High Piled Combustible Storage Application Guide: 2006 International Fire Code
Assists Designers and Code Officials Understand the Proper Application of Chapter 23 of the 2006 International Fire Code

The High-Piled Storage Application Guide was developed to assist code officials and design professional in the proper application of Chapter 23 of the 2006 International Fire Code©. High-piled combustible storage allows for a greater amount of combustible materials within a given floor area. This increased fuel load increases the potential fire dollar loss for each square foot of floor area; property losses resulting from smoke and fire damage of goods within the building in many cases can surpass the construction cost of the building.

This Application Guide explains the requirements for the classification of commodities, including Group A, B and C plastics, the requirements for High Piled Storage Areas, and provides a detailed explanation of the various storage methods and how they contribute the growth and spread of fire. This Application Guide introduces the user to the requirements of the 2002 edition of NFPA 13, Installation of Sprinkler Systems, for storage occupancies. It includes information on the various methods of design including control mode and suppression mode sprinkler and the variables that have the greatest impact on the design and performance of the automatic sprinkler system. Finally, this Application Guide includes a case study of a fire involving a sprinklered Group M occupancy using High Piled Combustible Storage and analyzes contributing factors to the performance of the sprinkler system.