NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 38
In Compliance
NFPA 13
Water-based fire
protection systems
Commodity classification
and the design
of sprinkler systems
By Matt Klaus
uring the development
of the 2016 edition of
NFPA 13, Installation
of Sprinkler Systems,
the technical committee
for sprinkler system discharge criteria
performed a top-to-bottom review of
the often used but often over simplified commodity classification tables in
the annex sections for chapter 5. The
impetus for this review was that many
of the identified classifications were
outdated, the result of changes in the
raw materials used in today's products
and packaging. Take office furniture, for
example-30 years ago, chairs and desks
were made primarily of wood and metal,
but today many of these products are
made of plastics and laminates.
We should first consider the customary overuse of these tables. All of the
items listed had undergone a commodity
classification test at some point to help
determine the hazard they presented
and ultimately the appropriate sprinkler
protection criteria needed to protect
those hazards. Many designers and
engineers, when they receive plans from
their clients, look at the items stored, go
directly to these lists, and pick the closest item they can find in the table. This
is dangerous because even the slightest
difference in the raw materials used in a
commodity, packaging arrangement, or
packaging material can cause a change
in how the commodity might ultimately
be classified based on testing.
For this reason, it's imperative that
the assignment of a commodity class
is not based solely on a comparative
review of this table, but rather on
38 | NFPA JOURNAL * M A R C H /A P R I L 2 0 1 8
AP/WIDE WORLD
D
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - March/April 2018
Contents
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - Cover1
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - Cover2
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 1
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - Contents
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 3
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 4
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 5
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 6
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 7
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 8
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 9
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 10
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 11
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 12
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 13
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 14
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 15
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 16
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 17
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 18
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 19
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 20
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 21
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 22
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 23
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 24
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 25
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 26
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 27
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 28
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 29
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 30
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 31
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 32
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 33
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 34
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 35
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 36
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 37
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 38
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 39
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 40
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 41
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 42
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 43
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 44
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 45
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 46
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 47
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 48
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 49
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 50
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 51
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 52
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 53
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 54
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 55
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 56
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 57
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 58
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 59
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 60
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 61
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 62
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 63
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 64
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 65
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 66
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 67
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 68
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 69
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 70
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 71
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 72
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 73
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 74
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 75
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 76
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 77
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 78
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 79
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 80
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 81
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 82
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 83
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 84
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 85
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 86
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 87
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 88
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - Cover3
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2024spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2023winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2023fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2023summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2023spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2022winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2022fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2022summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2022spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2021winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2021fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2021summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2021spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20201112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20191112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20181112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20171112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20161112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_201610_sprinkler
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20151112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20150910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20150708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20150506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20150304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20141112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20131112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20121112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120304
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com