🔥Smart design. Fire safe. BAL–FZ certified with XPS foam🔥

If you're working on a project in a bushfire-prone area, you're probably asking:

“How can the Smartstone System be certified for BAL–FZ (Flame Zone) if it has foam insulation inside?” We get asked this all the time — and it’s a fair question.

How can a system with XPS foam pass the toughest bushfire tests in Australia?

The short answer?

Because BAL–FZ certification is based on how the full cladding system performs, NOT just what it’s made of.

Let’s explain...

BAL–FZ Certification looks at the system, not just materials

Our system contains a core of XPS (extruded polystyrene) insulation, which is technically a combustible material. But under AS 3959:2018, a material like this can still be used as long as the entire wall system:

• Prevents flames or radiant heat from reaching that layer

• Doesn't allow the cladding to spread fire

• Meets strict performance testing under bushfire conditions

1. Non-combustible surface: The outer layer — stone, reconstituted stone, or porcelain — is non-combustible and tested to AS 1530.1. This surface protects everything behind it.

2. Fire-rated joints: Our system is installed with fire-rated sealant and backing rods, which block flames, heat, and embers from penetrating joints or seams.

3. Protected insulation core: The XPS foam is fully encapsulated and protected from direct flame.

4. System certified as a whole: Our system was re-assessed and certified in 2025 by Ignis Labs as a complete wall system, not just by individual materials, passing BAL–FZ performance criteria under AS 3959:2018 and the NCC 2022.

Where can you use our cladding system?

With this certification, our system is approved for use in all bushfire zones, including BAL–FZ, across the following construction types:

Residential (Class 1 & 10 – NCC Volume 2)

• Homes, townhouses, granny flats, sheds, garages

Multi-Residential (Class 2–3 – NCC Volume 1)

• Apartments, units, boarding houses, mixed-use

Commercial & Institutional (Classes 5–9)

• Offices, shops, cafés, schools, childcare centres

• Hospitals, aged care, places of worship, public buildings

It is also ideal for renovations, recladding, and retrofits in high BAL zones — especially when compliance with NCC 2022 is required.

Bottom line

Our system doesn’t get its BAL–FZ rating because of the foam — it gets it despite the foam, because the entire system is designed to keep fire out.

It’s a modern, tested, and code-compliant solution for beautiful facades that don’t compromise on bushfire safety.

👉Download the BAL–FZ Compliance Report here: 2025 BAL–FZ Compliance

GoClad — Engineered for Safety. Designed to Impress. Built for Australia. 🇦🇺