Use and Care Manual

CORROSIVITY
The corrosivity of FirePRO brand fire retardant treated wood has been evaluated in accordance with AWPA Standard E12-94 for a variety
of metals. The corrosion rates for carbon steel, galvanized steel, stainless steel, aluminum, red brass, and copper are not significantly
increased by FirePRO brand fire retardant chemicals when the treated wood products are used as recommended by the manufacturer and
properly sized for the materials selected.
The following metal fasteners are recommended for use in contact with FirePRO brand fire retardant treated wood: 2024-T3 aluminum, SAE
1010 steel, hot-dip zinc galvanized steel, stainless steel, copper, or red brass.
HYGROSCOPICITY
Hygroscopicity testing conducted by independent laboratories has confirmed that compared to untreated
wood, FirePRO brand fire retardant treated wood does not pick up excessive moisture even under
humid test conditions.
Consequently, FirePRO brand fire retardant treated lumber and plywood qualifies as Interior
Type A High Temperature (HT) fire retardant treated wood in accordance with Sections 2.2.2.1
of AWPA Standards C20 and C27, when tested at 92% relative humidity.
APPLICATIONS
FirePRO brand fire retardant treated wood is typically permitted for interior, above ground applications such as: roof systems, studs, flooring,
joists, sill plates, (when not in direct contact with the ground) blocking and furring, and other interior applications. The specifier and/or
end user is responsible to review the test data on FirePRO brand fire retardant treated wood to determine if it is acceptable for the
intended end use.***
TERMITE AND DECAY PROTECTION
The fire retardant in FirePRO FRTW contains borates and is an EPA registered pesticide. This offers FirePRO FRTW protection from
termites and decay fungi.
AVAILABLE SPECIES
FirePRO brand fire retardant treated lumber is available in a
wide range of softwood species including:
• Southern Pine • Western Hemlock • Lodgepole Pine
• Red Pine • White Fir • Balsam Fir
• Douglas Fir • Alpine Fir • White Spruce
• Ponderosa Pine • Hem-Fir • Jack Pine
• Spruce-Pine-Fir • Englemann Spruce • Red Spruce
• Black Spruce
FirePRO fire retardant treated plywood is available in Douglas-Fir.
INSTALLATION
Structural systems, which include FirePRO brand fire retardant treated lumber or plywood, should be designed and installed in accordance
with the adopted building code using the appropriate lumber design adjustment factors and plywood spans from Tables 1 and 2. Ventilation
should be provided in compliance with the applicable codes in force at time of construction.
FirePRO brand fire retardant treated wood is not permitted for applications where the material may be exposed to precipitation, direct
wetting, regular condensation, and should never be used in contact with the ground.
Exposure to precipitation during shipping, storage or installation should be avoided. If material does become wet, it should be replaced.
FINISHING AND WORKABILITY
Under normal temperature and humidity conditions, latex and oil-based
paints, as well as water- and solvent-based stains, can be used with FirePRO
brand fire retardant treated wood. If prolonged exposure to high humidity
conditions is expected, special surface preparation procedures including the
use of an appropriate primer are recommended. Before application of any
finish, the wood surface should be lightly sanded, cleaned and dry. For best
results, always follow the coating manufacturer’s label instructions.
Typical joining cuts, end cuts, and drilled holes will not adversely affect the fire
performance of FirePRO brand fire retardant treated wood and no field treatment
is required to maintain flame spread ratings. However, ripping or milling of
FirePRO FRT lumber is not permitted, as these operations could adversely affect
the surface burning characteristics. FirePRO fire retardant treated plywood can
be ripped as required.
IDENTIFICATION
All lumber and plywood treated with FirePRO brand fire retardant chemicals will be identified with the grade mark of an approved quality
assurance agency. FirePRO brand fire retardant treated wood will, in addition, bear the Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) stamp, the producer’s
name and location, the flame spread rating or FR-S designation, the statement “TP MONITORED STD FP-00”, and the National Evaluation
Report number, for field identification (see Figure 1).
FirePRO
®
brand fire retardant treated wood (FRTW) is lumber and plywood pressure
impregnated with FirePRO Interior Type A High Temperature (HT) fire retardant chemicals.
FirePRO brand fire retardant is a patented formulation based on proprietary Osmose technology.
Historically, fire retardants have depended upon phosphorus-based compounds to achieve
fire performance properties. While the unique FirePRO chemistry contains no phosphates,
independent testing performed in accordance with industry standards has shown FirePRO
FRTW to exhibit exceptional fire performance properties without compromising other critical
engineering properties such as strength durability, corrosivity and hygroscopicity. In fact,
when compared to the untreated wood used in these tests, FirePRO FRTW exhibited superior
strength durability, low hygroscopicity and resistance to fastener corrosion.
FirePRO FRTW is available nationwide through a network of independently owned and operated wood treatment facilities licensed by
Osmose. A 50-Year Limited Warranty against structural failure due to heat or humidity is available. See the FirePRO 50-Year Limited
Warranty for details.
FirePRO brand fire retardant treated wood is typically specified for use in areas not exposed to the weather or wetting and where the adopted
building code permits the use of wood or fire retardant treated wood.
KEY PRODUCT VALUES
• Independently Tested • Low Smoke Development Values
• Limited Warranty • Superior Strength Durability
• Corrosion Resistant • Quality Monitored by Independent Inspection Agency
• Low Hygroscopicity • Pressure-Treated (Not a Coating)
• Highly Cost Effective • UL Classified (FR-S Rated) for Surface Burning Characteristics
• EPA registered pesticide
FIRE PERFORMANCE
All FirePRO brand fire retardant treated wood is recognized as having flame spread and smoke development ratings of 25 or less when
subjected to ASTM E-84 surface burning characteristics in tests of 30 minutes duration without evidence of significant progressive combustion.
Consequently, wood treated with FirePRO fire retardant carries the superior UL “FR-S” classification for surface burning characteristics.
Moreover, independent combustion toxicity testing has shown that smoke generated by FirePRO brand fire retardant treated wood is no
more toxic than smoke produced by untreated wood.
STRENGTH DURABILITY
The structural durability of FirePRO brand fire retardant treated lumber and plywood has been tested by the USDA Forest Products
Laboratory*, according to the latest and most stringent versions of ASTM strength durability standards. When tested according to ASTM
Standards D5564-95 (lumber) and D5516-96 (plywood), FirePRO brand fire retardant treated wood showed no signs of significant degrade
over untreated wood following exposure to the severe test conditions.
This structural performance testing demonstrates that lumber and plywood treated with FirePRO chemicals show no indications and no
significant potential to experience high temperature strength reductions or exhibit thermal degradation when exposed for extended periods
to elevated temperatures and humidity.
The National Design Specifications (NDS), Wood Handbook, and other publications have
cautioned against the use of any wood product in environments exceeding 150˚F. Based on
the strength data generated when tested per industry protocol at the USDA Forest Products
Laboratory, professional engineers have calculated design values and span adjustments to modify
the untreated design values for lumber and span ratings for plywood. These design values are
applicable at temperatures up to 180˚F for lumber and 170˚F for plywood (see Tables 1 and 2).
APA Rating
Panel Thickness
(inch)
FirePro Rating
12/0
16/0
20/0
24/0
24/16
32/16
32/16
40/20
40/20
48/24
48/24
5/16
5/16, 3/8
5/16, 3/8
3/8, 7/16, 1/2
7/16, 1/2
15/32, 1/2
5/8
5/8, 19/32
3/4, 7/8
23/32, 3/4
7/8
12/0
16/0
20/0
24/0
24/16
32/16
32/16
32/20
40/20
48/24
48/24
Table 2: FirePro FRT Plywood Span Ratings for 
Douglas Fir Sheathing.
(Applicable to temperatures up to 170˚F)
Compression
Parallel to Grain
1.001.00 1.00
Tension Parallel
to Grain
0.990.82 0.83
0.880.97 0.93
Horizontal Shear
0.940.95 0.99
Bending: MOE, E
Bending: Extreme
Fiber Stress, FB
0.890.84 0.97
Strength Design
Factor
Southern
Pine
Douglas
Fir
Spruce
Other
Available
Species**
1.00
0.82
0.88
0.94
0.84
Table 1: FirePro FRT Lumber Design Factors as
Compared to Untreated Lumber.
(Applicable to temperatures up to 180˚F)
Figure 1:
Interior Type A High Temperature
(HT) Fire Retardant Treated Wood
ABC Wood Treated
Hometown, USA
NER-577 KDAT
TP MONITORED STD FP-00
(NER QA-275)
2004
FR-S LUMBER
2S74
Interior Type A High Temperature
(HT) Fire Retardant Treated Wood
ABC Wood Treated
Hometown, USA
NER-577 KDAT
TP MONITORED STD FP-00
(NER QA-275)
2004
FR-S PLYWOOD
25LN
fire retardant
TREATED WOOD