linea

EQUITONE linea is a high-density, through-colored fiber cement panel with no coating and a grooved front face. The grooves run along the length of the panel.

The tops of the ridges have fine sanding lines in the longitudinal direction. In the grooves, the fiber cement core is left visible, which adds to the three-dimensional look of the surface.

The color runs throughout the panel. Natural color variations and hues, light or dark inclusions, panel orientation, viewing angle, light and moisture all affect how a linea facade looks. The front is water-repellent through hydrophobation.

linea is used as rainscreen cladding on ventilated facades and for the other applications listed below. It can be combined with tectiva and lunara in the same color.

A full-width linea panel has 57 ridges and 56 valleys.

• Overall thickness, including the ridges, is 3/8 inch (10 mm).
• Thickness in the valley is 5/16 inch (8 mm).
• The nominal thickness used for static bending strength calculation is 5/16 inch (8 mm).
• The groove dimensions are indicative nominal values and carry manufacturing tolerances.

When linea is cut, the center of a valley or ridge is kept as a reference. When a cut passes through a ridge, at least 5/32 inch of the ridge stays at the panel edge to prevent damage to the edge.

Color is chosen from samples. Each linea panel has its own character, and random hues belong to the material.

Color difference is measured with a simplified CIELAB model that follows lightness only, and the tolerated difference on a dry facade is ΔL* = ±2.5. On linea this is measured on the tops of the ridges, not in the valleys, and only on dry surfaces.

linea panels consist of cement, quartz sand, cellulose, natural calcium silicate, inorganic color pigments, water and additives. The material is highly compressed, autoclaved fiber cement made in Belgium.

The Hatschek process forms thin films of fiber cement on rotating sieves from a slurry of cement, sand, cellulose, pigments and water. The films go by felt belt to a forming drum, build up to the required thickness, and are cut by an automatic knife. The stacked sheets are highly compressed and then cured in an autoclave under high temperature and pressure.

After curing, the surface is machined to create the grooved face. The last step is a hydrophobation that makes the surface water-repellent. The back side receives no hydrophobation.

linea is made in one thickness only and is always trimmed.

• Width is 48 inches (1220 mm).
• Length is 98 or 120 inches (2500 or 3050 mm).
• A panel weighs 113 pounds at 98 inches and 138 pounds at 120 inches (51.2 and 62.5 kg), without pallet.
• Nominal weight per area is 3.44 pounds per square foot (16.8 kg/m²).
• A pallet holds 30 panels, with 984.9 square feet usable for the 98 inch length and 1201.3 square feet for the 120 inch length (91.5 and 111.6 m²).

Tolerances for trimmed linea panels are ±1/16 inch on total thickness, -1/32 inch to +1/16 inch on valley thickness, ±1/8 inch on width and length, and ±1/16 inch per foot on squareness. In metric these are ±1 mm on total thickness, -0.5 mm to +1.0 mm on the 8 mm valley, ±2 mm on width and length, and ±1.0 mm/m on squareness. The factory tolerances outperform EN 12467 Level I and all criteria in ASTM C1185.

linea is an ASTM E84 Class A material with flame spread index 0 and smoke development index 5. The ASTM E119 assembly rating is 1 hour with a hose stream pass, and the ASTM E136 vertical tube furnace test gives a pass and a non-combustible result.

• Grade IV flexural strength classification under ASTM C1186, with trimmed-panel tolerances passing.
• Dry mean density of 101.0 pounds per cubic foot.
• Moisture movement of 0.02 percent between 30 and 90 percent humidity.
• Ultimate flexural strength of 4,475 psi dry and 3,886 psi wet.
• A pass for linea in the water tightness, frost resistance (freeze-thaw) and warm water resistance tests.
• Moisture content of 5.9 percent and mean water absorption of 19 percent.
• Thermal movement of 5.5e-6 in/in°F and thermal conductivity of 0.226 BTU/h ft°F.

linea has been evaluated to ICC acceptance criteria AC90 and meets the minimum requirements of the International Building Code. The EQUITONE autoclaved range has ESR report ESR 3910.

linea conforms to EN 12467:2012+A1:2018 and complies with ISO 8336:2017.

• Type NT, durability Category A, strength Class 4, and Level I dimensional tolerances for trimmed panels.
• Dry mean density of 1630 kg/m³, with dead load of 0.16 kN/m² at 8 mm and 0.20 kN/m² at 10 mm.
• Moisture movement below 0.08 percent.
• Bending strength of 30.0 MPa perpendicular and 20.0 MPa parallel to the production direction.
• A partial safety factor of 2.0 and a modulus of elasticity of 14,000 MPa.
• No drops in the linea water impermeability test, and passes in the freeze-thaw, heat-rain, warm water and soak-dry tests.
• A2-s1,d0 under EN 13501-1, ULC S102 flame spread 0 and smoke development 5, and non-combustible under ULC S114.
• Thermal movement of 0.01 mm/mK, conductivity of 0.39 W/mK, moisture content of 6 percent at 20°C and 65 percent humidity, and Poisson's ratio of 0.2.

Cut edges of linea do not need sealing. Adhesive, tape and sealant are kept off the finished surface. The panel is hail impact tested, and cleaning follows the EQUITONE Cleaning Information guide.

Dust from cutting can irritate the airways and eyes. Extraction, ventilation or both is used, because respirable quartz-containing dust can lead to lung disease and an increased risk of lung cancer.

linea 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.

linea may be fixed on the face or concealed using Etex proprietary or recommended solutions. Restrictions are in the specific application guidelines.

It is not used in roof applications, in interior areas with direct moisture, in contact with standing snow or ice, or at long-term temperatures above 80°C (176°F).

The manufacturer presents a Declaration of Performance for linea under European Regulation 305/2011, confirming CE marking. linea has an Environmental Product Declaration under ISO 14025 or EN 15804. EQUITONE fiber cement facade materials hold a cradle-to-cradle bronze rating under C2CPII version 3.1, and the factory holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certificates.