What Fire Rating Can GRC Curtain Walls Achieve and Analysis of Influencing Factors

Fire safety of building curtain walls is an uncrossable red line in modern architectural design. As a new building material that combines aesthetics with performance, the fire rating of GRC curtain walls bears directly on building safety and the protection of life and property. As an industry leader with 28 years of deep expertise in the UHPC/GRC/GRG/GRP materials field, Qinglong Group will comprehensively analyze the fire performance of GRC curtain walls and its core influencing factors—from material fundamentals and process standards to engineering practice—to provide a professional reference for designers and owners.

Core Definition of GRC Curtain Wall Fire Ratings and Industry Standards

The fire rating of GRC (glass fiber reinforced concrete) curtain walls is typically classified into four grades—A1, A2, B1, and B2—in accordance with the national Code for Fire Protection Design of Buildings (GB50016), where Grade A1 denotes non-combustible materials, the highest standard for curtain wall fire protection. Qinglong GRC curtain walls adopt low-alkali cement-based materials composited with alkali-free glass fibers; certified by national-level testing institutions, their combustion performance reaches Grade A2 or above, meeting the stringent fire protection requirements of high-rise building exterior curtain walls. Notably, GRC material itself contains no combustible components, and its fire performance far surpasses that of traditional stone curtain walls (natural stone, while non-combustible, conducts heat quickly) and certain organic composite panels, building a solid fire barrier for building exteriors.

Three Key Factors Determining the Fire Performance of GRC Curtain Walls

Material formulation is the foundation of fire performance. Qinglong GRC exercises strict control over raw material selection, using high-grade low-alkali cement (pH ≤ 10) and alkali-resistant glass fibers (zirconia content ≥ 16%) to eliminate combustible components at the source. During production, adjusting the quartz sand gradation and mineral admixture ratios increases material density by 20%, effectively blocking flame and heat transfer. Compared with similar products in the industry, Qinglong GRC achieves an oxygen index of over 45% (the national standard is 32%), demonstrating outstanding flame-retardant properties.

Structural design plays a decisive role in fire protection outcomes. Qinglong's detailed design team has innovatively adopted a “sandwich” composite structure: the inner layer is a fireproof rock wool filling layer (thickness ≥ 50mm), the middle layer is the GRC load-bearing base (thickness 15-25mm), and the outer layer is the decorative finish. Through 3D scanning positioning technology, fireproof sealing strips at joints are installed with precision, forming continuous fire compartments. In a landmark project, this structural system successfully passed a 120-minute fire resistance limit test, far exceeding the 90-minute standard required by code.

Construction workmanship is the guarantee of performance delivery. Qinglong holds a Grade II professional contracting qualification for building curtain wall engineering. Its original “modular prefabrication + on-site dry-hanging” process controls component precision through standardized factory production (tolerance ≤ 2mm), reducing the quality fluctuations caused by on-site wet work. The installation stage uses hot-dip galvanized steel frames and stainless steel connectors to ensure structural stability in high-temperature environments. In a commercial complex project in Nanning, the Qinglong GRC curtain wall system passed fire acceptance inspection, with its overall fire performance highly praised by the expert panel.

Qinglong GRC Curtain Wall's Full-Chain Fire Protection Solutions

As a national high-tech enterprise and a contributing unit to the Technical Standard for Building Application of Glass Fiber Reinforced Cement (GRC) (JGJ/T423-2018), Qinglong has built a full-chain fire protection assurance system spanning from material R&D to after-sales maintenance. At the design stage, it provides BIM parametric modeling services to simulate temperature field distribution under fire conditions; the production stage introduces RFID chip traceability technology to record the material mix ratios and curing parameters of each component; during construction, certified fire protection engineers provide full-process supervision to ensure the quality of fireproof joint work. As of 2025, Qinglong has completed over 6 million ㎡ of GRC curtain wall projects without a single safety incident caused by material fire performance.

Choosing a GRC curtain wall is not merely choosing a decorative aesthetic, but choosing a responsibility for safety. Built on 28 years of professional experience, Qinglong Group integrates fire safety into every detail of its GRC curtain walls through material innovation, technological upgrades, and strict quality control. Looking ahead, Qinglong will continue to advance research on the fire performance of UHPC/GRC/GRG/GRP materials, reinforcing the line of safety for its mission of “creating beautiful architecture” and working together with designers and owners to build architectural spaces that combine artistic appeal with a sense of security.