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RISK MANAGEMENT GUIDE

Storage Protection Basics

from Liberty Mutual Property

lmost every business stores valuable product or stock.


A Unfortunately, storage areas often create a concentration of
combustible materials that can pose a considerable fire hazard.
Class II: Class I products in slatted
wood crates, wood boxes, multiple-
NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, describes layered corrugated cartons,
different protection methods depending on occupancy, commodity waxed-paper containers or

type and storage configuration. When properly designed and equivalent packaging

installed for the hazard, sprinklers provide effective protection for Class III: wood, paper, natural-fiber

even the most difficult storage arrangements. cloth or Group C plastics and a
limited amount of Group A or B
A sprinkler system is designed to control or suppress a fire in its earliest stages plastics (5 percent or less by
with a limited number of sprinklers operating. This limited number of sprinklers is weight or volume)
referred to as the sprinkler system design area. A serious exposure is created when
Class IV: Class I, II or III products
the sprinkler system is inadequately designed for the hazard or when the hazard
containing a significant amount of
increases due to a change in occupancy. It is critical that the sprinkler systems
Group A plastics (5 to 15 percent
are properly designed and installed for the occupancy they protect and that the
by weight or 5 to 25 percent by
adequacy of the sprinkler system is reevaluated prior to any change in building use
volume) in ordinary corrugated
or occupancy.
cartons; Class I, II and III products

Your sprinkler system design should consider these three variables: in corrugated cartons with Group A
plastic packing, with or without
1. Commodity Classification — classification based on the type of product pallets
stored, including container and packaging materials
Plastics: subcategorized into three
2. Storage Height — maximum height of storage in relation to the height of main groups:
your building
Group A — the fastest burning and
3. Storage Arrangement — whether the product is stored in racks or piles or on the most common; includes many
pallets, the type of shelving, clearance to the roof, aisle width, etc. of the plastics commonly used in
toys and household products
Group B — burns moderately and is
COMMODITY CLASSIFICATION less common; includes nylon and
There are five basic commodity classes. These classes range from metals to natural rubber
plastics, with plastics being the most difficult to protect. Group C — the slowest burning;
products such as CPVC and
The basic commodity classes are:
melamine
Class I: noncombustible products in single-layer corrugated cartons such as Plastics are now incorporated into
noncombustible liquids in glass containers, canned food, ice cream and items that were once considered of low
metal parts combustibility. An item’s commodity
classification increases as plastic is

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added to the product and its packaging, dramatically affecting the sprinkler
system design requirements. For example, a system designed to protect bare
wire stored on wooden spools (a Class II commodity) would not be adequate
to protect the same bare wire stored on plastic spools (a Class IV commodity).
In this example, the Class IV commodity requires at least 60 percent more
water than the Class II commodity as a result of the high combustible loading
attributed to the plastic spools.

There are additional materials and products that do not fall into the above
commodity classifications that also pose severe fire hazards. These materials
require specialized designs that often involve a combination of fire protection
and segregation from general storage. Examples include idle pallets, rubber
tires, aerosol products, flammable and combustible liquids and combustible
metals. When there is a variety of commodities in a storage area, the highest
commodity classification is used to determine the sprinkler system design.

STORAGE HEIGHT
As storage height increases, a stronger sprinkler system design is generally
required. Because fire spreads faster vertically than horizontally, a greater force
of water from the sprinklers is necessary to reach the base of the fire. If the
storage height exceeds the system's design criteria, in-rack sprinklers may be
necessary to control the fire. Certain ceiling sprinkler systems, such as ESFR or
large-drop systems, will typically allow an increase in storage height for some
but not all commodities, without requiring in-rack sprinklers.

STORAGE ARRANGEMENT
Product can be stored in piles or bins or on moveable or fixed racks. Each
arrangement has specific protection requirements that are affected by aisle
and flue space and the location of shelving and obstructions to water
penetration. Full-scale fire tests have shown that aisles at least 3.5 feet wide
make it more difficult for fire to spread between racks. Furthermore, sprinkler
system designs assume clear aisles. Storage in the aisles could allow a fire to
spread across an aisle to adjacent racks. Therefore, aisles must be kept free of
storage to maintain the integrity of the sprinkler system design.

CLEARANCES AND OBSTRUCTIONS


In addition to being designed for the proper storage height, sprinklers must
have proper clearance from the top of the storage. Most sprinkler systems
require a minimum clearance of 18 inches to the top of the storage to ensure
that the sprinkler discharge pattern can develop properly. Systems using ESFR
Rack storage and a clear aisle
or large-drop sprinklers require a minimum of 36 inches of clearance to the top
of the storage. Clearance of more than 20 feet can delay the operation of the
sprinklers, since the heat required to fuse the sprinklers may not be substantial
enough at the ceiling in a fire’s early stages. Too much clearance can also
affect the water’s ability to penetrate to the base of the fire, thereby reducing its
ability to slow fire growth.

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Flue space, displayed in Figure 1, is essential to properly protecting storage
arrangements. Longitudinal and transverse flue space in rack storage must
allow water to penetrate to the base of the fire and pre-wet the adjacent
Figure 1
storage. Pre-wetting helps prevent fire from spreading. A minimum distance of
6 inches should be maintained for these flue spaces.

H Obstructions can prevent sprinkler water


D from effectively penetrating the storage
B A array. This may allow the fire to grow unin-
hibited to a point where it will overwhelm the
E
sprinkler system. Obstructions include lights,
H
ducts, electrical conduits or improperly
installed sprinklers. Obstructions can exist
C within the racks themselves if there are solid
shelves or commodities such as rugs, rolled
carpet or lack of flue space between items
in the racks. See Figure 1 for flue space
identification. To mitigate obstructions, you
should remove them, relocate the sprinklers
so that they are not obstructed or install
sprinklers below the obstructions.

G
There are seven common storage
arrangements:
F
Solid pile — consists of stacked commodity
I
stored directly on the floor

Palletized — consists of stacked commodity stored on pallets, on the floor, or


on other pallet loads
A Load Depth F Rack Depth
B Load Width G Longitudinal Flue Space Single racks — have no longitudinal flue space and are no more than 6 feet
C Storage Height H Transverse Flue Space deep with a minimum aisle width of 3.5 feet
D Commodity I Aisle Width
E Pallet
Double row racks — have both longitudinal and transverse flue spaces and
are no more than 12 feet deep with a minimum aisle width of 3.5 feet

Multiple row racks — are greater than 12 feet deep or are single and double
row racks with aisle spaces less than 3.5 feet wide

Shelf storage — have structures up to 2.5 feet deep with shelves usually 2 feet
apart vertically; separated by approximately 2.5-foot-wide aisles

Bin box — have five-sided wood, metal, cardboard or plastic boxes with the
open face on the aisle

To determine if any changes in your facility could impact your sprinkler


system, consider the effects of commodity class, storage height and storage
arrangement on your sprinkler system’s ability to control a fire. What you may
consider a minor change could have a significant impact on the effectiveness
of your sprinkler system.

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smart & responsive
For more Risk Management Guides, go to
www.libertymutualproperty.com/resources.

PE1003 ■ Hurricane & Tropical Storm


Contact your Liberty Mutual Property loss prevention consultant if you have any
Catastrophe Action Plan &
questions concerning your facility’s storage arrangement. Checklists
PE1004 ■ Minimizing Hot Work Fires
PE1005 ■ Human Element Programs
PE1012 ■ Wet Pipe Systems
References PE1013 ■ Dry Pipe Sprinkler Systems
PE1015 ■ Fire Pumps
NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, 2007 Edition
PE1021 ■ Keeping Sprinklers in Service
PE1022 ■ Sprinkler Plan Reviews
PE1023 ■ Transverse Flue Space
PE1025 ■ Flammable and Combustible
Liquids
PE1026 ■ Flood Exposures
PE1027 ■ Maintaining Fire Doors
PE1028 ■ Avoiding Sprinkler Damage
for the Hospitality Industry
PE1029 ■ Winter Threats
PE1030 ■ Protection for Large Dip Tanks
PE1031 ■ Idle Pallet Storage
PE1032 ■ HID Lighting
PE1033 ■ Spiral Coolers
PE1034 ■ Ammonia Refrigeration
PE1035 ■ Specification and Review Process
PE1036 ■ Industrial Oil Cookers
PE1037 ■ Freezer and Cooler Hazards
PE1038 ■ Minimizing Damage from Hail
PE1039 ■ Risk Management Food Kit
PE1040 ■ Storage Protection Basics
PE1041 ■ Automatic Sprinkler System Basics
PE1042 ■ Roof Systems
PE3001 ■ Impairment Procedures

CONTACT US
For more information on our
Risk Management Guides, contact us at:

20 Riverside Road
Weston, MA 02493
While following the procedures and information outlined in this guide may aid in avoiding storage hazards, they
TEL: 781-891-0230
do not contemplate every potential for loss or damage. Therefore, every situation should be reviewed by
EMAIL: propertyengineering@libertymutual.com
the appropriate safety manager in an effort to take all appropriate steps and precautions to minimize storage
hazards. No duty or undertaking is intended or assumed by Liberty Mutual by this publication, as it is www.libertymutualproperty.com
informational in purpose.

© Copyright 2007, Liberty Mutual. PE1040 10/07

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