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Understanding Class A Fire Ratings and Synthetic Roofing Materials

Here’s a recipe for disaster: a real cedar roof, drought conditions, and a fire-causing lightning strike. Fortunately, this disaster can be avoided by just switching out one of those elements: having synthetic roofing materials rather than a real cedar roof. You can gain peace of mind and protection for your home by investing in a Class A Fire-Rated synthetic roof. This is the highest fire rating available for a roof. What does it mean? Quite simply, our DaVinci Roofscapes composite roofing material will not burn.

Playing with Fire

There are three tests all DaVinci synthetic roofing materials undertake to achieve the Class A Fire Rating. These include:

      1. Intermittent Flame Test – an assembly of tiles is subjected to an intense flame for two minutes then turned off for two minutes. This is cycled 15 times to see if there is failure in the roof deck.
      2. Spread of Flame Test – flame and air current are applied for 10 consecutive minutes and then checked for failure.
      3. Burning Brand Test – a burning brand is placed on an assembly of roofing tiles with a high volume of wind behind it. The decking of the assembly is constantly monitored for 90 minutes to see if any fire burns through.  If fire burns through the roof deck anytime during the 90 minute trial, the tiles fail. (Watch a simulated test.)

  2. Head of the Class… Class A

    Roof fire ratings are established by test methods to ensure that certain standards are formalized to protect human life and property.

    The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard E108 is one such test method. This organization rates materials and classifies them as a Class A, Class B or Class C Fire rating through this method.

    Class A is the highest, whereas Class C is the lowest.

    A roofing product that has Class A Fire rating meets all three requirements which are: ability to resist spreading of flames on surface, ability to resist fire penetration from the exterior to the underside of the rock deck and ability to resist recurring intermittent flame.

    When you are told a roof has a Class A Fire Rating, it means that the product has successfully undergone these three tests. Always remember that Class A is the best classification available.

    Our DaVinci products have undergone extensive fire testing using the ASTM E 108 test standard at the Class A level to assure you have the best roofing product available.

    Worry About Fires, Really?

    Yes, really. It could happen to your neighborhood. To your home.

    Remember the massive wildfires of 2022? The National Interagency Fire Center reports there were 68,988 wildfires. They burned 7,577,183 acres nationally.

    And remember, it’s not that a fire has to be in your specific area. A spark from a wildfire can travel up to a mile in windy conditions. That one spark could be fatal if you have a real wood roof. However, that same spark turns into a “non event” when you have a synthetic shake or slate roof overhead.

  3. To learn more about roofs and fire, click here for details from the National Fire Protection Association.