Raising the Bar on Fire-Rated Building Envelopes with Kingspan’s K-Roc® FX

Commercial and industrial buildings have a lot to account for: occupant safety, safe egress, and protection for the equipment and assets inside. Contractors also need solutions that fit into real-world timelines and crews, without adding complexity in the field.

Kingspan's new K-Roc® FX insulated metal panel system is built with these priorities in mind.

Featuring a mineral wool insulation core, K-Roc FX provides fire ratings of up to three hours for wall applications and up to two hours for ceiling applications, depending on panel thickness and installation requirements. The system also incorporates factory-applied intumescent tape in the panel joint to help streamline installation and reduce field labor.Here is a closer look at what K-Roc FX brings to commercial and industrial projects.

Fire performance for demanding applications

K-Roc FX has been tested to ASTM E119 and ULC-S101 fire-rating standards. The system is available in 4-, 6-, and 8-inch thicknesses, giving project teams options based on required fire performance.

For ceiling applications, 8-inch K-Roc FX panels can achieve a fire rating of up to two hours. For wall applications:

• 4-inch panels can achieve a 1-hour fire rating
• 6-inch panels can achieve a 2-hour fire rating
• 8-inch panels can achieve a 3-hour fire rating

Streamlining installation

High-performance building envelope systems still need to make sense on the job site. One of the key installation features of K-Roc FX is factory-applied Promat intumescent tape in the panel joint. The tape replaces the need to field-apply beads of Safire Intumescent Mastic, a flexible, water-based acrylic sealant.

Moving this step from the field to the factory simplifies installation, improves efficiency, and reduces labor requirements on the job site. That can be especially valuable as contractors work to keep increasingly complex construction projects on schedule.

Performance beyond fire resistance

Fire performance is only one consideration when selecting a building envelope. K-Roc FX also provides an R-value of 3.7 per inch per ASTM C518 at a 75-degree Fahrenheit mean temperature. The system features a 42-inch cover width and can be installed either vertically or horizontally.

The panels have also been tested for air and water performance. ASTM E283 testing showed air leakage of 0.01 CFM per square foot of panel area at 6.24 psf. During ASTM E331 testing, the system demonstrated no uncontrolled water penetration at a 10 psf differential pressure.

Together, these attributes provide architects and contractors with a system that addresses several important building envelope performance considerations in a single-panel solution.

Fire performance without sacrificing design

Performance requirements do not have to mean limited design choices. K-Roc FX is available in five exterior profiles:

• Azteco™
• Flat
• Micro-Rib
• Mini Micro-Rib
• Shadowline

Exterior surfaces are available in stucco or non-embossed finishes, while the Azteco profile can be specified with Azteco embossing. The variety of profiles and finishes gives architects greater flexibility to meet project-specific design goals while incorporating the required fire performance into the building envelope.

A new option for fire-rated projects

Commercial and industrial buildings increasingly require envelope systems that can address multiple priorities at once, from fire resistance to air and water control, installation efficiency, and architectural design. K-Roc FX was developed with those demands in mind.

“Fire-rated IMPs are critical for many commercial and industrial projects, but contractors also need building envelope solutions that help them work efficiently in the field. K-Roc FX brings those priorities together. Its mineral wool core provides the fire resistance required for demanding applications, while the factory-applied intumescent tape helps reduce installation steps and field labor.”

– Karim Muri, VP of Marketing Services and Strategy Development