ABCB Amendment One – what it means for ULTRACORE G2. The anticipated BCA 2016 Amendment One has now come into effect as of 12th March 2018 and has been adopted by all states
and territories in Australia. This had already been out for public comment and there were no big surprises, however, if you are unclear as to what this means for Australia’s leading ‘deemed-to-satisfy’ non-combustible aluminium composite cladding product, ULTRACORE G2, here is an overview:
Amendment One has moved the bonded laminates clause C1.12(f) to the new C1.9(e)(vi) clarifying that the lamina (core) of a bonded laminate is required to be non-combustible. The clarification of this clause in the words of the ABCB was made to “prevent the incorrect interpretation that the concession could be applied to ACPs with a combustible core” such as FR/Plus type panel. Importantly, ULTRACORE G2 remains fully compliant under the deemed-to-satisfy provisions of the amendment, satisfying all criteria including component testing to AS 1530.1 and being tested as a complete panel to AS 1530.3 as required by the clause.
All the ULTRACORE G2 deemed-to-satisfy testing was carried out by NATA accredited CSIRO including a product assessment confirming that it meets all requirements of the BCA/NCC for a non-combustible product.
Among the other changes, Amendment One also includes a new verification method CV3, incorporating the new full-scale testing to AS5113 which is a requirement for performance based solutions using any product which does not meet the stringent deemed-to-satisfy provisions.
Although ULTRACORE G2 is deemed-to-satisfy non-combustible and is BCA/NCC compliant on any building as confirmed by CSIRO, we have also undertaken this additional full-scale testing in accordance with CV3 to ensure market confidence in the stringent DtS provisions and provide absolute proof that ULTRACORE G2 does not contribute to the spread of fire in a real world scenario.
Today, ULTRACORE G2 is the only aluminium composite panel available to the Australian construction industry that is correctly tested by NATA accredited laboratories as having satisfied the requirements of all the following industry standards;
- AS 1530.1 (non-combustible)
- AS 1530.3 (0/0/0/1)
- Plus full-scale façade testing;
- BS 8414 and BRE 135
- AS 5113 (excluding debris criteria)
Additionally, this means that ULTRACORE G2 has all the required testing by NATA accredited laboratories for use as both a deemed-to-satisfy solution and/or a performance based solution, providing further confidence and security for architects, builders, certifiers, installers and any other parties involved in the Chain of Supply.
For more information on ULTRACORE G2, and to receive a copy of our Dts testing and/or the RED Fire Engineering Report on our AS 5113 testing please contact us on (08) 9451 2344 or by email: