Fibre Reinforced Facade Encyclopedia: Testing and standards
Type of construction is the National Construction Code’s grading of how fire resisting a building must be, in three levels: Type A is the most onerous, Type B sits in the middle and Type C is the least. The type is not chosen by the design team. It falls out of a table read with two inputs, the building class and the rise in storeys, and it then sets the required fire resistance levels, the compartmentation rules and whether the external walls must be non-combustible.
Class and rise in storeys go in, one letter comes out, and that letter decides whether a combustible cladding can be used at all on the Deemed-to-Satisfy route. For a facade specifier it is the most consequential three-way choice in the Code.
At a glance
| Property | Typical value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Code reference | NCC 2022 Volume One Part C2, type of construction required | Check the edition adopted in your jurisdiction |
| Inputs | Building class and rise in storeys | Class 2 to 9 buildings, NCC Volume One |
| Class 2, 3 and 9 | Rise 4 or more and rise 3: Type A; rise 2: Type B; rise 1: Type C | |
| Class 5, 6, 7 and 8 | Rise 4 or more: Type A; rise 3: Type B; rise 1 or 2: Type C | |
| Type A | Fire resisting construction throughout, FRLs to Specification 5 | Loadbearing external walls typically 90 to 240 minutes |
| Type B | Reduced fire resisting construction | External walls still required to be non-combustible |
| Type C | Least onerous; no non-combustible external wall requirement | Combustible cladding available on the Deemed-to-Satisfy route |
| Non-combustible external walls | Required for Type A and Type B | NCC 2022 Volume One C2D10 |
| Class 1 and 10 | No type of construction | Covered by NCC Volume Two |
Reading the table
The NCC table of type of construction required has two columns of building classes and rows of rise in storeys. Class 2, 3 and 9 buildings, which contain sleeping occupants or occupants who cannot readily evacuate, reach each type one storey earlier than Class 5, 6, 7 and 8 buildings. A rise in storeys of four or more is Type A for every class in Volume One.
- Class 2, 3 or 9, rise in storeys 3 or more: Type A.
- Class 2, 3 or 9, rise in storeys 2: Type B.
- Class 2, 3 or 9, rise in storeys 1: Type C.
- Class 5, 6, 7 or 8, rise in storeys 4 or more: Type A.
- Class 5, 6, 7 or 8, rise in storeys 3: Type B.
- Class 5, 6, 7 or 8, rise in storeys 1 or 2: Type C.
Because the rise in storeys is a calculated number rather than a count of floor plates, the table cannot be applied from a drawing set alone. Confirm the rise in storeys first, then read the table. A building of mixed classification takes the type for the class producing the more onerous result.
What each type actually requires
Type A is fire resisting construction. Building elements, including loadbearing external walls, internal walls to fire isolated exits, floors, columns and beams, must achieve fire resistance levels set out in Specification 5, expressed as three numbers in minutes for structural adequacy, integrity and insulation. External walls are subject to the non-combustible building elements provision, and fire compartment size, shaft construction and separation of classifications are all tightly controlled. This is the regime for apartment towers, hospitals, hotels and larger offices.
Type B is a reduced version of the same idea. Fire resistance levels are lower, fewer elements are caught, and the compartmentation rules are looser, but the requirement for non-combustible external walls still applies. This is the point most often missed in facade selection: a modest four storey office is Type B, not Type A, and its cladding is still caught by the non-combustibility provision.
Type C is the least onerous. There is no general requirement for external walls to be non-combustible, fire resistance is limited to specific elements such as walls close to a boundary, and combustible cladding materials can be used within the Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions subject to the fire hazard property limits that apply everywhere.
Where the facade is decided
For Type A and Type B construction the NCC requires external walls, and anything attached to them, to be non-combustible. That means the material must be Not Deemed Combustible when tested to AS 1530.1, or fall within the short list of materials the Code deems non-combustible without test, which includes plasterboard, fibre reinforced cement sheeting and certain coated steels. GRC is not on that list, so a GRC panel needs its own AS 1530.1 report. ShapeShell-RC carries an AS/NZS 1530.1 result of Not Deemed Combustible from Ignis Labs, which is what puts it on the Deemed-to-Satisfy route for Type A and Type B external walls.
A fibre reinforced polymer panel cannot pass that test and is never non-combustible. ShapeShell-RT is an FRP system, and its route on a Type A or Type B building is a performance solution supported by full-scale facade testing rather than the Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions. ShapeShell-RT passed the full-scale BS 8414 and AS 5113 facade test at BRE Global, meeting all AS 5113 criteria, holds an AS 5637 Group 1 classification from AWTA Product Testing and is classified B-s2,d0 under EN 13501-1 by Intertek Testing Services. That package is assembled and assessed by a fire safety engineer under the performance solution pathway, and the assessment is project specific.
Type of construction elsewhere
The idea travels but the labels do not. The International Building Code uses Types I to V, with Types I and II requiring non-combustible materials, Type III combustible interior with non-combustible exterior walls, Type IV mass timber and Type V any permitted material. The Canadian National Building Code divides construction into noncombustible and combustible, with CAN/ULC-S114 deciding the first. None of these map cleanly onto Type A, B and C, and a product accepted on a US Type II building has no standing on an Australian Type A building without Australian evidence.
Standards and references
- NCC 2022 Volume One Part C2 Fire resistance, type of construction required and C2D10 non-combustible building elements (check the edition adopted in your jurisdiction)
- NCC 2022 Volume One Specification 5 Fire-resisting construction
- NCC 2022 Volume One Part A6 Building classification
- AS 1530.1 Combustibility test for materials; AS 1530.4 Fire resistance tests
- AS 5113 Classification of external walls of buildings based on reaction to fire performance
- IBC Chapter 6 Types of Construction; National Building Code of Canada Subsection 3.1.5
Related terms
Questions specifiers ask
What is Type A construction under the NCC?
The most fire resisting of the NCC’s three types. It applies to Class 2, 3 and 9 buildings with a rise in storeys of three or more, and Class 5 to 8 buildings with a rise of four or more, and it requires fire resistance levels from Specification 5 and non-combustible external walls.
Do Type B buildings need non-combustible cladding?
Yes. The non-combustible external wall provision applies to both Type A and Type B construction. Only Type C is outside it.
How is the type of construction determined?
From a table read with two inputs: the building class and the rise in storeys. Neither is chosen by the design team; both are determined under the Code.
Can FRP cladding be used on a Type A building?
Not under the Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions, because FRP is a polymer composite and cannot be non-combustible. It can be proposed as a performance solution supported by full-scale testing such as AS 5113 and assessed by a fire safety engineer.
Is type of construction the same as a fire resistance level?
No. The type of construction says which elements need fire resistance and how much. The fire resistance level is the tested performance of one assembly, written as three numbers in minutes.
ShapeShell-RC is Not Deemed Combustible under AS/NZS 1530.1, tested by Ignis Labs, for Type A and Type B external walls. See ShapeShell-RC specifications
Reviewed by Richard Halvorsen, General Manager, ShapeShift Technologies. Last updated September 2026.