How To Fire Block Metal Framing

Materials for Fire Blocking.

How to fire block metal framing. With resources like the American Iron and Steel Institutes AISI cold-formed steel framing standards. In an unblocked balloon-framed building for example a fire that starts in the basement can rapidly travel up the stud bays and spread into the joist bays and attic. Particleboard covering any seams.

If fire can pass through one section and travel to another it needs to be blocked. As a rule of thumb these sprays offer fire protection for up to 240 minutes. Standard construction specifies the vertical studs be installed 16 inches apart.

If you do attempt to use foam be sure it is approved for fire stopping. Fire blocking isnt something youll see at the Home Depot labeled fire stopping stuff or fire block. The block is nothing more than a 2 x 6 or fire-rated drywall turned flat and attached to the bottom of the first floor joists.

One layer of 34-in. CONSULT YOUR LOCAL BUILDING DEPARTMENT. It acts as a cap at the top of your framed basement wall to contain any fire in the wall long enough to alert the smoke alarms in the basement see illustration at bottom.

And heres what the finished product looks like. Materials approved for fire blocking are just common building materials. Vertical Basement Wall Fire Blocking Fire blocking basement walls is installed by nailing on strips of 5x8 or thicker OSB.

Horizontal Basement Wall Fire Blocking Fire blocking must also be installed every 10 horizontally along the wall IRC 3021112. Without this blocking installed your. The purpose of fire blocking is to prevent fire from spreading through the concealed spaces of a building.