Heat Release Rates of Lumber and Wood Products Available to Purchase

Heat release rates (HRRs) were determined for twelve wood products on each of three similar HRR calorimeters. Linear regression treatment of these data showed reasonable correlation among the three instruments. The data showed that HRR decreases with increasing moisture content and increases with increased external radiant flux. The HRR values were markedly reduced by fire retardant treatment. The HRR values were also found to increase with increasing sample density, in contrast to the inverse relationship reported for charring versus density.