Fibre Reinforced Facade Encyclopedia: Testing and standards
AS 1530.1 is the Australian Standard test method that determines whether a building material is combustible. A small specimen is held in a furnace at 750 °C and observed for temperature rise and flaming; a material that stays within the limits is reported as Not Deemed Combustible, which the National Construction Code treats as non-combustible.
The NCC definition of non-combustible is a material that is not deemed combustible as determined by AS 1530.1. A product’s AS 1530.1 report is therefore the document that unlocks the Deemed-to-Satisfy route for external walls of Type A and Type B buildings.
At a glance
| Property | Typical value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | AS 1530.1-1994 (referenced by NCC 2022) | Fire tests on building materials; check the NCC edition adopted in your jurisdiction |
| Specimen | Cylinder about 45 mm diameter by 50 mm high | Cut from the product as supplied |
| Furnace | About 750 °C | Vertical tube furnace |
| Duration | Until temperatures stabilise, typically 30 minutes | |
| Criteria | Furnace and specimen temperature rise within 50 °C; no sustained flaming | Reported as Combustible or Not Deemed Combustible |
| Who tests | NATA accredited laboratories | ShapeShell-RC tested by Ignis Labs |
| Equivalent tests elsewhere | EN ISO 1182 (Europe, UK), ASTM E136 (US), CAN/ULC S114 (Canada) | Not interchangeable in law |
How the test runs
Specimens are dried, weighed and placed one at a time in the furnace. Thermocouples in the furnace and at the centre and surface of the specimen record temperatures throughout. The operator watches for flaming and records its duration. The material fails if either the furnace or specimen temperature rises more than 50 °C above the stabilised starting temperature, or if the specimen flames for more than five seconds. Several specimens are tested and all must pass.
What the NCC does with the result
Volume One clause C2D10 requires external walls, and certain other elements, of Type A and Type B buildings to be non-combustible. A product with an AS 1530.1 result of Not Deemed Combustible satisfies that requirement under the Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions with no further fire engineering. A product without that result can only be used on those walls through a Performance Solution, typically supported by an AS 5113 full-scale facade test and a fire engineer’s report.
The NCC also deems a short list of materials non-combustible without an AS 1530.1 test: plasterboard, fibre-reinforced cement sheeting, pre-painted or coated steel, and bonded laminates meeting specified criteria. GRC is not on the list and relies on its own report.
Which cladding materials pass
- Glass reinforced concrete with a cementitious matrix (product specific)
- Fibre cement
- Terracotta and ceramic
- Natural stone
- Solid aluminium and steel sheet, and composite panels with a mineral core that passes
- Glass
Polymer composites including FRP, aluminium composite panels with a polyethylene core, timber and timber composites, and insulated panels with foam cores cannot pass and are classified by other means.
New Zealand and the wider region
New Zealand’s Building Code Clause C references AS 1530.1 for non-combustibility in the same way. Singapore and Hong Kong reference the British BS 476 Part 4 and the European EN ISO 1182 instead, and the UAE Civil Defence code accepts EN 13501-1 Class A1 or A2. A product sold across the region typically holds both an AS 1530.1 report and an EN ISO 1182 classification.
Standards and references
- AS 1530.1-1994 Combustibility test for materials
- NCC 2022 Volume One C2D10, Schedule 1 (definition of non-combustible), C1V3 (external wall verification method)
- AS 5113 (external wall full-scale test, the performance route where AS 1530.1 is not met)
- EN ISO 1182, ASTM E136, CAN/ULC S114 (overseas equivalents)
Related reading: GRC fire rating: AS 1530.1, AS 1530.3 and the test report.
Related terms
Questions specifiers ask
What does Not Deemed Combustible mean?
It is the pass result of AS 1530.1. The NCC defines non-combustible as not deemed combustible under this test, so the two phrases mean the same thing in Australian building law.
Does ShapeShell-RC pass AS 1530.1?
Yes. ShapeShell-RC holds an AS/NZS 1530.1 result of Not Deemed Combustible from Ignis Labs. The report is available on request and summarised on the ShapeShift fire rating page.
Does AS 1530.1 apply to FRP?
FRP cannot pass a combustibility test because of its polymer matrix. FRP products are assessed under AS 1530.3, AS 5637 and, for external walls, AS 5113.
Is an AS 1530.1 pass enough to use a cladding panel on a high-rise?
It satisfies the non-combustibility requirement for the panel itself. The rest of the external wall system, including fixings, cavity barriers, insulation and sarking, must also comply, and the building may have other fire resistance requirements.
ShapeShell-RC: Not Deemed Combustible under AS/NZS 1530.1, tested by Ignis Labs. See the full fire test table
Reviewed by Richard Halvorsen, General Manager, ShapeShift Technologies. Last updated September 2026.