Frequently asked questions

Dividing walls and walls between dwellings will be a double-Specwall system, allowing conduits and services to be face-fixed within the centre of the wall system or internal 100mm single-wall system. The 75mm has two options: you can supply the M&E design and conduits will be installed off site or, if this is not possible, we will install on site by chasing or drilling down our panel with Specwall equipment and installing conduits.

Please note that any chases are filled with our fireproof grout, reinstating the fire integrity. Additionally, penetrations are cut and fire sealed on site as any other system would be.

Specwall can have an opening of 2.6 metres or less without additional supports. Larger openings are accommodated with our stiffener details, as covered within our detailed designs and standard details.

The integrity and stability of the system is not affected by coring penetrations as Specwall forms a solid wall construction which is tongue-and-groove bonded and also fixed at the base and head.

Specwall and its installers are approved fire sealant applicators for deflection heads expansion joints and penetrations, any cut edges and corner details are fireproof and are finished with either CFB, Skim or tape and jointing.

Specwall offers panels which are A1 or A2 – S1 d0 rated. The panels, including the Specwall Core, are covered within BSEN ISO 1716 part of BSEN13501 2018. 

The A1-rated panel is completely non-combustible and cannot contribute to a fire at any stage. 

You can see images of our product within our test report stating non-combustibility and the panels still erected after the fire test are completed. Please get in touch today to request this report.

All openings are closed in with our facing product, FCB. Specific details of each project are dealt with via our detailed drawings, and penetrations are fire-sealed and approved as they would be with plasterboard or blockwork or any other traditional system.

Specwall’s standard base channel has an upstand of 20mm, which can be reduced to 10mm if required or increased for external walls. The head angles are 50mm x 50mm and, again, this can be increased to accommodate different fixing methods and scenarios for internal and external walls where required.

These areas will be included within the design details for a project and will be project specific.

Specwall comes in the following thicknesses: 75mm and 100mm in a single-wall scenario, or 150mm and 200mm in a double wall and cavity scenario. Standard panel sizes are a 3000mm x 610mm tongue-and-groove system able to go up to 6m in height without additional supports.

Specwall has many years of experience and is partnered with one of the largest building material manufacturers in the world which operates a 600-acre, $3bn manufacturing plant. Specwall UK is partnered with one of the largest UK developers, and is underwritten by the parent company. 

In order to provide safe places for people to live, futureproof properties for funders and investors and mitigate the risk of expensive remedial works, Specwall proactively looked to provide an A1 fire rated walling system for the construction industry.

As well as going beyond safety requirements now, this panel will also satisfy further tightening of the fire safety regulations down the line if the government requires A1 standards for all external walls on buildings 18m tall or higher once its review is complete.

Our A1-rated panel has come out of research and development on our existing A2-rated panel which was undertaken in response to this anticipated market need

All insurances and warranties are in place and supplied through the installation companies Specwall has either approved or trained and certified.

Specwall installations form mitred junctions provided to suit the design. Specwall is a versatile product and can be cut or adjusted any way to suit the project details.

Specwall can take sanitaryware and any required wall hanging items including cabinets, shelving, medical equipment, monitors/screens, façades, and most fixings. Loading capacity is high per fixing, and is included within our technical manual.

The minimum thickness of Specwall is 75mm.

Specwall provides a full design service outside of our standard details to projects upon request. This will cover every detail, including: all bespoke applications for internal walls, blockwork replacements, riser and shaft walls, external walls or the inner leaf of an external wall build up, covering all arrears including corners, openings, additional supports and calculations, and all required information.

Specwall can be installed at all stages of construction, from structural works through to a refurbishment project. Specwall is inert and a cementitious product, and therefore is not damaged by water, mould or any other wet scenarios that could affect other traditional systems. It can also be installed with the structure floor by floor where possible.

Specwall can be used in any project where plasterboard, SFS or blockwork is used. Specwall is used as a non-load bearing wall system, but can be used in load bearing walls with our additional supports to take facades and additional loads above 6m. We have demonstrated Specwall’s use in the following sectors: Residential, commercial, industrial, healthcare, education, modular rooms and pods, high rise, and low-rise buildings.

Specwall has many options for finishes in all scenarios. Whether you want to use tape and jointing, skimming or plastering it is entirely down to your preference. All other finishes, such as tiling, painting and cladding, can all be applied directly onto the Specwall system. It is fully versatile to finishes and doesn’t require any additional works like pattressing or supports. Cut edges, door/window openings and corners are also fireproof and finished with CFB, skim or fire-rated grout depending on the design.

Following recent fires in high rise buildings, need do more than meet the minimum building control requirements on fire safety has become clear. 

In order to provide safe places for people to live, futureproof properties for funders and investors and mitigate the risk of expensive remedial works, Specwall proactively looked to provide an A1 fire rated walling system for the construction industry.

To class as an A1 product, stringent tests must be passed to ensure that they are completely non-combustible in all circumstances. These include:

• BS 476-1: Fire tests on building materials and structures 
• BS EN 13501-1: Fire classification of construction products and building elements

As well as going beyond safety requirements now, this panel will also satisfy further tightening of the fire safety regulations down the line if the government requires A1 standards for all external walls on buildings 18m tall or higher once its review is complete.

Our A1-rated panel has come out of research and development on our existing A2-rated panel which was undertaken in response to this anticipated market need. Key technical information about our A1 panel is as follows:

• No flammable material in the panel
• Cannot contribute to a fire at any stage
• Same weight and strength as standard A2-rated panel
• 100m depth, single-layer system
• Simple, integrated, stand-alone 
• Price competitive with SFS or blockwork alternatives