Ontario, Calif. — IAPMO’s Uniform Evaluation Service (UES) would like to notify building and mechanical officials, IAPMO UES report holders, and other interested parties about changes to the standards referenced in the 2024 International Building Code® (IBC), 2024 International Residential Code® (IRC) and 2024 International Mechanical Code® (IMC) for determining noncombustible materials.
All three codes have long relied on ASTM E136, Standard Test Method for Assessing Combustibility of Materials Using a Vertical Tube Furnace at 750 °C, for deciding if a material is combustible or noncombustible. This test heats the materials and relies on weight loss, temperature rise, and flaming as criteria for the noncombustible classification. Pass/fail results are provided, but actual quantifications of combustibility are not reported.
In 2011, ASTM E136 incorporated an alternative test method, ASTM E2652, Standard Test Method for Assessing Combustibility of Materials Using a Tube Furnace with a Cone-Shaped Airflow Stabilizer, at 750 °C, as Option B, maintaining the original test as Option A. ASTM E2652 does not contain pass/fail requirements, and lists the interior and surface temperature thermocouples for the specimen as optional. However, ASTM E136 specifies that the same pass/fail criteria apply to Option A and Option B, and interior and surface temperature thermocouples need to be implemented and measured for the ASTM E2652 testing.
Beginning in 2015, the IBC, IMC, and IRC adopted versions of ASTM E136 containing both Option A and Option B. More recently, the IBC (2021), but not the IMC or IRC, added ASTM E2652 to Section 703.3.1 as an alternative test method, provided the acceptance criteria in ASTM E136 are used.
As a result, one should read the test report conducted to ASTM E2652 closely to verify that 1) the thermocouples for the interior and surface of the specimens are used and temperature readings reported; and 2) the pass/fail conditions in ASTM E136 Section 15 have been achieved. These conditions are fairly detailed, so they should be included in the test report.
In 2022, ASTM revised ASTM E136 Section 15 to clarify that the specimen interior temperature measurements and the specimen surface temperature measurements need to be assessed separately for conformance to the temperature rise limitations.
ASTM E136-22 was adopted by the 2024 IBC, 2024 IMC, and 2024 IRC. This means that for conformance to these codes, testing and reporting need to adhere to the revised requirements. Test reports to earlier versions of the standard may not follow the updated pass/fail acceptance criteria. Additionally, any tests using ASTM E2652 must be reported as conforming to ASTM E136-22 to be acceptable under the 2024 IBC, 2024 IMC, and 2024 IRC.
Also, the 2024 Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC®) references ASTM E136-19a, which does not contain the revised reporting for pass/fail requirements.
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Construction Products Group is the testing, evaluation, and inspection entity of IAPMO®, connecting the expertise of IAPMO Uniform Evaluation Services (UES), Quality Control Consultants (QCC), and the Institute of Building Technology (IBT) to support innovation across the built environment. UES is one of the most prominent evaluation service providers, recognized by SEAOC and others. Its reports demonstrate that products and systems meet code requirements, as defined by the scope and conditions of use in each report. IAPMO coordinates the development and adoption of plumbing, mechanical, swimming pool, and food sanitation codes to meet the specific needs of individual jurisdictions both in the United States and abroad.
For more information about IAPMO Uniform ES, please visit www.iapmocpg.org. Contact us at (877) 443-7778 or info@iapmocpg.org
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