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Evidence of suitability is the documented proof that a passive fire-protection material, product, system or design satisfies the applicable National Construction Code (NCC) Performance Requirement or Deemed-to-Satisfy (DTS) Provision. A product name, brochure or statement that something is “fire rated” is not enough. The evidence must cover the exact product and the way it will be installed in the project: the fire-resisting element, substrate, service, opening, orientation, thickness, fixing method and required fire performance.
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For an Australian project, begin with NCC 2022 as adopted in the relevant state or territory. The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) states that NCC 2022 is to be read with Amendment 1 from 1 May 2025, but adoption and transition arrangements are jurisdiction-specific. Confirm the version and transition rules that apply to your building approval before accepting a document.
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What “evidence of suitability” means
The NCC uses evidence of suitability, also called documentary evidence, to support a conclusion that a material, product, form of construction or design satisfies a Performance Requirement or a DTS Provision. It is not a single mandatory certificate for every product. The acceptable form depends on the requirement, the risk, the proposed solution and the authority assessing the work.
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ABCB’s Evidence of Suitability Handbook (2024 resource) describes a range of evidence with different levels of rigour. An accredited testing-laboratory report is one recognised form, but other permitted forms may be appropriate where they adequately establish compliance. The key question is not whether a document exists; it is whether the document is technically relevant to the installation being approved.
Product evidence versus installed-system evidence
Passive fire protection normally works as an assembly. A penetration seal, fire door, fire window or fire-rated board achieves its performance only when combined with the specified wall, floor, frame, hardware, fasteners, backing materials and installation method. Consequently, a certificate for a product in isolation may not prove that the installed system complies.
Ask the document to identify the product or system unambiguously, state the tested or assessed configuration, and define the limits of use. If any project detail falls outside that scope, obtain additional engineering or assessment evidence rather than assuming that a similar product or higher-looking rating transfers.
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Which NCC provisions affect passive fire protection?
Penetrations, openings and construction joints: C1P8
NCC 2022 Performance Requirement C1P8 addresses openings, construction joints and building-services penetrations through fire-resisting elements. The protection must maintain an adequate level of fire performance for the element. This is the central requirement for fire stopping around pipes, cables, ducts, conduits and other services.
The evidence should therefore connect four things: the required performance of the wall, floor or other barrier; the service that passes through it; the size and type of opening; and the tested or assessed fire-stopping arrangement. A generic “firestop sealant” claim does not establish compliance for every service and substrate.
Fire doors, smoke doors, windows and shutters: Specification 12
NCC Specification 12 applies to fire doors, smoke doors, fire windows and shutters. ABCB explanatory guidance states that required fire doors must comply with AS 1905.1 and describes fire testing to AS 1530.4. The required fire-resistance level (FRL) depends on the application and surrounding construction, so a rating suitable for one opening cannot automatically be used elsewhere.
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Evidence for an opening assembly should identify the leaf or shutter, frame, glazing where applicable, hinges, closers, latches, seals, hardware and any permitted variations. It should also show the installation conditions under which the assembly achieved the reported result.
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Forms of evidence you may encounter
Use the form that addresses the project’s compliance pathway and risk. The following comparison is a practical way to review a submission; the NCC and the certifying authority determine what is acceptable in the specific case.
| Evidence form | What it can establish | Checks before acceptance |
|---|---|---|
| Report from an Accredited Testing Laboratory | Performance observed in a laboratory test of a defined specimen and test method. | Confirm laboratory accreditation, test standard, specimen construction, exposure, failure criteria, report date and whether the project configuration is within the tested scope. |
| Product or system certificate | Certification that a named product or system meets stated criteria within a defined certification scope. | Check the certificate holder, exact model or formulation, conditions of certification, installation limitations, surveillance or expiry information and the edition or jurisdiction covered. |
| Assessment or engineering report | An expert assessment that relates available test data or engineering analysis to a proposed variation or application. | Verify the assessor’s competence, referenced test evidence, assumptions, limits, fire-performance criteria and the exact project detail being assessed. |
| Manufacturer installation and technical documentation | Instructions and specifications needed to install a product in the configuration for which it has evidence. | Treat instructions as supporting material, not automatic proof. Ensure they match the cited test, assessment or certificate and are followed on site. |
| Other evidence permitted by the NCC pathway | Documentary support accepted for the particular Performance Requirement or DTS Provision. | Obtain the building surveyor, certifier or relevant authority’s acceptance criteria before relying on an alternative form; the applicable NCC framework does not establish a universal list beyond its provisions. |
How to verify a fire-stopping proposal step by step
- Define the barrier and required performance. Record whether the element is a wall, floor, shaft, ceiling or joint, its required FRL or other fire-performance criteria, construction type and thickness, and the NCC provision that creates the requirement.
- Describe the penetration completely. Identify each service, material, outside diameter or dimensions, insulation, combustible components, number of services, spacing, opening size and any sleeve or support. Grouping several services can change the tested arrangement.
- Match the substrate and orientation. Confirm that the evidence covers the actual wall or floor construction, board or masonry type, density, thickness, horizontal or vertical orientation and edge distances. A test in a concrete floor does not automatically cover a lightweight partition.
- Match the protection system. Check the exact sealant, mortar, collar, wrap, board, backing, coating or combination, including product formulation, size, depth, backing material, fasteners and support spacing. Do not substitute a product because its trade name or claimed temperature rating appears similar.
- Read the scope and limitations. Locate the permitted service types, opening dimensions, annular gaps, movement or joint conditions, exposure direction and installation sequence. Record any exclusions, such as plastic pipes of a different diameter or services not tested together.
- Check the evidence source and method. For a test report, verify the laboratory, test standard and specimen details. For a certificate or assessment, check its issuer, referenced evidence, validity conditions and any requirement for a qualified installer or inspection.
- Compare the document with the construction drawings. Mark the wall or floor type, penetration schedule, product designation and installation detail on the approved drawings. Resolve every discrepancy before work starts.
- Control installation and inspection. Use the documented sequence and quantities. Photograph concealed work, record batch or lot details where required by the project quality plan, and obtain inspection sign-off before closing ceilings, risers or linings.
- Retain a compliance record. Keep the accepted evidence, drawings, certificates, delivery records, installer qualifications, inspection reports, photographs and any approved variation with the building’s handover and maintenance information.
How to assess fire doors, smoke doors, windows and shutters
Start with the opening’s required rating
Determine the FRL or smoke-control requirement from the wall or compartmentation design and the applicable NCC provisions. The opening assembly must be suitable for that location; selecting a door by a headline rating without checking the surrounding construction can leave the barrier non-compliant.
Check the complete assembly
- Door leaf, shutter curtain or window construction and dimensions.
- Frame material, profile, fixing method and permitted wall construction.
- Glazing type, thickness and glazing beads where a fire window is used.
- Hinges, pivots, closers, latches, panic hardware and hold-open devices.
- Intumescent, smoke or edge seals and their position.
- Threshold, sill, astragal and any automatic or manual release arrangement.
Evidence should refer to the complete tested or assessed assembly, not merely to a component. For required fire doors, compare the documentation with AS 1905.1 requirements and the fire-test basis described in AS 1530.4. Confirm that hardware substitutions and dimensional changes are expressly permitted.
Inspect installation details
Check frame anchors, packers, gaps, mortar or grout, plumb and square installation, seal continuity and closer operation. A compliant door set can fail in service if it is wedged open, damaged, fitted with unapproved hardware or installed with excessive perimeter gaps. Record functional checks as part of handover and maintenance documentation.
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What makes evidence relevant to the exact project?
Use this five-part relevance test for every report, certificate or assessment:
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- Identity: The manufacturer, product designation, formulation, model or system is unambiguous.
- Configuration: The tested or assessed assembly matches the project’s substrate, service, opening, orientation, dimensions and installation method.
- Requirement: The document states which fire-performance criterion, NCC Performance Requirement or DTS Provision it addresses.
- Authority: The testing laboratory, certifier or assessor is appropriately accredited, qualified or otherwise accepted for the evidence type.
- Currency: The document remains valid for the project’s NCC edition, state or territory adoption and approval date, with no superseding limitation.
If one of these elements is missing, treat the submission as unresolved. Ask for a corrected document, a project-specific assessment or an alternative system whose scope clearly includes the work.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Common failures and how to correct them
“The product is fire rated” with no assembly
Failure: A brochure or label gives a rating but does not state the wall, floor, service or installation conditions.
Correction: Obtain the underlying test, certificate or assessment and map its scope to the project detail.
Using a report for a similar product
Failure: The proposed formulation, model, thickness or hardware differs from the tested specimen.
Correction: Confirm that the evidence permits the variation. If it does not, secure a valid assessment or select the tested product.
Ignoring substrate and orientation
Failure: A detail tested in one wall or floor type is copied to another.
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Correction: Match construction, density, thickness and orientation, or obtain evidence specifically covering the new substrate.
Combining services outside the tested arrangement
Failure: Additional cables, larger pipes, reduced spacing or a different insulation type are installed.
Correction: Recheck the permitted service combination and opening limits before installation; revise the detail or obtain an assessment.
Relying on an expired or superseded document
Failure: The evidence belongs to an earlier product formulation, NCC edition or jurisdictional adoption.
Correction: Verify current status with the issuer and confirm the applicable state or territory transition provisions with the project certifier.
Concealing work without inspection records
Failure: Fire stopping is covered before location, depth, backing or continuity can be checked.
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Correction: Make inspection and photographic records part of the hold-point process, and retain them with handover documents.
Who should review and retain the evidence?
The designer or fire engineer should define the required performance and compatible systems. The contractor and installer must use the specified products and methods. The building surveyor, certifier or approval authority determines whether the submitted evidence supports the NCC pathway for the project. These responsibilities can overlap, but a product supplier’s statement does not replace formal project review.
Maintain a penetration schedule and opening schedule that identify each location, barrier type, service, protection detail, evidence reference and inspection status. At handover, provide the accepted documents and records needed for future alterations and maintenance; drilling a new service through a rated barrier can invalidate the original arrangement unless separately assessed and reinstated.
Which edition and jurisdiction apply?
The national NCC text is only part of the compliance question. States and territories adopt and amend the NCC, and projects may be subject to transition provisions tied to approval, contract or commencement dates. ABCB’s current guidance treats NCC 2022 as read with Amendment 1 from 1 May 2025, but that date does not by itself determine every project’s legal requirements.
Before signing off evidence, document the project location, approval pathway, applicable NCC edition and any state or territory variation. Recheck those details when a product certificate, test report or design is carried forward to a new project.
Quick Recap
A practical acceptance checklist
- Applicable NCC edition, amendment and jurisdiction recorded.
- Relevant Performance Requirement or DTS Provision identified.
- Fire-resisting element and required FRL or fire-performance criteria documented.
- Exact product or system identity confirmed.
- Substrate, service, opening size, orientation and installation method within evidence scope.
- Test, certificate or assessment issuer and method verified.
- Limitations, exclusions, validity and permitted substitutions reviewed.
- Drawings and schedules coordinated with the evidence.
- Installation, inspection and photographic records completed before concealment.
- Final documents stored for certification, handover and future maintenance.
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