Building Regulations and Fire Ratings Explained

At Cladding Coatings, health and safety is of paramount importance, and it is our continual aim to use only the very best coating systems. Therefore, when selecting the products we work with, it is imperative that they comprehensively meet Building Regulations and only the highest fire rating standards.

Transparency with our customers is key to our integrity as a business. Where possible, we always share the safety standards information regarding our systems; however, we are aware that this information is not always easy to digest. As such, we’ve put together an overview of Building Regulations and fire ratings and how these relate to the products we use, such as the AA-rated TOR Elastaseal™ Roof Coating system we use on gutters and cut-edge corrosion.

What are Building Regulations?

Building regulations are developed by the government, and approved by Parliament. They apply to almost every building, and relate to the minimum standards your building must adhere to for construction, design, and alterations. The standards ensure the building’s safety, and cover a broad section of requirements, such as access, structure, and fire safety.

What are the Building Regulations regarding roof coverings?

The Building Regulations 2000, Volume 2, outlines in comprehensive detail the standards of fire safety. Section 14: Roof Coverings, states that it concerns ‘provisions that limit the use, near a boundary, of roof coverings which will not give adequate protection against the spread of fire over them’. Primarily related to the performance of roofs when exposed to fire from the outside, the regulations must be fully complied with.

How do the regulations ensure fire safety?

Of course, it is imperative to consider the potential impact of fire on your building. Building Regulations dictate the degree of fire resistance that must be met by each element of your building’s structure; the British Standard 476 ‘dictates the appropriate fire tests for these elements of structure/materials’, and therefore ‘grades the level of fire resistance’. BS476 is composed of a comprehensive list of stringent current fire safety standards, which can be found here.

Rust-Oleum, one of the paint suppliers we work with here at Cladding Coatings, have confirmed that Noxyde (a water-based coating with corrosion protection, which we use on many of our projects) has been tested and has a Class 1 rating in accordance with BS476.

What does a BS476 fire rating show?

Under BS476, the external coverings of roofs are classified by two letters, used by the Building Regulations to define minimum separation distances for roofs from adjacent property boundaries. These letters are in the range A-D: an AA rating is the best.

At Cladding Coatings, we recognise the importance of the AA-rating, and strive to use only the systems that achieve this highest standard. One such system is the TOR Elastaseal™ Roof Coating system, which we use on gutters and cut-edge corrosion. It is a cold-liquid waterproofing solution, designed to offer long-term protection to flat roofs, gutters, and pitched roofs. Safe and easy to install, with minimal risk and disruption, it provides an impermeable finish that in turn extends the lifespan of the roof. As TOR Elastaseal™ is rated AA under BS476 classifications, we are proud to confidently use a roof coating system that achieves the highest of standards – providing our customers with the necessary confidence fundamental to successful project completion.

To find out more about the Building Regulations Volume 2, please view the full document here.