Rim Board Fire Assembly Applications

TER No. 1005-01  |  Issue Date: May 28, 2010

TECO Certified Rim Board in Fire-Rated Assemblies

Division 06 – Wood and Plastics
Section 06170 – Prefabricated Structural Wood

1. Product Lines Evaluated

1.1. TECO Certified Rim Board is available in two grades:

  • 1.1.1. Standard: 1" Rim Board (25 mm)
  • 1.1.2. Performance: 1⅛" Rim Board (29 mm)

1.2. TECO Certified Rim Board is qualified to the TECO Rim Board Product Standard (RB 133) and must be composed of wood. It may be in the form of oriented strand board1 or other composite structural panels. Oriented strand lumber or laminated veneer lumber manufactured in accordance with ASTM D5456-06 is also acceptable.

2. Performance Evaluation

2.1. The International Building Code (IBC)2 and the National Building Code of Canada (NBC)3 allow for the component additive method (CAM) for calculating fire resistance ratings of protected wood-frame walls, floors, and roofs.

2.2. Code References:

Code Applicable Chapters/Sections
IBC 2009 Chapter 7, Section 703.3, and Section 721
IBC 2006 Chapter 7, Section 703.3, and Section 721
NBC 2005 Appendix D

3. Applications

TECO Certified Rim Board is used to tie floor joists together in order to carry the lateral and vertical loads from the walls past the I-joist, truss, etc. system to the sill plate and foundation wall.

4. Fire-Resistant Rim Board Assembly Applications

The rim board assemblies in Figures 1–7 will achieve fire-resistance ratings of one hour. The assemblies listed are based on the char rates of TECO Certified Rim Board at the minimum specifications.

1 Per RB 133, the base OSB panel must be qualified to US Dept. of Commerce Voluntary Product Standard PS2 or CSA O325.

2 2009 IBC Section 703.3 Alternative methods for determining fire resistance allows for calculations in accordance with Section 721.

3 Appendix D of the NBC details the "component additive method" to establish fire ratings of an assembly.

Assembly No. 1

Figure 1: TECO Certified Rim Board One-Hour Assembly No. 1 (Shown as I-Joist Perpendicular to Rim Board)

Note: Upper Load Uniformly Distributed to Both Walls and Load is Transferred to Non-Fire-Exposed Wall When Rim Board Support on Fire-Exposed Wall is Lost to Fire.

  1. Continuous TECO Certified Rim Board 1" or TECO Certified Rim Board 1⅛"
  2. Continuous ½" Type X gypsum board fastened to rim board with 1½" Type W screws 12" on center
  3. One-hour-rated wall construction
  4. Floor or roof/ceiling assembly for story above
  5. Un-rated floor/ceiling assembly
  6. ½" min. gypsum board ceiling, taped and filled
  7. I-Joists are shown in this graphic but the structural element may be any structural element assembly applied as specified, with or without a fire-endurance-rated assembly

Component Additive Calculation for Assembly No. 1

Component 1" TECO Certified Rim Board 1⅛" TECO Certified Rim Board
Time (min.)
½" Gypsum 15 15
Rim Board 33.75 39.65
½" Type X Gypsum 25 25
73.75 79.65