Decking Products Under Fire

Researchers completed two separate burn tests on 15 common decking materials, including Construction Heart redwood, six pure or fiberglass-reinforced plastic products, and eight wood-plastic composite materials. Though the tests yielded no clear victor, some trends emerged. Decking form proved to be generally more relevant than material. Solid decking products, for example, usually outperformed their hollow or channeled counterparts.

The first test, an under-deck flame impingement test, simulated a ground fire by exposing the deck samples to an 80 kW propane burner for three minutes. Next, the burning-brand test determined the effects, when accompanied by a controlled breeze, of a piece of burning debris landing on the decks. Each sample was observed for accelerated heat release, the dropping (or dripping) of burning material, and board collapse.