Building with Timber – Construction requirements for Bushfire Attack Levels as (This summary of timber requirements, extracted from

(This summary of timber requirements, extracted from AS 3959-2018

(Amdt No. 1), does not cover all aspects of AS 3959 which should be
per AS 3959-2018 (Amdt No. 1) Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas referred to when designing and specifying to the Standard.)

Building Element BAL- BAL-12.5 BAL-19 BAL-29 BAL-40 BAL-FZ

LOW

Roof Tiled NR • Fully sarked (Flammability Index not more than 5) • Constructed in accordance
• Installed directly below tile battens with AS 3959 Appendix H, or
• Must cover entire roof area including ridge and extend into gutters and valleys with no gaps where the sarking meets facias, gutters, valleys and the like. • System complies with AS
1530.8.2 when tested from
Sheet NR • Fully sarked (Flammability Index not more than 5) the outside
• Foil-backed insulation blankets may be installed over battens
• Have any gaps sealed with –
- Mesh or perforated sheet used as a screen with a maximum 2 mm aperture made of corrosion-resistant steel, bronze or aluminum, or
- Mineral wool, or
- Other non-combustible material

Fascia & bargeboards NR NR NR • Bushfire-resisting timber • Complying with AS 1530.8.1 • Complying with AS 1530.8.2
• Metal fixed at 450 mm centres

Eaves linings NR NR NR • 4.5 mm fibre-cement • 6 mm fibre-cement • FRL - /30/30, or

• Bushfire-resisting timber • 6 mm calcium silicate • Complying with AS 1530.8.2

Windows NR • Behind bushfire shutters (any timber-framed • Behind bushfire shutters (any timber-framed • Behind bushfire shutters • Behind non-combustible bushfire • Behind bushfire shutters
window), or window), or (any timber-framed window), or shutters (any timber-framed (shutters complying with
• Behind screens (any timber-framed window), or • Behind screens (any timber-framed window), or • Windows window), or AS 1530.8.2 when tested
• Less than 400 mm off horizontal surface • Less than 400 mm off horizontal surface - Glazing: • Windows from the outside – any
- Frames - Frames - 5 mm toughened glass - Glazing: timber-framed window), or
- Bushfire-resisting timber, or - Bushfire-resisting timber or and if less than 400 mm - 6 mm toughened glass • Window system having FRL
- Timber species from E2 - Timber species from E2 from a horizontal surface - External screens to all parts of –/30/– and screens to
- Glazing: 4 mm Grade A safety and openable - Glazing: 5 mm toughened glass and and externally screened of window openable part of window, or
part screened openable part screened - Screens to openable parts - Frames: metal • Window system complying
• Greater than 400 mm off horizontal surface • Greater than 400 mm off horizontal surface of window - Seals: Flammability Index not with AS 1530.8.2 and the
- annealed glass - annealed glass - Frames: Bushfire-resisting more than 5 openable part of the
- screens to openable parts of window - screens to openable parts of window timber window screened

External Side NR • Behind bushfire shutters (any timber door), or • Behind bushfire shutters • Behind non-combustible bushfire • Behind bushfire shutters
Doors hung • Behind screens (any timber door), or (any timber door), or shutters (any timber door), or (shutters complying with
• Unglazed Door • Behind screens (any timber • Unglazed Door AS 1530.8.2 when tested
- Joinery door), or - Joinery from the outside – any
- Non-combustible or • Unglazed Door - Non-combustible, or timber door), or
- Solid, laminated or reconstituted timber having minimum thickness of 35 mm for the - Joinery - Solid, laminated or reconstituted • Door system having FRL
lower 400 mm or - Non-combustible, or timber having minimum of –/30/–, or
- Timber hollow core with a non-combustible kickplate for the lower 400 mm - Solid, laminated or thickness of 35 mm, with lower • Door system complying
• Glazed door reconstituted timber having 400 mm screened with a mesh with AS 1530.8.2
- Glazing: as per windows minimum thickness of • Glazed door
- Joinery less than 400 mm from a horizontal surface: 35 mm, or - Glazing: 6 mm toughened glass (Note: Seals are not to
- Bushfire-resisting timber or • Glazed door and externally screened compromise performance)
- Timber species from E2 - Glazing: 6 mm toughened glass - Joinery: Non-combustible
- Joinery greater than 400 mm from a horizontal surface - NR - Joinery: Bushfire-resisting • Door frame/jamb: Metal
• Door frame/jamb timber • Seals: Flammability Index not
- Less than 400 mm from a horizontal surface • Door frame/jamb: Bushfire more than 5
- Bushfire-resisting timber or resisting timber
- Timber species from E2
- Greater than 400 mm from a horizontal surface - NR

Sliding NR • Behind bushfire shutters (any timber-framed • Behind bushfire shutters (any timber-framed • Behind bushfire shutters • Behind bushfire shutters • Behind bushfire shutters
door door), or door), or (any timber-framed door), or (any timber-framed door), or (shutters complying with
• Behind screens (any timber-framed door), or • Behind screens (any timber-framed door), or • Behind screens (any timber • Glazed door AS 1530.8.2 when tested
• Glazed door: Grade A safety glass min. • Glazed door: 5 mm toughened glass framed door), or - Glazing: FRL –/30/–, or 6 mm from the outside – (any
4 mm thickness - Joinery less than 400 mm from a • Glazed door toughened glass behind screens timber-framed door), or
- Joinery less than 400 mm from a horizontal surface - Glazing: 6 mm toughened glass to all parts of door • Door system having FRL
horizontal surface - Bushfire-resisting timber or • Door frame/jamb - Door frame/jamb: Metal of –/30/–, or
- Bushfire-resisting timber or - Timber species from E1 - Bushfire-resisting timber - Seals: Flammability Index not • Door system complying
- Timber species from E1 - Joinery greater than 400 mm from more than 5 with AS 1530.8.2
- Joinery greater than 400 mm from a a horizontal surface – NR
horizontal surface – NR

NR – No requirement. Note: Construction requirements required for a higher BAL can be used for a lower BAL e.g. BAL–FZ requirements can be used in BAL–40.
Building with Timber – Construction requirements for Bushfire Attack Levels as (This summary of timber requirements, extracted from AS 3959-2018
(Amdt No. 1), does not cover all aspects of AS 3959 which should be
per AS 3959-2018 (Amdt No. 1) Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas referred to when designing and specifying to the Standard.)

Building Element BAL- BAL-12.5 BAL-19 BAL-29 BAL-40 BAL-FZ

LOW

External Cladding Light- NR Any cladding within 400 mm from a horizontal surface • Fibre-cement minimum 6 mm thickness or • Fibre-cement minimum 9 mm thickness or • A system complying with AS 1530.8.2
Walls weight • Non-combustible material or • steel sheet or • steel sheet or when tested from outside, or
• Fibre-cement sheet minimum 6 mm thickness or • bushfire-resisting timber or • a system complying with AS 1530.8.1 • A system with an FRL of 30/30/30 or
• Bushfire-resisting timber or • Timber logs, gauge planed, with minimum: –/30/30 when tested from outside
• Timber species listed in E1 or - Density 680 kg/m3, and
• Timber logs, gauge planed, with minimum: - 90 mm nominal overall thickness, and Note: Fire-rated, timber-clad wall systems can
- Density 680 kg/m3, and - 70 mm thickness at interface of two logs achieve this performance requirement.
- 90 mm nominal overall thickness, and
- 70 mm thickness at interface of two logs

Brick NR NR NR NR NR NR

Framing members NR NR NR NR NR NR

Floors Enclosed+ NR NR NR NR (includes mesh walls) NR NR

(bearers,
joists, Unenclosed • Flooring materials less than 400 mm • Flooring material • FRL of at least 30/30/30 and
flooring) - non-combustible, or - non-combustible, or non-combustible surface material, or
- bushfire-resisting timber, or - Timber flooring members must have the • Underside of combustible floor system
- non-bushfire-resisting timber, particleboard or plywood flooring with the underside lined underside lined with a non-combustible protected with a 30 min resistant to
with sarking or mineral wool insulation material (eg fibre-cement or metal incipient spread of fire system or
• Flooring materials greater than or equal to 400 mm – NR sheet), or • Complying with AS 1530.8.2 when tested
- complying with AS 1530.8.1 from the outside

Sub-floor Enclosed+ NR NR NR NR NR NR
(posts,
stumps, Unenclosed NR • Non-combustible material, or • Non-combustible material, or • FRL of at least 30/–/– and
columns, • Bushfire-resisting timber • Complying with AS 1530.8.1 non-combustible, or
etc) • Complying with AS 1530.8.2

Decks, Enclosed+ NR • Wall enclosing sub-floor deck space first 400 mm from • Walls enclosing subfloor deck space • Walls enclosing subfloor deck space • Walls enclosing subfloor deck space
steps, a horizontal surface is to be the same as for walls above - Non-combustible, or - Comply with external wall - Comply with external wall requirements, or
ramps and • Supports – NR - Bushfire resisting timber, or requirements, or - Mesh
landings • Framing – NR - Mesh - Mesh • Supports – NR
• Decking – less than 300 mm from glazed • Supports – NR • Supports – NR • Framing – NR
element is to be • Framing – NR • Framing – NR • Decking to have no gaps and be
- Non-combustible, or • Decking: • Decking: - Non-combustible, or
- Bushfire-resisting timber, or - Non-combustible, or - Non-combustible, or - Fibre-cement sheet, or
- Timber species from E1 - Bushfire-resisting timber - Complying with AS 1530.8.1 - Complying with AS 1530.8.2

Unenclosed NR • Supports – NR • Supports • Supports • Supports

• Framing – NR - Non-combustible, or - Non-combustible, or - Non-combustible, or
• Decking – less than 300 mm from glazed - Bushfire-resisting timber - Complying with AS 1530.8.1 - Complying with AS 1530.8.2
elements is to be • Framing • Framing • Framing
- Non-combustible, or - Non-combustible, or - Non-combustible, or - Non-combustible, or
- Bushfire-resisting timber, or - Bushfire-resisting timber - Complying with AS 1530.8.1 - Complying with AS 1530.8.2
- Timber species from E1 • Decking • Decking • Decking
- Non-combustible, or - Non-combustible, or - Non-combustible, or
- Bushfire-resisting timber - Complying with AS 1530.8.1 - Fibre-cement sheets, or
- Complying with AS 1530.8.2

Balustrades, handrails NR NR NR • Greater than 125 mm from glazing or • Greater than 125 mm from glazing or • Greater than 125 mm from glazing or
combustible wall or 0 mm from combustible wall or 0 mm from combustible wall or 0 mm from
non-combustible wall – NR non-combustible wall – NR non-combustible wall – NR
• Less than or equal to 125 mm from • Less than or equal to 125 mm from • Less than or equal to 125 mm from
glazing or combustible wall glazing or combustible wall glazing or combustible wall
- Non-combustible, or - Non-combustible - Non-combustible
- Bushfire-resisting timber

NR – No requirement.
+ Wall enclosing sub-floor space to be of the same construction as for external walls OR with a mesh or perforated sheet used as a screen For further information visit www.woodsolutions.com.au
with a maximum 2 mm aperture made of (up to BAL–29) aluminum or (up to BAL–40) corrosion-resistant steel or bronze. and download Technical Design Guide #04
Note: Construction requirements required for a higher BAL can be used for a lower BAL e.g. BAL–FZ requirements can be used in BAL–40. Building with Timber in Bushfire-prone Areas