Cem-Rock offers best-in-class fire & eco credentials - Greenspan

This article was originally published in issue 38 of Passive House Plus magazine. Want immediate access to all back issues and exclusive extra content? Click here to subscribe for as little as €10, or click here to receive the next issue free of charge

“Cem-Rock is mainly geared to be used as a sheathing board for larger buildings, and for mid and high-rise construction,” Mike Cregan, managing director of Greenspan, told Passive House Plus. “We find it’s very popular because of its excellent fire performance and because of its tremendous structural and sustainability credentials. It also has excellent pull out resistance and racking strength, making it ideal for use on timber frame construction.”

Designed as an alternative to traditional fibre cement or OSB/ plywood boards, Greenspan launched Cem-Rock in 2013. Cregan said that the board’s “fire, moisture, mould and mildew resistance properties far outweigh any competing products like plywood or OSB sheathing” and that its performance is unaffected by environmental exposure during construction.

The company has developed different variations of the product to be used as exterior sheathing boards, external insulation substrate boards, and rainscreen backer boards. The newest iteration is Cem-Rock Floor.

“Cem-Rock Floor has structural and bending characteristics similar to plywood, and Cem-Rock Floor has been tested for its load bearing capabilities making it suitable for all classes of buildings,” Cregan added.

Cem-Rock is produced from magnesium oxide, a white hygroscopic solid mineral, together with binders such as perlite and wood dust. The material is inert and fully recyclable. It is manufactured using a cold process that is powered entirely on electricity, so can be fully powered by renewables, and requires no firing or autoclaving, thus minimising carbon emissions.

“Cem-Rock Floor also offers best-in-class fire performance,” Cregan said, “making it a popular choice for large buildings such as apartments, commercial, student accommodation and high rise where fire performance is critical”. It has achieved Euroclass A1 non-combustibility rating according to BS EN 13501, and Cem-Rock achieves more than two hours of fire resistance on wall partitions according to BS EN 476 parts 20 and 22.

Cem-Rock has also recently become the first Irish brand of MgO boards to enter the US market.

For more information see www.cemrock.ie.