Fire-Rated Assemblies

Fire-Rated Drywall Assemblies in Toronto and the GTA

Rated partitions, Type X demising and party walls, shaft walls and rated ceilings built to ULC-listed systems for commercial, industrial and multi-unit projects. Documented so the rating on the drawings is the rating in the wall.

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  • AssembliesBuilt to ULC-listed systems
  • DocumentationField verification records
  • WSIBClearance certificate on request
  • Insurance$2M general liability
Rated and Acoustic Assemblies

A rated wall is a system, not a sheet of board.

Hotel corridor with rough-ins complete before board

Fire-rated drywall assemblies are where a drywall contractor earns its keep with the building inspector. The rating on the drawings comes from a listed system: a specific stud, a specific number of board layers, a fastener pattern, insulation, joint treatment and a head-of-wall detail that were tested together. Change one of them and the rating is no longer supported.

True Drywall Contracting builds rated partitions, demising and party walls, shaft enclosures and rated ceilings for commercial, industrial and multi-unit projects across Toronto and the GTA. We build to the ULC listing referenced in the drawings, and we photograph and record each rated wall type before the final layer goes on so the inspector and the consultant have what they need.

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Assemblies We Build

Fire-rated and acoustic assemblies in Toronto.

  • Rated partitions One-hour and two-hour steel stud partitions with single or double layers of 5/8 inch Type X to the listed system.
  • Party walls Rated and STC-rated separations between residential suites in mid-rise and townhome blocks.
  • Demising walls Tenant separations in office, retail and industrial buildings, framed full height to the deck.
  • Shaft walls C-H stud and shaftliner systems around elevators, stairs and mechanical shafts, installed from one side.
  • Corridor walls Rated corridor separations in hotels, multi-unit residential and institutional buildings.
  • Rated ceilings and membranes Horizontal assemblies and ceiling membranes to ULC-listed systems where the drawings require them.
  • Head-of-wall detailing Deflection track and fire-rated joint treatment at the structure, matched to the listed assembly.
  • Occupancy separations Rated walls between office and warehouse, or between tenancies of different use, in industrial buildings.
  • Acoustic assemblies Resilient channel, staggered and double-stud walls with sound attenuation batts to the specified STC.
  • Rated enclosures Electrical rooms, sprinkler rooms, storage rooms and IT closets requiring a rated envelope.
  • Firestopping in our scope Top-of-wall sealing and penetration firestopping where carried in our contract.
  • Documentation ULC references, product data and field verification records for each rated wall type.
How We Build Them

Built to the listing. Recorded before it is covered.

System selection at pre-construction

Each rated wall type on the drawings is matched to its ULC listing and the product data is submitted before framing starts. Where a listing and a site condition do not agree, it goes to the consultant as an RFI.

Sequence and penetrations

Board waits for the rough-in inspection. Penetrations are coordinated with the mechanical and electrical trades so nothing is boarded over before it can be firestopped, and the head-of-wall detail is built before the finish layer.

Field verification

Photos and records for each rated wall type are taken before the final layer and finish go on. The package is handed to your PM for the inspector and kept for closeout.

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Rated Work

Rated corridors, ceilings and partitions.

All Projects
Hotel corridor at the framing stage before drywall
Corridor
Framing stage
Boarded ceiling assembly before taping
Ceiling
Boarded assembly
Steel stud partition framing on a hotel guest floor before board
Partition
Steel stud partition framed
Completed rated hotel corridor
Complete
Finished corridor
What the Rating Depends On

The details that keep a listed assembly listed.

Board type and layers

Most listings call for 5/8 inch Type X, in one or two layers per side. Layer joints are staggered as the listing shows, and fastener type, length and spacing follow the tested pattern. Substituting a different board or thinning the layers voids the rating.

Head of wall

The joint between the top of the wall and the structure above is the most common failure point in an inspection. On rated walls the deflection track, the gap and the fire-rated joint treatment are all part of the listed system and are built accordingly.

Penetrations

Every pipe, duct and conduit through a rated wall has to be firestopped with a system matched to the assembly. We coordinate with the trades so penetrations are in before board, and nothing is closed up until it can be sealed.

Acoustic details

Resilient channel, staggered studs and sound batts raise the STC rating. Installed carelessly they can also break the fire listing, for example by leaving a gap at the base or by fastening through the channel into the stud. We build to listings that carry both ratings where the specification requires both.

Ontario Building Code

Where a rating is required, and how high, is set by the Code and your design team based on occupancy, building height and area. We do not set the rating. We build the assembly that delivers it and document the work so the record matches the wall.

FAQ

Fire-rated drywall, answered.

The questions GCs, builders and consultants ask about rated assemblies in Toronto and the GTA.

Type X is gypsum board manufactured with glass fibres and additives so the core holds together longer in a fire. It is the board used in most listed fire-rated assemblies, usually 5/8 inch. The Ontario Building Code and the design team set where a rating is required, commonly at party walls between units, corridors, shafts, and separations between occupancies such as an office and a warehouse.
A ULC-listed assembly is a specific combination of framing, board layers, fasteners, insulation and joint treatment that has been fire tested and assigned a rating, for example one hour or two hours. The drawings reference the listing number. We build to that listing, including the head-of-wall and penetration details, so the rating on paper is the rating in the wall.
Yes. Shaft wall assemblies use C-H or I-studs with one-inch shaftliner panels installed from one side, then Type X layers on the corridor side. They are built to the listed system and documented for inspection.
It depends on the contract. Head-of-wall sealing and firestopping of penetrations through our assemblies are carried in our scope when the contract includes them. Where a dedicated firestopping trade holds the scope, we coordinate so the assembly is ready for them and nothing is boarded over before it is sealed.
The ULC listing references for each rated wall type, product data sheets for the board, compound and framing, and field verification records with photos taken before the second layer or the finish goes on. It is the package a building inspector or consultant expects at closeout.
Often, but not automatically. Many listed assemblies carry both a fire rating and an STC rating, and the specification usually calls for both at party and demising walls. Resilient channel, staggered or double studs and sound attenuation batts are added to reach the STC target without breaking the fire listing.

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Rated walls on your drawings?

Send the wall type schedule and the listings referenced. We will price the rated and acoustic assemblies with the rest of the interior scope and flag anything that needs an RFI before it is built.

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Completed hotel corridor with finished walls, doors and ceiling grid