Bushfires are a fact of Australian life. When building in a bushfire zone, one of the most important considerations is your choice of building materials.
All Hebel products have exceptional fire properties and meet or exceed the requirements for all six Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) categories, making it the top choice when building in a bushfire zone.
With exceptional fire properties, Hebel is non-combustible and won’t explode – even under extreme heat.
It is versatile making it suitable for a range of building applications on properties within the bushfire prone areas. These include external cladding, internal walls, floors, decks and fences. You will love the rendered finish and clean look of the Hebel PowerPanelXL external wall system. It has an FRL of 180/180/180 and is termite resistant.
The PowerBlock+ external wall system offers an FRL of 240/240/240 and boasts excellent acoustic and thermal qualities. Both PowerFloor and PowerFloor+ systems provide the solid feel of a concrete floor for your home and can be easily tiled when used for decks and verandahs. PowerFence is an extremely attractive modular fencing system that provides an efficient privacy and noise barrier. It features non-combustible panels and steel posts.
In 2009, the Australian Standards AS3959-2009 'Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas' was introduced to improve the resistance of buildings to bushfire attacks resulting from burning embers, radiant heat, flame contact and combinations of the three.
The standard includes a method for assessing categories of bushfire attacks called Bushfire Attack Levels (BAL) in areas that have been classified by authorities as being 'bushfire prone'.
A building surveyor will use BAL to check compliance with the construction requirements of the standard. All building approvals issued within bushfire prone areas are required to build to BAL 12.5 standards as a minimum even if the site specific BAL assessment is low. It is the responsibility of the building designer to ensure compliance to AS 3959 is achieved in accordance with clause F2.4 of NCC 2019 Volume 2.
All Hebel products and systems meet or exceed the requirements for all six Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) categories. When constructing in BAL-FZ a minimum setback distance of 10m from the edge of the classified vegetation is required.
Hebel the smart choice for building in bushfire zones.
| Hebel System | BAL-Low | BAL-12.5 | BAL-19 | BAL-29 | BAL-40 | BAL-FZ | |
| External Walls | PowerBlock+ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| PowerPanelXL | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Floors | PowerFloor+ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| PowerFloor | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Subfloor Supports | PowerBlock+ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Verandahs, Decks | PowerFloor+ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| PowerFloor | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) | Description of predicted Bushfire Attack and levels of exposure |
| BAL-Low | There is not sufficient risk to warrant exposure |
| BAL-12.5 | Ember attack |
| BAL-19 | Increasing levels of ember attack and burning debris ignited by windborne embers together with increasing heat flux between 12.5 and 19kW m2 |
| BAL-29 | Increasing levels of ember attack and burning debris ignited by windborne embers together with increasing heat flux between 19 and 29kW m2 |
| BAL-40 | Increasing lebels of ember attack and burning debris ignited by windborne embers together with increasing heat flux with the increased likelihood of exposure to flames |
| BAL-FZ | Direct exposure to flames from fire front in addition to heat flux and ember attack |
“Hebel is our go to product for bushfire zones. It allows us to design with freedom knowing it has all the properties we need to keep the home and our client safe and protected.” – Darren Evans, Solar Solutions Design.
Gillion and Peter Stephens share why they chose Hebel when building their home on a bush fire zone.
Suitable for use on the external facades of houses and low-rise multi-residential projects, the PowerPanelXL system is fast and easy to install with outstanding acoustic and thermal qualities. Non-combustible, the PowerPanelXL system has an FRL of 180/180/180 and is termite resistant.
The ideal alternative to double brick – delivering superior thermal performance and acoustic properties for homeowners. When combined with PowerFloor+ for suspended floors and constructed in accordance to Hebel’s D&I guides, this system, can comply with requirements for all six BAL zones.
Hebel PowerFloor is an excellent flooring solution that provides the feel of a solid concrete floor without the price tag. The system is a non-combustible system with proven fire resistance levels up to 240 minutes from above.
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