Humidity resistance
Suspended Ceilings
Ceiling producers must ensure that ceiling tiles have sufficient strength to support their own weight once installed, and potentially an additional point/linear/distributed load.
This is done by testing Flexural Tensile Strength according to EN 13964:2014 (Annex F for ceiling panels, and Annex J for Baffles) under determined conditions and classes according to Table 8, EN 13964:2014.
The performance of Ecophon ceiling panels can be found in their respective Declaration of Performance.
Table 8, EN 13964:2014
| Class | Conditions |
| A | Building components exposed to varying relative humidity up to 70 % and varying temperature up to 25 °C but without corrosive pollutants. |
| B | Building components exposed to varying relative humidity up to 90 % and varying temperature up to 30 °C but without corrosive pollutants. |
| C | Building components exposed to varying relative humidity up to 95 % and varying temperature up to 30 °C and accompanied by a risk of condensation but without corrosive pollutants. |
| D |
More severe than the above. |
Stretch fabrics
The stability of stretch fabrics in humid environments is evaluated according to several test protocols as specified by the Stretched Fabrics standard EN 14716:
The dimensional stability under the action of humidity verifies the suitability for use of the stretched fabric in humid atmospheres, possibly charged with chlorine. The testing is done according to EN 14716 (Appendix C) and measures the elongation of the fabric (in both warp and weft directions, in %) after exposure to water vapour for at least one week (temperature 30°C). A performance of 0% therefore indicates that the fabric remains completely stable when exposed to humidity.
The dimensional stability under the action of heat verifies the stability of the stretched fabric over time. It is an accelerated ageing test, performed according to EN 12280-1, which measures the elongation of the fabric (in both warp and weft directions, in %) after a 30-minute exposure to 60°C. A performance of 0% therefore indicates that the fabric remains stable over time.
The water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) indicates the mass of water vapour transmitted through one square meter of fabric in 24 hours, at specific conditions of temperature and humidity. The tests are performed according to ISO 2528 in the conditions B set by the Appendix B: temperature 38°C, relative humidity 90%.