inspires

EQUITONE inspires is a high-density fiber cement panel with a digitally printed surface covered by a UV finish. It belongs to the EQUITONE range of facade materials and carries a printed design rather than a through-colored or single-color coated face.

The design range is inspired by nature and includes wood, concrete, stone and rust graphics. The digital print technology also allows custom designs and images to be printed on the panel.

The surface finish is smooth, hard and matte, and it is resistant to UV radiation. The UV finish gives a hard, dirt-resistant face with high abrasion resistance and a permanent anti-graffiti surface.

The panel is used as rainscreen cladding on ventilated facades, and it is also listed for several other exterior applications covered below.

The panel body consists of cement, water, mineral fillers, cellulose and synthetic organic reinforcing fibers. The finish is a digitally printed surface covered with a UV-cured topcoat.

The material is a highly compressed, air-cured fiber cement manufactured in Poland. Production follows the Hatschek process:

• The base materials, mainly cement, fibers, cellulose, water and optional pigments, are mixed into a slurry.
• The slurry is pumped into vats with rotating cylindrical sieves, where a film of fiber cement forms on each sieve and passes to a felt belt.
• The thin layer is dewatered and carried to a forming drum, where several layers are collected and squeezed together until the required thickness is reached.
• An automatic cutting knife cuts the fresh sheet, and the sheets are stacked with interleaving steel plates and highly compressed into a high-density material.
• The panels cure at ambient temperature without vapor pressure, which is the air-cured step.

After curing, the panels are calibrated to a consistent thickness. The front then receives the digital print with a UV-hardened topcoat. The back is finished with a UV coating to balance the humidity of the panel.

EQUITONE inspires is made in a standard thickness of 5/16 inch (8 mm). It is supplied in trimmed formats, which are the maximum usable size.

• Trimmed width: 49 inches (1250 mm).
• Trimmed length: 98 inches or 122 inches (2500 mm or 3100 mm).
• Weight per panel without pallet: 116 pounds for the 98 inch length and 144 pounds for the 122 inch length (52.5 kg and 65.1 kg).
• Weight per area, air dry: 3.44 pounds per square foot (16.8 kg/m²).
• Panels per pallet: 20.
• Usable surface per pallet: 672.7 square feet for the 98 inch panel and 834.2 square feet for the 122 inch panel (62.5 m² and 77.5 m²).

Factory tolerances for cut and trimmed panels are 0.008 inch on thickness and 0.039 inch on width, length and squareness (0.2 mm and 1 mm, with squareness in millimeters per meter). The trimmed tolerances outperform the EN 12467 Level I dimensional tolerances and all criteria in ASTM C1185.

The gray scale discoloration rating, measured to PN-EN 201056-A2:1996, is 4-5. Color tolerance is measured on dry surfaces only, and the color deviation depends on the angle of light incidence and the angle of view.

EQUITONE inspires is an ASTM E84 Class A material with a flame spread index of 0 and a smoke development index of 0.

Under EN 13501 the material fire classification is A2-s1,d0. Under ULC S102 the flame spread rating is 0 and the smoke development classification is 0.

Cutting and machining the panels releases dust that can irritate the airways and eyes. Machinery with dust extraction, ventilation or both is called for depending on working conditions. Inhaling fine quartz-containing dust, in high concentrations or over prolonged periods, can lead to lung disease and an increased risk of lung cancer.

The ASTM equivalents of the EN properties are reported for the inspires panel as follows:

• Strength classification: Grade III under ASTM C1186, with dimensional tolerances for trimmed panels passing.
• Mean density, dry: at least 106 pounds per cubic foot.
• Moisture movement between 30 and 90 percent humidity: 0.12 percent or less.
• Flexural strength: at least 2,320 psi dry and at least 2,160 psi wet.
• Inspires passes the water tightness, frost resistance (freeze-thaw) and warm water resistance tests.
• Thermal movement: 5.5e-6 in/in°F.
• Thermal conductivity: 0.25 BTU/h ft°F or less.

The panels have been evaluated to ICC acceptance criteria AC90 and meet the minimum requirements of the International Building Code (IBC). EQUITONE air-cured products are covered by an ESR report to ICC AC90, report ESR 3910.

The panels conform to EN 12467:2012+A2:2018, Fiber cement flat sheets, product specification and test methods. They also comply with ISO 8336:2017.

• Classification: type NT, durability Category A, strength Class 4.
• Dimensional tolerances: Level I for trimmed panels and Level II for untrimmed panels.
• Mean density, dry: 1750 kg/m³.
• Characteristic dead load for 8 mm thickness: 0.17 kN/m².
• Moisture movement between 30 and 90 percent humidity: 0.1 percent.
• Characteristic bending strength: 24.0 MPa perpendicular to the production direction and 18.5 MPa parallel to it, both at ambient conditions.
• Partial safety factor: 2.0, a recommendation for the Eurocode safety concept where no national regulation exists.
• Mean modulus of elasticity: 12,000 MPa.
• Water impermeability: no drops, pass.
• Freeze-thaw, heat-rain, warm water and soak-dry tests: pass.
• Thermal movement: 0.01 mm/mK.
• Thermal conductivity: 0.407 W/mK, measured to ASTM C518.
• Moisture content at 20°C and 65 percent humidity: below 10 percent by mass.
• Poisson's ratio: 0.2.

The panel is used in ventilated applications, including but not limited to:

• Ventilated facade or rainscreen cladding.
• Window and door reveals.
• Exterior ceilings, as decorative ceiling cladding.
• Soffits, eaves and verge boards.
• Interior wall and ceiling lining.

Restrictions on these applications are set out in the specific application guidelines. Inspires panels may be fixed on the face or concealed, with Etex proprietary or recommended fixing solutions.

EQUITONE inspires cannot be used, among other cases, in interior applications exposed to direct moisture such as wet areas, in situations with direct contact with standing snow or ice, or where it is exposed to long-term temperatures above 80°C (176°F).

Adhesive, tapes and sealants are not used on the finished surfaces of the material. Cleaning follows the EQUITONE Cleaning Information guide.

EQUITONE inspires is certified with an Environmental Product Declaration under ISO 14025 or EN 15804. The life cycle assessment covers raw material and energy production, the manufacturing phase and the use phase of the fiber cement panels. The EPD gives an expected average reference service life of 50 years and describes the panels as reusable.