Focused on the sections of

IBC (Sept. 2021)

having an
Impact on Life Safety

For Factories/Industrial Sectors

Chapter 4: Special Detailed Requirement based
on Occupancy and Use
Chapter 5: General Building
Heights and Areas
- All about group H:
- Group H needs to be provided with automatic fire detection system
- Group H also needs to be provided with automatic sprinkler system.
- Emergency alarms also required.
 Means of Egress sizing
Width based on occupant load
Minimum width requirement (For F and S) with sprinklers
(For H)
44 inches (1118 mm) 0.3 inches per occupant (7.6 mm) 0.2 inches per occupant
Stairs (section 1011.2) (Section 1005.3.1) (5.1 mm)
Exception: Stairway serving an occupant load (Section 1005.3.1)
of less than 50 shall have minimum width of
36 inches (914 mm)
Doors 0.2 inches per occupant (5.1 mm) 0.15 inches per
32 inches clear width (813 mm)
(Section 1005.3.2) occupant (3.8 mm)
(section 1010.1.1)
(Section 1005.3.1)

The width is calculated based on the minimum width of the two columns
Chapter 7: Fire and Smoke Protection Features
7.1 Introduction
 A fire produces heat that can weaken structural components and smoke products that cause property damage and
place occupants at risk.

 Chapter 7 (Fire and smoke protection features) identifies the acceptable materials, techniques and methods by which
proposed construction can be designed and evaluated against to determine a building’s ability to limit the impact of
fire.

 Types of separations addressed include fire walls, fire barriers, fire partitions, horizontal assemblies, smoke barriers
and smoke partitions.

FIRE WALL: A fire-resistance-rated wall having protected openings, which restricts the spread of fire and extends continuously from the foundation to or through
the roof, with sufficient structural stability under fire conditions to allow collapse of construction on either side without collapse of the wall.

FIRE BARRIER: A fire-resistance-rated wall assembly of materials designed to restrict the spread of fire in which continuity is maintained.

HORIZONTAL ASSEMBLY: A fire-resistance-rated floor or roof assembly of materials designed to restrict the spread of fire in which continuity is maintained.
7.1 Introduction
There are 2 classifications of fire and smoke protection features.

 1st classification is assemblies.

The building assemblies such as wall, floor, ceiling, beam and columns, doors must have a specified hourly
fire resistance rating according to ASTM E119. Determining these ratings is essential for knowing what
specific construction type an existing building falls into.

 2nd classification of fire-resistance standards is finishes such as wall paneling, decoration, surface
insulation.

The finishes are rated by ASTM E84. This type aims to moderate the amount of combustible finishes in a
building and control the fire spread rate.

When dealing with fire and smoke protection, we encounter these four main parts: fire partition, fire barrier, fire
wall and smoke protection.
Smoke barrier is horizontal or vertical barrier that restricts the movement of smoke.
7.2 Fire resistance rating
Section 706.4 (Fire-resistance rating)

Main note:
 We need to have 3 hour fire resistance rated wall or
barrier or horizontal assemblies or their combination.
FIRE-RESISTANCE RATING: The period of time a building element, component or assembly maintains the ability to confine a fire, continues to perform a given
structural function, or both, as determined by the tests, or the methods based on tests, prescribed in Section 703.
Chapter 8: Interior Finishes 8.1 Introduction
 Chapter 8 (Interior finishes) contains the performance requirements for controlling fire growth within buildings by
restricting interior finish and decorative materials.

 The provisions of Chapter 8 require materials used as interior finishes and decorations to meet certain flame-spread
index or flame-propagation criteria based on the relative fire hazard associated with the occupancy.

 As smoke is also a hazard associated with fire, this chapter contains limits on the smoke development characteristics of
interior finishes.
Chapter 9: Fire Protection Systems
9.1 Introduction
 Chapter 9 (Fire protection systems) prescribes the minimum requirements for active systems of fire protection
equipment to perform the following functions: detect a fire; alert the occupants or fire department of a fire emergency;
and control smoke and control or extinguish the fire.

 Generally, the requirements are based on the occupancy, the height and the area of the building, because these are the
factors that most affect fire-fighting capabilities and the relative hazard of a specific building or portion thereof.

 This chapter parallels and is substantially duplicated in Chapter 9 of the International Fire Code (IFC); however, the IFC
Chapter 9 also contains periodic testing criteria that are not contained in the IBC.
9.2 Requirement of automatic sprinkler systems
(Section 903: Automatic sprinkler system)
9.3 Requirement of smoke and heat removal systems
(Section 910: Smoke and heat removal)

Main note:

 When undivided area > 50,000 sq. feet (4645 m2),

smoke and heat vents required.
Chapter 10: Means of Egress
10.1 INTRODUCTION
 The design of the means of egress are established as the primary method for protection of people in buildings by allowing
timely relocation or evacuation of building occupants.

 Chapter 10 (Means of egress) addresses all portions of the egress system (i.e., exit access, exits and exit discharge) and
includes design requirements as well as provisions regulating individual components.

 The requirements detail the size, arrangement, number and protection of means of egress components. Functional and
operational characteristics also are specified for the components that will permit their safe use without special knowledge or
effort.
10.2 Ceiling height
(Section 1003: General means of Egress)

Main note:

 Ceiling height above the finished floor > 7 feet 6 inches (2286
mm)
10.3 Exit access travel distance
(Section 1017: Exit access travel distance)

Main note:

 Main exit access travel distance 400 feet (122 m)

EXIT ACCESS: That portion of a means of egress system that leads from any
occupied portion of a building or structure to an exit. This can include corridors, open
stairs.
 10.4 Doors used for egress exit (See Pg. 18)
Door opening width:
Number of occupants X 0.2”/occupant or 0.15”/occupant (with sprinkler) 32 inch
(813 mm)

Main notes:

 Minimum door opening width = 32 inch (813 mm)

 Maximum width of a swinging door lead = 48 inches (1219 mm)

nominal

 Minimum clear opening height of doors 80 inches (2032 mm)

 An architect should consider providing more space at the main entry door
to a building than may be required by a code.

 An important rule in the code is that the doors used for egress should
always swing in the direction of travel if the occupant load is greater
than 50. Egress door should never be blocked or locked.

EXIT: Portion of the exit system between exit access and exit discharge. It can be exit door, exit stairwell or ramp or an exit passageway. The exit will be enclosed by fire
rated walls. The codes assume that once a person enters exit, they are safe from the effects of fire. This safety will only occur if all of the required passive and active fire
requirement systems are installed according to the relevant codes.
10.5 Exit discharge

EXIT discharge: Portion of the egress system between the termination of an exit and public way. A public way is an street, alley or open area of land of public so
that people can move always from building to safety.
10.6 Occupancy Load calculation
(Section 1004: Occupant load)

Main note:

 The IBC tells us the maximum floor area allowances

per occupant for specific uses.

Number of occupants =
(round up decimal numbers)

100 gross sq. feet per occupant.

OCCUPANT LOAD: The number of persons for which the means of egress of a building or portion thereof is designed. The occupant load is a factor which tells us
how many exits the spaces and floors should have.
*GROSS FLOOR AREA: The gross floor area is the square footage with the inside perimeter of the exterior walls of the buildings minus the vent shafts and courts.
Include the area for corridors, stairwells and closets, thickness of interior walls, columns or other features like covered ground floor.

(Back to pg. 16)

10.4 Egress width of the stairways and corridors :
(1028.2 Exit discharge width or capacity)

For the stairway width, multiply number of occupants of each floor by 0.3 inch per occupant or by 0.2 inch in a building
with automatic sprinklers and an emergency voice and alarm communication system per the IBC.

 Stairway width:
Number of occupants X 0.2”/occupant = …” (44” is the minimum value)

 Corridor width:
Number of occupants X 0.2”/occupant or 0.15”/occupant (with sprinkler)

Main notes:

 Minimum width for stairs and corridors required = 44 inch (1118 mm)

 Dead end corridor length < 20 feet (6096 mm). Dead end corridor is the one which does not lead
to an exit.

 Dead end corridor length <50 feet (15,240 mm) (When building is equipped throughout with an
automatic sprinkler system)
10. 7 How many exits needed according to occupant load??
(Section 1006: Number of exits and exit access doorways)

Main note:
 For 49 occupants, 1 exit is needed.
[Egress travel distance 75 feet (without sprinkler system) and Egress travel distance 100 feet
(with automatic sprinkler system)]
 For 50 to 500 occupants, 2 exits are needed.
 For 501 to 1000 occupants, 3 exits are needed.
 For more than 1000 occupants, 4 exits are needed.
10. 7 How many exits needed according to occupant load?? (Contd.)
(Section 1006 Number of exits and exit access doorways)
Section 1005: Means of egress sizing
Chapter 11: Accessibility
 Chapter 11 (Accessibility) contains provisions that set forth requirements for accessibility of buildings and their
associated sites and facilities for people with physical disabilities.

 The fundamental philosophy of the code on the subject of accessibility is that everything is required to be accessible.
Chapter 14: Exterior Walls
 The installation of each type of wall covering, be it wood, masonry, vinyl, metal composite material or an exterior
insulation and finish system, is critical to its long-term performance in protecting the interior of the building from the
elements and the spread of fire.
Chapter 26: Plastic
 Chapter 26 (Plastic) provides standards addressing foam plastic insulation, foam plastics used as interior finish and
trim, and other plastic veneers used on the inside or outside of a building.

 Requirements for the use of fiber-reinforced polymers, fiberglass-reinforced polymers and reflective plastic core
insulation are also contained in this chapter.

 The requirements and limitations of this chapter are necessary to control the use of plastic and foam plastic products
such that they do not compromise the safety of building occupants.
Notes:
 NSI/UL 263, the Standard for Safety of Fire Tests of Building Construction Materials, and ASTM E119, Standard
Test Methods for Fire Tests of Building Construction and Materials, were developed to simulate a building fire.
[F] 906.3.4 Class D fire hazards. Portable fire extinguishers for occupancies involving combustible metals shall be selected
and placed in accordance with NFPA 10.

-
Important notes from the IBC code learnt from YouTube:
Construction types of buildings:

(Masonry+concrete)

(Heavy steel+insulation)

Types of Construction:

602.2 Types I and II. Types I and II construction are those types of construction in which the building elements listed in
Table 601 are of noncombustible materials, except as permitted in Section 603 and elsewhere in this code.

602.3 Type III. Type III construction is that type of construction in which the exterior walls are of noncombustible