May 1991

Revised January 2003

Page 1 of 7
REFLECTIVE CEILING INSULATION
Table of Contents
Page
1.0 SCOPE ................................................................................................................................................... 2
1.1 Changes .......................................................................................................................................... 2
2.0 LOSS PREVENTION RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................................... 2
2.1 Construction and Location ............................................................................................................... 2
3.0 SUPPORT FOR RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................... 5
3.1 Additional Information ...................................................................................................................... 5
3.2 Approved Facings ............................................................................................................................ 5
4.0 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................... 5
4.1 FM Global ........................................................................................................................................ 5
4.2 Other ................................................................................................................................................ 5
APPENDIX A GLOSSARY OF TERMS ....................................................................................................... 5
APPENDIX B DOCUMENT REVISION HISTORY ....................................................................................... 5
APPENDIX C SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION ........................................................................................ 6
C.1 Insulation Types .............................................................................................................................. 6
C.2 Plywood Diaphragm Roofs ............................................................................................................. 7
List of Figures
Fig. 1. Typical firestopped plywood diaphragm roof deck (not to scale). ...................................................... 3
Fig. 2. Five-layer reflective insulation. ........................................................................................................... 3
Fig. 3. Single layer reflective insulation. ........................................................................................................ 4
Fig. 4. Multi-layer (five) with single layer cap reflective insulation. ............................................................... 4
Fig. 5. Typical reflective insulations end views. ............................................................................................. 6
FM Global
Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets 1-17
2003 Factory Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of Factory Mutual Insurance Company.
1.0 SCOPE
This data sheet describes the characteristics of acceptable reflective ceiling insulation. It also provides
recommendations for the use and protection of this material. The information in this data sheet is not
applicable to reflective vapor barriers that are commonly applied to glass or mineral fiber insulations.
1.1 Changes
January 2003. Recommendation 2.2.1, item 1 was revised and section 3.2 was added to reflect the
acceptability of Approved insulation facings as a reflective insulation.
2.0 LOSS PREVENTION RECOMMENDATIONS
2.1 Construction and Location
2.1.1 Acceptable reflective ceiling insulation meets the criteria outlined below. Only acceptable insulation
should be used.
1. The insulation should be of aluminum foil/kraft paper construction only. Insulation with plastic coatings,
reinforcements and/or layers should not be used, unless they are listed in the Approval Guide, a publica-
tion of FM Approvals (see section 3.2).
2. The insulation should be fire retardant (FR) treated and have a maximum flame spread rating of 25 per
the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E84 test method. It should comply with the National
Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) (formerly National Bureau of Standards) voluntary product
standard PS 46-71, Flame Resistant Paper and Paperboard.
3. The insulation should be single-layer type or multi-layer up to a maximum of five layers. Insulation with
a greater number of layers should not be used.
4. If a reinforced insulation is to be used, the reinforcement should be noncombustible, such as glass fiber.
5. Insulation containing asphalt or asphalt-based adhesives should not be used.
2.1.2 Reflective ceiling insulation should only be used in buildings protected with automatic sprinklers that
are adequate for the building construction and occupancy. If the construction and occupancy are such that
sprinklers are not needed and they are not provided, it is preferred that reflective insulation not be used.
2.1.3 Reflective ceiling insulation should only be installed in fire-stopped roof deck construction (generally, ply-
wood diaphragm roofs). See Figure 1. The sub-purlins should dead-end into the purlins which should, in
turn, dead-end into the glue-laminated (glu-lam) beams. Constructions in which the purlins and/or sub-purlins
are continuous over their respective supporting members are not acceptable with reflective insulation, unless
fire stopping is constructed as outlined in Recommendation 2.1.4. The voids created by this construction
method may allow for rapid fire spread.
An exception to the above is that acceptable single-layer insulation may be used in non-fire stopped
construction, provided that Recommendations 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.5 and 2.1.8 (if applicable) are met.
2.1.4 In non-fire stopped construction, fire stops should be constructed between the purlins/sub-purlins where
they are supported on larger members. The following materials will provide acceptable fire stopping:
1. 2-in. (51 mm) member dimension lumber toe-nailed in-place between the members.
2. Min.
1
2-in. (19 mm) thick plywood.
3. Noncombustible insulation such as mineral wool. This option should only be used for sub-purlin fire stops.
2.1.5 The glu-lam beams should be a minimum of 20 in. (508 mm) deeper than the sub-purlins. This differ-
ence will reduce the potential for fire spread under the beams.
2.1.6 If the glu-lam beams do not meet the dimension (depth) criteria outlined in Recommendation 2.1.5,
they can be extended by securing min
1
2-in. (13 mm) thick plywood to one side of the beam and extend-
ing it to the recommended depth.
1-17 Reflective Ceiling Insulation
Page 2 FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets
2003 Factory Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved.
Fig. 1. Typical firestopped plywood diaphragm roof deck (not to scale).
Fig. 2. Five-layer reflective insulation.
Reflective Ceiling Insulation 1-17
FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets Page 3
2003 Factory Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved.
2.1.7 Multi-layer insulation should be installed between the sub-purlins. Single-layer insulation should be
secured to the bottom of the sub-purlins. These installations are shown in Figures 2 and 3. The insulation
should not be wrapped under the glu-lam beams or purlins. Single and multi-layer insulation can be used in
combination as shown in Figure 4.
2.1.8 If reflective insulation is to be used in open web joist or truss construction, continuous curtain boards
(draft curtains) should be constructed on the deck underside. They should be a minimum of 20 in. (508 mm)
deeper than the bottom face of the insulation and be spaced a maximum of about 24 ft (7.3 m) apart. Gen-
erally, it would be acceptable to construct the draft curtains by securing min
1
2-in. (13 mm) thick plywood
to one side of the joists or trusses. If the roof construction is steel deck, the spaces above the top of the cur-
tain boards formed by the deck corrugations (flutes) should be filled with noncombustible material, such as
mineral wool.
Fig. 3. Single layer reflective insulation.
Fig. 4. Multi-layer (five) with single layer cap reflective insulation.
1-17 Reflective Ceiling Insulation
Page 4 FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets
2003 Factory Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved.
3.0 SUPPORT FOR RECOMMENDATIONS
3.1 Additional Information
Research testing conducted at FM Global Research has shown that sprinkler protection that is adequate
for an occupancy without reflective ceiling insulation will also be adequate when such insulation is present,
provided that the insulation and installation meet the criteria outlined in the recommendations.
Three general concerns about reflective ceiling insulation were addressed in the research program: the insu-
lations reaction to a slowly developing fire; its effect on a fire in an otherwise adequately sprinklered occu-
pancy; and the potential for secondary fires started by falling pieces of flaming insulation. To address these
situations, two different fire sources were used:
1. A slowly developing heptane fueled fire was used for one test to determine if slow preheating of the insu-
lation, prior to sprinkler operation, would cause rapid fire spread. Previously, it had been thought that this
type of fire would allow for gasification of the kraft paper and adhesive, followed by a rapid flash fire from the
burning gases. The test results showed that the sprinkler protection recommended for the occupancy would
also be adequate under these conditions.
2. An adequately sprinklered full-scale storage occupancy fire was used for two additional tests. These tests
were conducted to determine what effect the reflective ceiling insulation would have on a fire in an adequately
sprinklered occupancy. Again, uncontrolled flame spread was not observed in the insulation.
In all tests, falling insulation debris was not observed to be flaming. In actual fire situations involving accept-
able reflective ceiling insulation, it is not expected that ignition of floor-level combustibles, at a distance from
the original fire source, will occur due to falling pieces of insulation. Also, it is not expected that rapid flame
spread, in advance of sprinkler operation, will occur.
The potential for long-term loss of fire retardant properties in reflective insulation has not been addressed
to-date. Research in this area is to be conducted at FM Global Research. The possibility exists that retroactive
protection or installation recommendations for currently acceptable insulation will be made in the future. This
will depend on the research results and should be considered before installing reflective insulation. If
research confirms loss of fire retardant properties, the appropriate changes to this data sheet will be made.
3.2 Approved Facings
Some insulation facings are listed by FM Approvals for use with glass fiber insulation and the facing may
be used alone as a reflective insulation. These facings may be found in the Building Materials volume of
the Approval Guide in the chapter on Building Insulations, and under the category of Facings for Exposed
Interior Glass Fiber Insulations (Wall/Ceiling).
4.0 REFERENCES
4.1 FM Global
Approval Guide, an online resource of FM Approvals.
4.2 Other
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), E84 test method.
National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), PS 46-71, Flame Resistent Paper and Paperboard.
APPENDIX A GLOSSARY OF TERMS
This document does not have any defined terms.
APPENDIX B DOCUMENT REVISION HISTORY
January 2000. This revision of the document was reorganized to provide a consistent format.
Reflective Ceiling Insulation 1-17
FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets Page 5
2003 Factory Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved.
APPENDIX C SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
Reflective ceiling insulation is commonly used where air conditioning loads are high in comparison to heat-
ing loads. This is generally prevalent in the western and southern United States. In warm climates, heat flow
tends to be down, from the warm outside, through the roof, to the cooler inside. The primary mode of heat
transfer for this condition is radiation. Reflective insulation is very effective in reducing radiative heat flow.
C.1 Insulation Types
Reflective ceiling insulation (Fig. 5) can be broadly categorized as two types: single layer and multi-layer.
The former is actually a tri-laminate consisting of a kraft paper core faced on both sides with aluminum foil.
The foil is adhered with an fire retardant (FR)-treated adhesive. The latter is typically constructed with top
and bottom layers of kraft paper/aluminum foil laminates with the aluminum foil facing outward. Intermedi-
ate layers are alternating sheets of aluminum foil and kraft paper. Each sheet is separated by a dead air space
of approximately 1 in. (25 mm).
Fig. 5. Typical reflective insulations end views.
1-17 Reflective Ceiling Insulation
Page 6 FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets
2003 Factory Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved.
Multi-layer material is available with up to nine layers, although material with more than five layers is
uncommon. It is expected that the fire hazard will increase with additional layers.
When first introduced, reflective insulation was generally not FR treated. Most, if not all, reflective insula-
tion manufactured since about 1980 is FR treated and conforms to NIST PS 46-71, Flame Resistant Paper
and Paperboard. Fire performance of the FR material is expected to be better than the non-FR material.
C.2 Plywood Diaphragm Roofs
The most common type of roof to which reflective ceiling insulation is attached is the plywood diaphragm
roof. In this type of construction, a plywood deck is supported on 24-in. (51102 mm) sub-purlins spaced
approximately 2 ft (0.6 m) on center (o.c.). The sub-purlins butt into and are supported by 4 in.12-24-in.
(102 mm 305-610 mm) purlins spaced approximately 8 ft (2.4 m) o.c. These, in turn, butt into and are sup-
ported by 7 in.24-40-in. (178 610-1020 mm) glue- laminated beams. The glu-lam beams are usually spaced
20 to 24 ft (6 to 7 m) apart. Member sizes and spacing may vary somewhat in individual installations. This
type of construction is considered fire stopped since the smaller members are not continuous over their
respective supporting members. In some installations, the glu-lam beams run in both directions.
In some plywood deck constructions, the sub-purlins and/or purlins do not butt into their respective support-
ing members but are continuous over them. This type of construction is not considered fire-stopped because
of the voids created over and between the members. In this type of construction, a fire in the insulation could
spread over the supporting members and possibly overtax the sprinkler system.
Reflective Ceiling Insulation 1-17
FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets Page 7
2003 Factory Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved.