Description
The 12mm Ramco Fibre Cement Board A1 Non-Combustible 2440 x 1220mm (8′ x 4′) is the heavy-duty option in Ramco’s Hicem range, supplied in the UK by Ramco Industries UK. The board is built from Portland cement bonded with cellulose fibres and selected mineral additives, formed under pressure and autoclave-cured to produce a dense, stable sheet that won’t warp, rot or burn. At 12mm, this thickness moves beyond general lining duty into roles that need higher rigidity and impact resistance, including heavy-duty fire-rated partitions, flooring overlays, shaft linings and other demanding boarding applications. The full 8′ x 4′ sheet weighs around 52 kg. The face is smooth, off-white, square-cut, and finished ready for paint, render, tile adhesive, wallpaper or laminate.
Fire performance
Reaction-to-fire performance is classified Euroclass A1 to EN 13501-1, the highest non-combustible rating in the European system. In practical terms, the board itself won’t ignite, won’t contribute heat to a developing fire, and won’t shed flaming droplets. In tested partition systems, Hicem assemblies have achieved up to 132 minutes of fire resistance, depending on the system build-up. This makes the 12mm board suitable for fire compartmentation, protected escape routes and separating walls where high levels of fire resistance are required.
Water, durability and dimensional stability
The full BS EN 12467 durability programme runs Hicem through warm water immersion, freeze-thaw cycling, soak-dry cycling, heat-rain exposure and water impermeability testing, and the board passes every stage. That means it can sit in bathrooms, kitchens, plant rooms, eaves, soffits and protected exterior locations without swelling, blistering or losing strength, conditions that would degrade plywood or OSB. Water absorption is capped at 38% by weight, shrinkage stays at or below 0.19% in dry-saturated conditions, and surface alkalinity sits between pH 8 and 9. The board resists termites, borers and fungal attack, contains no asbestos (verified by X-ray diffraction), and emits no detectable VOCs under ISO 16000-6, useful credentials for healthcare, education and residential refurbishment work.
Mechanical and acoustic performance
Density is 1200 kg/m³ or higher, which is what allows the 12mm board to hold screws, mechanical fixings and point loads without spalling at the edges. Bending strength reaches 14 MPa longitudinal and 8 MPa transverse, so the board sits flat across standard 400 to 600mm stud centres without sagging. Impact resistance is rated at 2100 J/m² or higher, the performance you want in corridors, schools, hospitals and other high-traffic spaces. Thermal conductivity is 0.15 W/mK or below, a modest but useful contribution to wall and ceiling thermal performance.
Acoustic performance starts at 32 to 34 dB for a single board, rising to 48 to 52 dB in tested partition build-ups, enough for offices, hotels, HMOs and residential separating walls where speech privacy is part of the brief.
Applications
- Fire-rated partitions and separating walls on timber or steel framing
- Loft and mezzanine flooring overlay
- Wall linings in commercial, office, school and hospital interiors
- Shaft linings and vertical fire compartmentation
- Substrate for tile, render, paint or wallpaper in wet rooms
Manufactured and tested to BS EN 12467 and UKCA marked.
