Autoclave fire-retardant treatment
Wood is naturally fire-resistant. Even so, untreated timber cladding, wood ceilings and wood panelling do not meet the fire safety requirements that apply to public and private home construction. Whenever a project is subject to fire safety regulations, wood must always undergo treatment to render it fire-retardant. At Carpentier all of our sustainable wood varieties are suitable for fire-retardant treatment, which we carry out in vacuum conditions in an autoclave. The products used in this process are 100% natural, 100% biodegradable, energy efficient and pH-neutral.
This treatment has no effect on the colour or structure of the wood. In some cases, a visible white film may form on the surface of the wood. This is a natural part of the drying process. The film can be removed easily using a brush or cloth or with water.
Did you know?
Carpentier offers fire-retardant cladding that meets Class D reaction to fire standards or Class B without a fire-retardant treatment.
Uses for fire-retardant wood
Fire safety can be an issue of concern for contractors. With our autoclave fire-retardant treatment, our closed profiles in HOTwood ash meet the norms for fire safety standard class B-s1,d0 and HOTwood Clear Pine complies with fire safety standard class B-s2 d0, as long as the profiles are installed in the traditional way. Our shiplap, which also meets this classification with a clip system, is the exception.
New to our range is open joint cladding that meets the strict Class B requirements. For more information on this, check out our innovation blog.
After treatment, we supply a certificate proving that the wood has passed a fire test in compliance with applicable European standards and that it qualifies for the classification. This gives architects more possibilities to use wood as a construction material in their projects.
As a leading and innovative producer of exterior cladding, Carpentier invests time and expertise in testing a range of mounting systems. For example, together with Grad®, we are working on a patented installation system using a fire-retardant clip. This will allow for cladding with open joints of up to 30-35mm to obtain a Class B reaction to fire rating. This ground-breaking innovation is currently undergoing testing and is scheduled for launch in the second half of 2026.
We offer the following flame-retardant products for use in your wooden construction projects:
- Flame-retardant spruce frame, black paint finish (B-s2,d0)
- Durable cement-bonded fibre panel Flame Delay® WP-A2
- Facade membrane Fassawall FireStop A2: non-combustible, UV-resistant, water-resistant and temperature stable
Advantages of fire-retardant treatment
- 100% biodegradable
- Wood retains its original colour and structure
- Meets norms for fire safety standard class B-s1 d0 or B-s2 d0 depending on variety
- Suitable for indoor and outdoor projects
