The test: AS ISO 9239.1
Floor coverings are tested to AS ISO 9239.1, the radiant panel test. A sample is laid flat under a gas-fired radiant panel set at an angle, so the heat reaching the sample falls away along its length. The sample is ignited at the hot end and the flame spreads until the heat reaching the surface is too low to keep it burning.
The heat flux at the point where the flame stops is the critical radiant flux, in kilowatts per square metre. The higher the figure, the more heat the floor withstands before flame spreads across it. The same test records smoke, reported as a smoke development rate in percent-minutes.
The NCC thresholds
The National Construction Code sets the minimum critical radiant flux for floor linings and floor coverings in Volume One, Specification 7 (Specification C1.10 in NCC 2019). The figure required depends on three things: the building class, the part of the building, and whether the building is sprinklered.
- 1.2 kW/m²
- Where it typically appliesGeneral floor areas across most building classes, subject to sprinkler protection
- 2.2 kW/m²
- Where it typically appliesHigher-risk occupancies, such as aged-care accommodation, health-care patient areas and some assembly spaces, depending on sprinkler protection
- 4.5 kW/m²
- Where it typically appliesFire-isolated exits, and patient-care and aged-care areas in buildings without sprinklers
| Minimum critical radiant flux | Where it typically applies |
|---|---|
| 1.2 kW/m² | General floor areas across most building classes, subject to sprinkler protection |
| 2.2 kW/m² | Higher-risk occupancies, such as aged-care accommodation, health-care patient areas and some assembly spaces, depending on sprinkler protection |
| 4.5 kW/m² | Fire-isolated exits, and patient-care and aged-care areas in buildings without sprinklers |
Where the building is not sprinklered, the floor covering must also have a smoke development rate of no more than 750 percent-minutes. Any part of a floor covering taken more than 150mm up a wall is assessed as a wall lining for that portion.
The thresholds above are a summary. Check the current edition of Specification 7 against the project's building class, or confirm with the building surveyor.
Why "compliant" is not enough
"AS ISO 9239.1 compliant" tells you a product was tested. It does not tell you which threshold it cleared. A floor that achieves 2.3 kW/m² is acceptable across an office floor and cannot go into a fire-isolated stair. A certifier signing off a health-care fit-out needs the number, and the smoke figure as well if the building is not sprinklered.
- —The critical radiant flux, in kW/m².
- —The smoke development rate, in percent-minutes.
- —The test report itself: the laboratory, the report date and the exact product tested.
- —Confirmation that the tested build-up matches the installation. Results depend on how the sample was mounted, so a glue-down product tested on one substrate does not automatically carry its result to another.
Maison Commercial ranges
All five Maison Commercial ranges are tested to AS ISO 9239.1. Fire test documentation for each range is available on request through the specification page, so the figures can be checked against the building class and location before the floor is specified. Range-by-range compliance data is on the Technical and compliance page.