fermacell® gypsum-fibre boards offer many advantages for solutions based on timber structures. Even single-layer board solutions provide at least equivalent—and in most cases significantly better—acoustic insulation, healthy living conditions, fire resistance and structural performance than structures with two-layer linings made of wood-based panels and gypsum plasterboards.
More than any other sector, modern timber construction has discovered the advantages of prefabrication. Wall, roof and floor elements are increasingly prefabricated in industrial halls under ideal conditions and regardless of the weather. The benefits are reliability, high quality and short assembly times. Gypsum-fibre boards are increasingly used in construction. No wonder: when directly compared with wood-based panels, they prove to be a more economical alternative in many cases.
It starts with the wide range of applications. While different wood-based panels are required for different applications, fermacell® gypsum-fibre boards can be used in a similar way for both wall and ceiling structures. They are universally suitable as building boards, for partitions requiring a specified level of fire resistance and for damp rooms. In addition, fermacell® boards can be installed immediately after delivery, without any loss of time.
Thanks to a special production process in which recycled paper fibres, gypsum and water are pressed together under high pressure, fermacell® boards are highly stable and load-bearing. Therefore, most requirements in timber construction can already be met using single-layer sheathing. In this case, the gypsum-fibre boards are simply screwed or fastened to the load-bearing structure. In structures made of wood-based panels, on the other hand, many requirements are usually met only by using a second layer of boards. This means additional costs associated with higher material consumption and an additional work stage, as well as increased partition thickness.
The excellent sound-insulation properties of fermacell® gypsum-fibre boards have been confirmed by various research institutes. Even structures with single-layer sheathing achieve better sound-insulation values than structures with two-layer sheathing made of wood-based panels. For example, a structure clad on both sides with 1 × 12.5 mm fermacell® boards achieves a weighted sound reduction index Rw of 44 dB. By contrast, a structure clad on both sides with 1 × 15.0 mm wood-based panels achieves only Rw = 36 dB. Even if each side of the wall is additionally clad with 1 × 9.5 mm gypsum plasterboards, the structure still has a lower Rw value of 43 dB than the fermacell® solution mentioned above.
Gypsum-fibre boards provide a higher standard when it comes to a healthy indoor climate. They regulate the indoor climate and humidity, thereby reducing the risk of mould growth. In this way, they meet water-vapour adsorption class WS II. This means that, in terms of their ability to balance humidity, they are directly comparable with clay plasters and can therefore have a significant positive effect on the indoor climate. They also have a low tendency to swell and shrink.
Only natural materials without added adhesives are used to produce fermacell® gypsum-fibre boards. They have been shown to be virtually emission-free and contain no substances harmful to health, such as formaldehyde (confirmed, among others, by the Institut für Baubiologie/IBR-Prüfsiegel and eco-INSTITUT).
fermacell® gypsum-fibre boards are non-combustible and meet the requirements of reaction-to-fire class A2. As a result, they offer reliable and high-level protection for the partition constructed with them. Structures with one layer of fermacell® boards on both sides already achieve fire-resistance class (R)EI60. By contrast, structures with one layer of wood-based material and gypsum boards on both sides can meet only a 30-minute fire-resistance requirement.
The special production process used for fermacell® gypsum-fibre boards ensures high stability and load-bearing capacity. For example, a 12.5 mm-thick fermacell® board can withstand a cantilever load of up to 50 kg (0.5 kN) at each fixing point.
Due to their high stability, fermacell® gypsum-fibre boards can in many cases be used in the same way as wood-based panels, both for transferring loads and for bracing as structural elements (service classes 1 and 2 according to EN 1995-1; see EN 1995-1-1:2010-10—Eurocode 5, Design of timber structures; Part 1-1, General provisions).
fermacell® gypsum-fibre boards are stable even in areas exposed to seismic loads. This means they can be used in all earthquake zones to construct single- and multi-storey timber-frame buildings. Their suitability for use in areas exposed to seismic loads has been demonstrated in extensive tests at various European institutes.
Good to know: To support contractors and manufacturers of timber structures and specialist designers, fermacell® has developed a digital timber construction planner (www.holzbauplaner.com) for planning wall structures with single- or multi-layer sheathing. Wall modules can be designed in accordance with Eurocode 5 in just five steps.
The film explains the advantages and strengths of fermacell® gypsum-fibre boards compared with wood-based panels.