Fibre Reinforced Facade Encyclopedia: Testing and standards
Non-combustible cladding is external wall cladding made from a material that passes a combustibility furnace test: AS 1530.1 in Australia and New Zealand, EN ISO 1182 for Class A1 or A2 under EN 13501-1 in Europe and the United Kingdom, ASTM E136 in North America. In Australia it is the Deemed-to-Satisfy route for the external walls of Type A and Type B buildings, which is why it is the default answer on most apartment, hotel, hospital and commercial projects above a few storeys. The category is defined by the test result, not by how a material looks or what family it belongs to.
A glass fibre reinforced concrete (GRC, GFRC) panel, a fibre cement sheet and a solid aluminium sheet are all non-combustible cladding. The polymer membrane behind them, the foam insulation in the cavity and the sealant in the joints are not, and each is covered by its own provisions in the Code.
At a glance
| Property | Typical value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Australian qualifying result | Not Deemed Combustible under AS 1530.1 | The NCC definition of non-combustible |
| European qualifying class | EN 13501-1 Class A1 or A2-s1,d0 | A2 is limited combustibility |
| US qualifying result | Pass under ASTM E136 | IBC Section 703.5 |
| Materials that usually qualify | GRC, fibre cement, terracotta, stone, ceramic, glass, solid metal sheet | Always product and thickness specific |
| Deemed non-combustible without test | Plasterboard, fibre-reinforced cement sheeting, pre-finished steel, bonded laminates meeting set criteria | NCC 2022 Volume One C2D10 |
| Materials that cannot qualify | FRP and all polymer composites, ACP with polyethylene core, timber, foam insulation | Assessed by other tests |
| Typical facade weight, GRC | 30 to 50 kg/m2 | ShapeShell-RC published range |
| Typical facade weight, precast concrete | 250 to 500 kg/m2 | 100 to 200 mm panel |
| What the result does not give | A fire resistance level | FRL belongs to the wall assembly, not the skin |
Which cladding materials qualify
- Glass fibre reinforced concrete, where the specific mix and product hold an AS 1530.1 report
- Fibre cement sheet and panel
- Terracotta, ceramic and porcelain rainscreen
- Natural and engineered stone
- Solid aluminium, steel, zinc and copper sheet, and composite panels whose mineral core passes the furnace test
- Glass, including opaque spandrel glass and glass reinforced concrete backed units
Two qualifications apply to every item on that list. First, the result belongs to the product tested, at the thickness tested, with the surface tested. A polymer modified mix, a thick applied coating, a laminated backing or a foil face can change the outcome, and a report for one product line does not cover another line from the same supplier. Second, a cementitious or mineral material is a candidate for non-combustibility; it is not automatically non-combustible. Glass fibre reinforced concrete is not on the NCC list of materials deemed non-combustible without test, so a GRC facade panel relies on its own report.
What the NCC deems non-combustible without a test
Clause C2D10 of NCC 2022 Volume One (check the edition adopted in your jurisdiction) lists materials that may be used wherever a non-combustible material is required, without an AS 1530.1 test of their own. The list is short: plasterboard, perforated gypsum lath with or without reinforcing fibre, fibrous plaster sheet, fibre-reinforced cement sheeting, pre-finished metal sheeting having a combustible surface finish within stated limits, and bonded laminated materials meeting criteria on the thickness and combustibility of each layer and the adhesive.
This concession is narrow and is frequently misread. A bonded laminate qualifies only if it meets every one of the stated conditions, including that each layer other than the bonding adhesive is non-combustible in its own right. A composite panel with a combustible core does not become a bonded laminate by having metal faces.
The panel is not the wall
Specifying a non-combustible cladding material settles one requirement. The external wall as built also contains sarking or a weather barrier, insulation, a support framing system, brackets and fixings, cavity barriers, flashings and sealants, and in many cases windows, balconies, sunshades and signage attached to the face. C2D10 addresses several of these directly and allows defined concessions for ancillary elements and thin finishes; the rest sit under other parts of the Code.
Where FRP sits, including ShapeShell-RT
Fibre reinforced polymer is a thermoset polymer composite. It is not non-combustible, it cannot pass a combustibility furnace test, and no resin system, filler, coating or fire retardant additive changes that. Any description of an FRP product as non-combustible cladding should be met with a request for the furnace test report, which will not exist.
ShapeShell-RT is ShapeShift’s FRP system and the same applies to it without qualification. It complies by a different route: an AS 5637 Group 1 classification from AWTA Product Testing, an EN 13501-1 classification of B-s2 from Intertek, and a full-scale BS 8414 and AS 5113 test at BRE Global in which it met all AS 5113 criteria. On an Australian project that package supports a Performance Solution under Verification Method C1V3. It does not and cannot make the product non-combustible cladding.
Where a project needs the Deemed-to-Satisfy route, the ShapeShift system for that is ShapeShell-RC, a glass fibre reinforced concrete product with an AS/NZS 1530.1 result of Not Deemed Combustible tested by Ignis Labs. It is the heavier of the two systems at 30 to 50 kg per square metre against 5 to 32 kg per square metre for RT, which is the usual trade-off on a recladding project where the existing structure sets a weight limit.
Specifying it without ambiguity
- Name the test and the required result, for example: cladding panels shall be Not Deemed Combustible when tested to AS 1530.1
- Require the test report for the exact product, thickness and finish proposed, not a summary certificate or a letter
- State separately any fire resistance level required of the wall, and which element carries it
- Address sarking, insulation, cavity barriers, fixings and attachments in their own clauses
- Where a combustible component is proposed anywhere in the wall, require the Performance Solution and the AS 5113 evidence up front rather than at substitution stage
Certifiers, fire engineers and insurers all read facade documentation for exactly these points. A specification that names the standard and the required result is faster to approve than one that asks for fire rated cladding, a phrase that does not correspond to any test.
Standards and references
- AS 1530.1-1994 Combustibility test for materials
- NCC 2022 Volume One C2D10 (non-combustible building elements) and Schedule 1 definition of non-combustible
- AS 1530.4 (fire resistance tests, for the wall assembly rather than the cladding)
- EN ISO 1182 and EN 13501-1 Class A1 and A2 (Europe and UK)
- ASTM E136 and IBC Section 703.5 (United States); CAN/ULC S114 (Canada)
- AS 5113:2016 (the full-scale alternative where the cladding is not non-combustible)
Where this matters on a ShapeShift project
One Sydney Harbour, Barangaroo: A high rise residential tower, and the constraint this term exists to solve. The external walls fall under the non-combustible provisions, while the architecture calls for a moulded, three-dimensional panel rather than flat sheet, so material selection and the compliance route are decided together.
Related terms
Questions specifiers ask
Is GRC non-combustible cladding?
A glass fibre reinforced concrete product can be, when it holds its own test report. ShapeShell-RC has an AS/NZS 1530.1 result of Not Deemed Combustible from Ignis Labs. GRC is not on the NCC list of materials deemed non-combustible without testing, so the report matters.
Is FRP non-combustible cladding?
No. FRP has a polymer matrix and cannot pass a combustibility test. ShapeShell-RT is an FRP system and is not non-combustible; it complies through AS 5637 Group 1, EN 13501-1 B-s2 (Intertek) and a full-scale AS 5113 test at BRE Global, used under a Performance Solution.
Does non-combustible cladding give the wall a fire rating?
No. A fire resistance level is a property of a tested wall assembly measured in minutes under AS 1530.4. Non-combustibility is a material property from a furnace test. A wall can have one, both or neither.
Is an aluminium composite panel non-combustible?
Only if the core passes the furnace test in the product’s own report. Panels with a polyethylene core are combustible. Mineral filled cores vary with filler content, and the evidence is the AS 1530.1 report for that specific panel.
Does a European Class A2 classification satisfy the NCC?
Not directly. The NCC defines non-combustible by reference to AS 1530.1. A Class A1 or A2 classification is useful supporting evidence and is often held alongside an Australian report, but the Australian test is the one the Code names.
Need a moulded facade on the Deemed-to-Satisfy route? ShapeShell-RC is Not Deemed Combustible under AS/NZS 1530.1, tested by Ignis Labs. See ShapeShell-RC specifications
Reviewed by Richard Halvorsen, General Manager, ShapeShift Technologies. Last updated September 2026.