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Make informed fire protection decisions based on accurate determination of how effectively exterior wall assemblies can resist flame propagation by using testing criteria in the 2012 NFPA 285.

NFPA 285: Standard Fire Test Method for Evaluation of Fire Propagation Characteristics of Exterior Non-Load-Bearing Wall Assemblies Containing Combustible Components provides a method of assessing the flammability characteristics of exterior, non-load bearing wall assemblies and panels which are required to be of non-combustible construction but may contain combustible components. The Standard addresses fire exposures from interior fires that reach flashover, break exterior windows, and expose the building facade.

Changes in the 2012 edition that testing laboratories and manufacturers need to know about include:

• Revised figures in Chapter 6 and an increase in the number of thermocouple location details to address new types of wall systems
• Updated acceptance criteria in Chapter 10 to reflect the thermocouple location revisions

Additional revisions include updating of references, addition of new definitions, corrections and clarifications of text and figures to provide consistency of terms, clarification of language, and editorial revisions.