in wall thickness, 30% solid*† 120
The greater the wall’s mass, the
6-in. unit; 2 cells in wall thickness, 45% solid† 160
higher its heat storage capacity, 4-in. unit; 1 cell in wall thickness, 40% solid‡‡ 175
and the higher its fire resistance 6-in. unit; 1 cell in wall thickness, 30% solid‡‡ 120
rating. Solid units (those with less
Hollow structural clay tile
than 25% cored area) have the 8-in. unit; 2 cells in wall thickness, 40% solid 145 175
highest mass and therefore the 8-in. unit; 2 cells in wall thickness, 49% solid 175 120
longest fire resistance rating (see 8-in. unit; 3 or 4 cells in wall thickness, 53% solid 175 180
Table 1). Since hollow units (those 8-in. unit; 2 cells in wall thickness, 46% solid 160 105
with more than 25% cored area) 12-in. unit; 3 cells in wall thickness, 40% solid 120 150
contain less mass than solid 12-in. wall; 2 units, with 3 cells in wall thickness,
40% solid 120 210
units, they have less heat storage 12-in. wall; 2 units with 3 or 4 cells in wall
capacity, and therefore carry low- thickness, 45% solid 150 240
er fire resistance ratings. The rat- 12-in. unit; 3 cells in wall thickness, 45% solid 150 180
ings for hollow units are based on 12-in. unit; 3 cells in wall thickness, 49% solid 180 210
the equivalent thickness or net 16-in. wall; 2 units with 4 cells in wall thickness,
43% solid 240 240
volume of solid material. 16-in. wall; 2 or 3 units with 4 or 5 cells in wall
Results of fire tests of struc- thickness, 40% solid 240 240
tural clay tile partitions are list-
*Ratings are for dense hard-burned clay or shale
ed in Table 2. These are typical of †Cells filled with tile, stone, slag, cinders, or sand mixed with mortar
the ratings found in most model ‡‡Ratings are for medium-burned clay tile
building codes. If you want to use Source: Brick Institute of America, Technical Note 16B, BIA, Reston, Va.
a structural clay tile or hollow
 Table 3 ET minimum (in.) of hollow brick
Table 3 for various fire-resistance ratings
Fire-resistance period (minutes)
Type of material 60 120 180 240
Brick of clay or shale, unfilled 2.3 3.4 4.3 5.0
Brick of clay or shale, grouted or filled with
perlite, vermiculite, or expanded shale
aggregate 3.0 4.4 5.5 6.6
Notes:
1. Equivalent thickness is the average thickness for solid material in the wall, found by
taking the total volume of the hollow wall unit, subtracting the volume of core or cell
Figure 1. The fire-resistance rating of spaces, and dividing by the area of the exposed face of the unit.
hollow masonry units is calculated by 2. Refer to building codes for additional details.
determining their equivalent thickness Source: Brick Institute of America, Technical Note 16B, BIA, Reston, Va.
or net solid volume.

l = length of unit, in calculated the same way. Because requirements.

inches
h = height of unit, in
inches
F o re x a m p l e , a nominal 8x12x4-
inch hollow brick with a single
row of cores (see Figure 1) has a
gross volume of 75⁄8×115⁄8×35⁄8 = 321
cubic inches. A measured void
area of 40% leaves a net volume,
V = (321 – 128) = 193 cubic inch-
es. The equivalent thickness can
then be calculated:
ET = 193 ÷ (11.625 × 3.625)
= 4.59 inches
If you refer to Table 3, which
lists the required ET for hollow
clay brick walls from the Stan-
dard Building Code, you’ll find
that an ungrouted wall with an
equivalent thickness of 4.59 inch-
es would have a 3-hour rating.
The equivalent thickness of
hollow concrete masonry units is
the type of aggregate used in con-
crete masonry units affects their Multiwythe calculations
fire resistance, ratings are based For walls of a given material
on both aggregate type and thick- and design, NBS testing showed
ness for solid units, or on aggre- that an increase of 50% in vol-
gate type and equivalent solid ume of solid material per unit
thickness for hollow units. area of wall surface resulted in a
Lightweight aggregates such 100% increase in the fire resis-
as pumice, expanded slag, clay, or tance period. In other words, if a
shale decrease the masonry’s wall of hollow units is grouted
mass and its heat storage capaci- solid, the increase in fire resis-
ty, but increase its resistance to tance is greater than the simple
heat transfer because their high- increase in equivalent solid thick-
er air content adds insulating ness. The same is true for multi-
value. A unit made with light- wythe walls—the whole is great-
weight aggregates requires less er than the sum of the parts. The
thickness to achieve the same fire resistance of any unit or wall
fire rating as a heavyweight ag- assembly that has not been test-
gregate unit. ed can be calculated using the
Table 4 from the Standard equation
Building Code lists aggregate R = (R10.59 + R20.59 . . . + Rn0.59 + as)1.7
types and unit thicknesses that where: R = calculated fire resis-
will satisfy specific fire rating

Table 4 Minimum ET (in.) of concrete masonry walls

Fire-resistance periods (minutes)
Type of aggregate 30 45 60 75 90 105 120 135 150 165 180 195 210 225 240
Pumice or expanded slag 1.5 1.9 2.1 2.5 2.7 3.0 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.8 4.0 4.2 4.4 4.5 4.7
Expanded shale, clay, or slate 1.8 2.2 2.6 2.9 3.3 3.4 3.6 3.8 4.0 4.2 4.4 4.6 4.8 4.9 5.1
Limestone, cinders or
unexpanded slag 1.9 2.3 2.7 3.1 3.4 3.7 4.0 4.3 4.5 4.8 5.0 5.2 5.5 5.7 5.9
Calcareous gravel 2.0 2.4 2.8 3.2 3.6 3.9 4.2 4.5 4.8 5.0 5.3 5.5 5.8 6.0 6.2
Siliceous gravel 2.1 2.6 3.0 3.5 3.9 4.2 4.5 4.8 5.1 5.4 5.7 6.0 6.2 6.5 6.7
Notes:
1. Equivalent thickness is the average thickness of the solid material in the wall. It is found by taking the total volume of a wall unit, sub-
tracting the volume of core spaces, and dividing this by the area of the exposed face of the unit.
2. Values between those shown in the table can be determined by direct interpolation.
3. Where combustible members are framed into the wall, the thickness of solid material between the end of each member and the op-
posite face of the wall, or between members set in from opposite sides, shall not be less than 93% of the thickness shown in the
table.
4. Units shall comply with the requirements of ASTM C55, C90, or C145.
Source: Standard Building Code, 1991 edition, Standard Building Code Congress, Birmingham, Ala.
 tance of the assembly,
in hours
R1,R2 ...Rn= fireratingof the indi-
vidual wythes, in
hours
as = coefficient for contin-
uous air space
For continuous air spaces 1⁄2 to
31⁄2 inches wide, the coefficient as-
signed by NBS is 0.3.
This equation can be used to
calculate the resistance of ma-
sonry cavity walls, composite
walls that combine clay and con-
crete masonry, and grouted walls.
For single-wythe or multiwythe
grouted walls, the grout is con-
sidered one layer of a multilay-
ered assembly, and is rated based
on the equivalent thickness of
siliceous aggregate from Table 4.
The ratings of the unit or units
and the rating of the grout are
the values used for R1, R2, and
R3 in the equation, and the air
space, if any, is “as.”
For example, a 10-inch cavity
wall with 4-inch brick, a 2-inch
cavity, and 4-inch brick has two
wythes of masonry rated 1.25
hours each (from Table 1), and an
air space with a coefficient of 0.3.
Its fire resistance rating would
be calculated
R = (1.250.59 + 1.250.59 + 0.03)1.7
= 4.15 (round off to 4 hours)
As another example, a lime-
stone aggregate concrete block
with an ET of 4.2 inches is rated
for 2 hours (from Table 4). If the
cores of the block are grouted
with a sand and gravel aggre-
gate, portland cement grout, the
ET of the grout is (7.626 inches –
4.2 inches) = 3.4 inches. The fire
rating for a 3.4-inch grout thick-
ness is 1 hour (also from Table 4).
Therefore
R = (2.00.59 + 1.00.59)1.7
= 4.78 (round off to 4 hours)
In both examples, the whole is
greater than the simple sum of
the parts because of the increase
in mass per unit of surface area.
Adding plaster
Applying plaster to one or both
sides of a clay or concrete mason-
ry wall increases the fire rating
of the assembly. For portland ce-
Table 5 Coefficients for
Table 5 plaster
Thicknessof
plaster (in.) One side Two sides
1
⁄2 0.30 0.60
5
⁄8 0.37 0.75
3
⁄4 0.45 0.90
Values used are for 1:3 sanded gyp-
sum plaster.
ment plaster, the plaster thick-
ness may be added to the actual
thickness of solid units or to the
equivalent thickness of hollow
units in determining the rating.
For gypsum plaster, a coefficient
is added to the equation
R = (R10.59 + R20.59 . . .
+ Rn0.59 + as + pl)1.7
where “pl” is the thickness coeffi-
cient of sanded gypsum plaster
from Table 5.
Calculating the fire resistance
of masonry walls is a relatively
simple and widely accepted pro-
cedure. As long as the fire resis-
tance c h a r a c t e r i s t i c so ft h ec o m po-
nent parts of the wall are known,
the rating of any combination of
materials or unit types can be
calculated quickly. The building
permit process will probably be
expedited if the code references,
equations, and calculations are
shown on the drawings for the
building official’s review.
References
1. ASTM E 119, “Standard Test Methods
for Fire Tests of Building Construction and
Materials,” American Society for Testing
and Materials, 1916 Race St., Philadelphia,
PA 19103.
2. Report BMS92 “Fire Resistance Classifi-
cations of Building Constructions,” 1942,
National Institute of Standards and Tech-
nology, BuildingResearchBuilding,Gaithers-
burg, MD 20889.
Christine Beall is a consulting architect
based in Columbus, Texas, and a regular
contributor to this magazine.
PUBLICATION #M940372
Copyright © 1994, The Aberdeen Group
All rights reserved