ASTM E108 Class A: what it means for your Costa Rica project

What the test measures

ASTM E108 is the fire test method for roof coverings: it measures how a roof system behaves against fire arriving from outside. The sample is exposed to direct flame, to burning embers and to brands of varying size, and both surface spread and penetration toward the structure are observed.

Results are expressed in three classes — A, B and C — in decreasing order of severity withstood. Class A is the most demanding, and it is the rating under which NIPA synthetic thatch is tested.

Why it enables projects natural palm cannot

Natural palm is highly combustible and cannot be rated under this test. On projects with strict fire codes — hospitality, theme parks, condominium social areas, buildings subject to fire-service review — that has historically been the reason the palapa aesthetic gets ruled out before it is ever drawn.

A roof tested to Class A changes that conversation: the argument stops being aesthetic and becomes documentary.

How to present it to each audience

• To the client. What matters is that the rating is the highest the test awards, and that it comes with a 20-year warranty against rot, structural panel decay and sudden colour loss.
• To the municipality or reviewer. What belongs in the file is the system's test documentation, not a sales sheet. We provide it on request, together with the panel's technical sheet.
• To the insurer. Alongside fire testing, the 160 mph wind certification and the 6,000 hours of UV exposure under ASTM G155 — roughly 12 years of harsh sun — usually carry weight.

What to request, and when

Ask for the documentation at schematic design, not once the file is already under review: bringing the test in early avoids redesigning the roof late. Message us with the project type and stage, and we send the technical sheet, installation details and test material the same day.