The Ugly Truth About Fire-Rated Pipe Supports:

Are Your Installations Actually Compliant?

When a fire breaks out, the passive fire systems in your building are the last line of defence. For critical services like fire hydrant pipework in non-sprinkler protected buildings, the Australian Standards are uncompromising: pipe supports must achieve a Fire Resistance Level (FRL) of not less than 60/-/-. They must also be tested in accordance with AS 1530.4 while performing under the design load conditions defined by AS 2419.1.

It seems like a simple compliance issue. Yet, a forensic review of the engineering reports from major manufacturers reveals a disturbing reality. Many products on the market—including those from Trafalgar, TBA Firefly, and Protect-A-Pipe—are testing far below the required design loads.

If you are a certifier or consultant signing off on these systems, your professional liability is on the line.

The Independent Compliance Assessment

Don’t just take our word for it. Download the comprehensive engineering evaluation assessing commercially available systems against the mandatory AS 2419.1 Design Loads.

The Design Load Loophole: How the Market is Failing You

The critical factor in fire-rated pipe supports is the Design Load. According to AS 2419.1.8.7.2(b), the design load is calculated as two times the mass of the water-filled pipe, plus an additional 115kg at each support.

For standard installations at 4-metre spacings, the minimum design loads are substantial:

• 100mm pipe: Requires a design load of 282kg.
• 150mm pipe: Requires a design load of 421kg.
• Even a small 25mm pipe requires a design load of 124kg.

This is the minimum load that must be applied during fire resistance testing. However, the publicly available test data for commonly marketed systems exposes massive non-conformances:

TBA Firefly (Wrap System): Tested at only 120kg. This falls drastically short of the 421kg required for a 150mm pipe and does not even meet the 124kg requirement for a 25mm pipe. Furthermore, there is no evidence of anchorage to the building structure during testing.

Protect-A-Pipe / Diverse Fire Group (Encapsulated Cover System): Tested loads range from a mere 64kg to 101kg. The test specimen was installed via an independent frame rather than direct anchorage to a structural element, which does not reflect real-world site conditions.

Trafalgar (Wrap System): Relies on an engineered assessment using a load of approximately 126kg total, missing the 421kg requirement by nearly 300kg. Like the others, there is no inclusion of anchorage to the building structure.

These systems are testing with shortfalls of between 200% and 600%.

The Smoking Gun: Invalid Engineering Reports

The industry’s disregard for genuine load testing is finally being exposed. The engineered assessment used by Trafalgar (RED Engineering Report JN20-00222) has been explicitly acknowledged as non-conforming by RED Fire Engineers themselves.

In a direct email, Blair Stratton, Director of RED Fire Engineers, confirmed that their report is “no longer valid under the current BCA”. Despite this clear admission from the report’s author, the product continues to be marketed to the industry.

The regulatory bodies are also moving to close this loophole. The Standards Australia FP-009 Technical Committee has issued correspondence confirming an upcoming editorial amendment to AS 2419.1:2021 to strictly enforce pipe support load ratings.

The FRS Difference: 100% Code Compliant and Bulletproof

Why risk lives, property, and your professional reputation on passive fire systems that are designed to fail under real-world stresses?

Fire-rated pipe supports are critical components of essential fire systems. Systems that are tested below AS 2419.1 design loads, omit the full assembly in testing, and fail to replicate real installation conditions cannot be verified as compliant and are simply not fit for purpose.

Fire Rated Solutions (FRS) provides the only 100% code-compliant solution on the market for protecting service pipes. We don’t hide behind loopholes; we engineer our products to exceed the strictest requirements.

Here is why FRS is the undisputed industry leader:

• Engineered for the True Load: While competitors test at 100kg, the FRS 150mm bracket is successfully tested to 424kg, explicitly exceeding the 421kg requirement set by AS 2419.1.8.7.2.
• Real-World Testing: FRS tests the full system assembly, including the anchors, in conditions that match real-world installations.
• Superior Fire Resistance: Our brackets exceed the mandatory FRL 60/-/- by achieving a tested FRL of 90/-/- for added safety.
• Independently Certified: FRS is the only solution on the market with independent third-party certification by the CSIRO ActivFire scheme (# afp-3664).
• Foolproof Installation: FRS kits are the only solution designed to prevent the use of substandard, contaminated materials on-site. All major parts are easily identified with “FRS” branding, and we utilise left-hand threads on our rods and nuts to strictly prevent untested hardware from being swapped in during installation.
• Cost-Effective & Practical: FRS is the cheapest bracket system per metre, the most aesthetically pleasing, requires zero maintenance, and can be retrofitted without uninstalling existing pipes.

When you choose FRS, you are choosing a patented design that is fully tested to various types of building elements in a complete kit.

Do not wait for a catastrophic failure to find out your pipe supports are non-compliant. View the fully tested, 100% compliant FRS range today and secure your installations the right way.