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HardieSmart® Fire-Rated Wall Systems

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NCC Compliance Without the Guesswork

The NCC’s fire and acoustic requirements for residential buildings aren’t a checklist you can eyeball your way through. A fire resistance level is a tested, certified property of a complete wall assembly; frame, insulation, lining and fixings are all specified and installed in the configuration that was tested. Get any part of it wrong and the system doesn’t perform as rated, regardless of how close it looks to the tested configuration.

HardieSmart® takes the uncertainty out of it. Each system in the range is an independently tested and certified complete wall assembly, designed for a specific NCC compliance scenario and documented in a technical package that covers FRL, acoustic performance and installation requirements. CSP Architectural supplies the full HardieSmart® range with the documentation to support it.

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The HardieSmart® System Range

Five systems cover the most common fire and acoustic wall compliance scenarios in Australian medium and high-density residential construction. Each is independently tested and carries full technical documentation.

HardieSmart® ZeroLot Wall System

Designed for zero-lot-line construction, where a building is constructed at or very close to the property boundary and the external wall must achieve the required FRL without any setback from the adjacent site. 

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HardieSmart® Intertenancy Wall System

The system for separating walls between sole-occupancy units in Class 2 buildings, apartments, townhouses and dual-occupancy developments. The intertenancy wall must achieve both a fire resistance level and a sound transmission rating, and HardieSmart® delivers both in a single tested assembly.

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HardieSmart® Boundary Wall System

A fire and acoustic-rated external wall system for Class 1 and Class 10a timber-framed buildings where the external wall is at or near the property boundary.

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HardieSmart® Blade Wall System

Fire-rated performance in an architectural blade or fin wall format, the system used when the boundary or separation wall is also a visible design element rather than a concealed structural partition. Blade walls project from the building face and are typically used in contemporary medium-density residential projects where the wall plane extends beyond the facade as a privacy screen, fire separation or architectural feature.

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HardieSmart® Aged Care Wall System

A system configured specifically for the fire resistance, acoustic and compliance requirements of aged care facilities, retirement living complexes and similar Class 9c institutional residential buildings.

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Understanding Fire Resistance Levels

Before selecting a HardieSmart® system, it’s worth being clear on what FRL means and what it requires. A Fire Resistance Level is expressed as three numbers, for example, 60/60/60, representing the minutes of resistance for structural adequacy, integrity and insulation, respectively. The NCC specifies the required FRL for different wall types, building classes and locations within the building.

NCC Scenario

Required FRL (typical)

Boundary wall — Class 1

60/60/60 (single storey) · 90/90/90 (two-storey)

Intertenancy wall - Class 2

60/60/60 (apartments), with STC acoustic requirement

ZeroLot wall

60/60/60 to 90/90/90, depending on configuration

Aged care - Class 9

60/60/60 minimum, often higher depending on building classification

Important note

FRL requirements vary by NCC Volume, building class, storey and jurisdiction, always confirm with your certifier before specifying

What Comes With Every HardieSmart® Order

Full technical documentation

Each HardieSmart® system comes with a complete technical package, tested FRL data, an STC acoustic rating, an installation guide and system details. Everything a building certifier needs to assess compliance.

CSIRO-assessed performance

HardieSmart® fire performance data is based on fire resistance testing conducted to Australian Standard AS 1530.4. The boundary wall system has been specifically assessed by the CSIRO Division of Building Construction.

Acoustic ratings supplied

Where acoustic performance is specified (intertenancy and aged care systems), tested STC and IIC data is provided with the system documentation –, not estimated but tested.

Structural bracing data

HardieSmart® systems provide structural bracing capacity for the building frame. Bracing ratings and fixing requirements are documented in the system design guides, typically 4 kN/m for standard configurations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a HardieSmart® system and why should I use it instead of specifying components separately?
A HardieSmart® system is a complete, independently tested wall assembly, frame, insulation, lining and fixings specified together and tested as a unit. The fire resistance level belongs to the complete system, not to any individual component. Specifying components separately and assuming the combination will achieve a specific FRL is an approach that can fail at certification. HardieSmart® removes that risk: you specify the system, the tested FRL is documented, and the certifier has what they need.
Yes. The HardieSmart® Boundary Wall System is suitable for use in bushfire attack level zones up to and including BAL-FZ, the highest bushfire designation. This makes it one of the few systems that addresses both boundary fire resistance under the NCC and BAL compliance under AS 3959 in a single documented assembly. Contact our team for the specific installation requirements for BAL-rated applications.
The standard HardieSmart® system configurations are designed for timber framing. For steel-framed applications, contact our team or James Hardie directly, alternative system configurations may be available for specific steel frame applications. The NCC also requires a thermal break (minimum R0.2) where steel framing is used with external cladding and internal lining in direct contact, which affects system design.
Yes. CSP Architectural supplies the HardieSmart® Aged Care Wall System and can provide the complete technical documentation package required for aged care and Class 9 building certification. Given the specific compliance requirements of aged care construction, we recommend engaging our team early in the design process to confirm system selection and documentation requirements.