Fibre Reinforced Facade Encyclopedia: Testing and standards
CAN/ULC-S134 is the Canadian full-scale fire test for exterior wall assemblies, in which a complete wall is built on a two storey rig above a burn room and exposed to flames venting from a window opening, as they would be in a post-flashover compartment fire. It is the route by which combustible cladding components are permitted on buildings that the National Building Code of Canada requires to be of noncombustible construction, and it is the Canadian counterpart of BS 8414 in the United Kingdom, NFPA 285 in the United States and AS 5113 in Australia.
Four countries, four rigs, four sets of criteria, and no mutual recognition between any of them. A facade system qualified in one market has to be tested again for the next, which is why full-scale test programmes are planned around the markets a product will actually be sold into.
At a glance
| Property | Typical value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | CAN/ULC-S134 Standard Method of Fire Test of Exterior Wall Assemblies | Underwriters Laboratories of Canada |
| Specimen | Full exterior wall assembly on a two storey test rig | Approximately 10 m high |
| Fire source | Fire in a burn room below, venting through a window opening | Simulates a post-flashover compartment fire |
| Flame spread criterion | Flames must not spread more than 5 m above the top of the window opening | |
| Heat flux criterion | Not more than 35 kW/m² measured 3.5 m above the window opening | |
| Instrumentation | Thermocouples and heat flux gauges on the wall face; visual observation | |
| Code reference | National Building Code of Canada, Subsection 3.1.5 | Combustible cladding on noncombustible construction |
| Companion standard | CAN/ULC-S114 for noncombustibility of materials | Different question, different apparatus |
| Result | Pass or fail for the assembly as tested | Not transferable to a different build-up |
What the test does
The complete wall assembly is constructed on a rig two storeys high, with a burn room at the base whose window opening faces the wall. A fire of controlled output is developed in the burn room so that flames issue through the opening and impinge on the wall above, reproducing the exposure a facade receives when a flat below flashes over and vents. The exposure is sustained long enough for the assembly to respond, and the wall is instrumented with thermocouples on the face and heat flux gauges at defined heights above the opening.
Two quantities decide the outcome. Flame spread must not extend more than 5 metres above the top of the window opening, and the heat flux measured 3.5 metres above the opening must not exceed 35 kW/m². The first criterion limits how far fire is carried up the face; the second limits how much radiant energy reaches the level above, which is what would ignite contents through the windows of the storey above.
As with all full-scale facade tests, the observations matter alongside the numbers. Delamination, collapse of panels, burning material falling from the rig and fire spread within the cavity are recorded, photographed and reported, and they inform the assessment even where the two numeric criteria were satisfied.
Where it sits in the Canadian code
The National Building Code of Canada requires certain buildings to be of noncombustible construction, with noncombustibility determined by CAN/ULC-S114. Subsection 3.1.5 then sets out the circumstances in which combustible elements may nonetheless be used in such buildings, and combustible cladding is one of them. The S134 route permits a combustible cladding assembly on a building required to be of noncombustible construction where the assembly has been tested to S134 and meets the criteria, subject to further conditions in the Code.
The alternative prescriptive route limits combustible cladding by flame spread rating, thickness and building height, using the CAN/ULC-S102 surface burning characteristics test. S134 is the performance route for assemblies that cannot satisfy those prescriptive limits, and it is where composite panel systems and rainscreen assemblies with combustible components are qualified.
How it compares with the other full-scale tests
BS 8414 in the United Kingdom uses a timber crib in a combustion chamber at the base of a nine metre wall with a return wing, and its data is judged against the BR 135 criteria, which are framed as temperature rises at two instrumented levels. AS 5113 in Australia adopted the BS 8414 rig and added its own criteria, including limits on flaming debris reaching the ground. NFPA 285 in the United States uses an enclosed two storey rig with both a room burner and a window burner and is judged on temperature limits at defined points inside and outside the wall.
The differences are not cosmetic. The fire loads, the rig geometry, the instrumentation positions and the acceptance criteria all vary, and a system can pass one and fail another. No regulator treats the results as interchangeable, and a facade sold into several markets carries several test reports.
Relevance to composite and GRC facades
A GRC panel is cementitious and is generally assessed on noncombustibility rather than through a full-scale test. ShapeShell-RC, the ShapeShift GRC system, carries an AS/NZS 1530.1 result of Not Deemed Combustible from Ignis Labs; the Canadian equivalent question would be answered by CAN/ULC-S114.
A fibre reinforced polymer panel is combustible by nature and is exactly the kind of product for which full-scale wall testing exists. 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. ShapeShell-RT is a polymer composite and is not non-combustible.
Standards and references
- CAN/ULC-S134 Standard Method of Fire Test of Exterior Wall Assemblies
- National Building Code of Canada, Subsection 3.1.5 Noncombustible construction
- CAN/ULC-S114 Standard Method of Test for Determination of Non-Combustibility in Building Materials
- CAN/ULC-S102 Standard Method of Test for Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials and Assemblies
- BS 8414 and BR 135; NFPA 285; AS 5113 as the equivalent full-scale tests elsewhere
Related terms
Questions specifiers ask
What are the CAN/ULC-S134 pass criteria?
Flames must not spread more than 5 m above the top of the window opening, and the heat flux 3.5 m above the opening must not exceed 35 kW/m², alongside an assessment of the observed behaviour of the assembly.
When is an S134 test required in Canada?
When a combustible cladding assembly is proposed on a building that the National Building Code requires to be of noncombustible construction and the prescriptive limits on flame spread rating, thickness and height cannot be met.
Is an S134 result accepted in Australia?
No. Australian projects require AS 5113, or a performance solution assessed by a fire safety engineer. The rigs and criteria differ and results are not interchangeable.
Is S134 the same as S114?
No. S114 is a small scale furnace test that decides whether a material is noncombustible. S134 is a full-scale test of a complete wall assembly.
Does an S134 pass cover a whole product range?
No. It covers the assembly as tested, including cavity depth, insulation, membranes, brackets and firestopping. Changes require reassessment.
ShapeShell-RT passed the full-scale BS 8414 and AS 5113 facade test at BRE Global, meeting all AS 5113 criteria. See ShapeShell-RT specifications
Reviewed by Richard Halvorsen, General Manager, ShapeShift Technologies. Last updated September 2026.