Redwood Passes Fire Test
Redwood has been thoroughly tested and has found to be safe and compliant with California most recent and strict fire codes. The tannins and natural resistance that protect redwood trees in forests also protect redwood decks against fire.
Going beyond anecdotal evidence that goes back decades, redwood decking has performed extremely well in flame-spread and heat-release lab tests and has earned a Class B compliance rating, which means redwood decking is safe to use even in the Wildland-Urban Interface. Redwood decking is also listed in California's Fire Marshal's guide of approved building materials.
In a series of fire performance tests conducted on 12 commercial decking materials, California redwood ranked number one in flame resistance. The tests, completed by the University of California Forest Products Laboratory (UCFPL), were designed to evaluate the performance of decking materials exposed to wildland fire hazard conditions.
Construction Heart 2x6, the most widely used redwood decking material in California, was the only product that exhibited no degradation effects such as runaway flaming combustion, flaming drops or particles falling from the deck or collapse of a deck board with or without load during the long exposure tests according to Professor Frank Beall, Director, UCFPL.
