# Cladding — ACP, Metal, Tile and Stone

> Facade cladding covers ACP, solid aluminium, other metal, tile and stone panels fixed on an engineered sub-frame over a ventilated cavity. Panels that look identical can differ greatly in fire performance, which depends on the core grade, classified to EN 13501-1, and on the cavity barriers and non-combustible insulation behind the panel.

## What we deliver

**ACP, solid aluminium, other metal, tile and stone cladding** — engineered
sub-frame, panel fabrication and installation, with the cavity, barriers and
weather line detailed as part of the assembly rather than left to the site team.

Since Grenfell, cladding fire performance is the first question in any fire
review. The panels look identical from outside; what separates a compliant
facade from a dangerous one is the core material and what happens in the cavity
behind.

## Delivered work

| Project | Location | Scope | Quantity |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Max Hospital | Saket, Delhi | Pre-coated sheet & glass work | 20,000 sq. ft. |

## Facade leadership experience

Our Director – Facade, Akhilesh Kumar Singh (25+ years in facade engineering),
has led delivery on projects including:

| Project | Location | Scope | Quantity |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Rajiv Gandhi International Airport | Shamshabad, Hyderabad | ACP cladding, SS cladding | 17,000 sq. m. |
| DLF — Building 8 | Cyber City, Gurgaon | Aluminium solid sheet, Galvalume & Shera board cladding, stick curtain wall | 14,175 sq. m. |
| Dee Development | Bhuj, Gujarat | Glazing & ACP cladding | 25,000 sq. ft. |

## Material partner

**Viva Composite Panel**, our preferred partner, is one of India's leading
manufacturers of aluminium and metal composite panels, established in Mumbai.
The range spans **ACP, solid aluminium, honeycomb, louvres and rainscreen
systems in 500+ shades, with fire-retardant grades and PVDF coatings.**

## Scope of works

| Stage | What we deliver |
| --- | --- |
| Specification | Panel type, core grade to EN 13501-1, finish class |
| Design | Sub-frame design, setting out, cavity and barrier detailing |
| Compliance | Test certificate verification against delivered batch |
| Fabrication | Panel cutting, routing, folding, cassette forming |
| Installation | Bracket and sub-frame, membrane, insulation, barriers, panels |
| Handover | Inspection, snagging, documentation |

## What drives the cost

Core grade (PE / FR / A2) · panel material — ACP versus solid aluminium versus
stone · finish class, with PVDF costing more than polyester · sub-frame
complexity and cantilever · cavity depth and barrier extent · panel size and
wastage · building height and access.

## Where projects go wrong

- **"FR ACP" with nothing else specified.** FR is a family, not a grade. Without
  the EN 13501-1 class and the certificate, the specification is unenforceable.
- **No cavity barriers.** The single most serious omission in ventilated
  cladding, and the mechanism behind catastrophic facade fires.
- **Substitution at supply stage.** The panel that arrives should be verifiable
  against the panel approved — by cut section and batch traceability.
- **Treating the membrane as secondary.** The breather membrane behind the panel
  is the actual weather line. A discontinuity there leaks regardless of panel
  quality.
- **Thermal bridging at brackets.** Hundreds of metal brackets through the
  insulation can undo the assembly's U-value.

## Why Hagerstone

**Fire compliance treated as a specification discipline**, not a supply
decision — certificates verified against delivered batches, cavity barriers
detailed as part of the design.

**100% in-house execution** with a 20-member dedicated facade team under a
Director with 25+ years in cladding technologies and high-rise exterior work.

**79+ quality checkpoints** under ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 certification.

## Standards referenced

Fire and life safety, including external wall assemblies and cavity barriers,
under **NBC 2016, Part 4**. Panel reaction-to-fire classification to **EN
13501-1**. Metal cladding material requirements under **IS 6248**.

## Frequently asked questions

### What fire grade of ACP should we specify?

Plain polyethylene core should not be used on a commercial facade. FR core, at roughly 70% mineral filler, is the common commercial specification; A2 core, at around 90% or more mineral, is limited-combustibility and is what to specify on high-rise, healthcare and high-occupancy buildings. Name the EN 13501-1 classification in the specification and require the test certificate for that exact product and thickness — not a brochure.

### Is the panel grade enough on its own?

No, and this is the most common misunderstanding. A ventilated cladding facade has a continuous cavity behind it that behaves like a chimney in a fire. Cavity barriers at every compartment line, and non-combustible insulation, are what make the assembly compliant. A compliant panel over an unstopped cavity is not a compliant facade.

### Can you handle stone and tile cladding as well as metal?

Yes. Our cladding scope covers ACP, other metal, tile and stone, along with solid aluminium sheet, Galvalume and pre-coated sheet — all within the same in-house facade team that handles the curtain wall and fenestration, so the interfaces between systems are detailed by one party.

## Sources

- [NBC 2016, Part 4](https://www.bis.gov.in/standards/national-building-code/?lang=en) — Fire and life safety
- [EN 13501-1](https://standards.cencenelec.eu/ords/f?p=CEN:105) — Reaction to fire classification
- [IS 6248](https://standards.bis.gov.in/website/published-standards/department-wise) — Metal cladding

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Source: https://hagerstone.com/services/facade-glazing/cladding-systems