DK Board passes Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport wet exterior wall finish real model fire test

The Only Domestic Acquisition...Significantly Improved Drawbacks, Excellent Insulation and Safety Performance

Selected as Recommended Material by the Korea Institute of Construction
Registered as a Material Partner by the Passive Architecture As

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] DK Board Co., Ltd., a leading company in non-combustible insulation materials, recently passed the wet exterior wall finishing real-scale fire test for non-combustible insulation materials announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Until now, some companies had obtained real-scale fire test certificates using dry construction methods (brick or granite exterior finishing methods).

However, DK Board Co., Ltd. is the only company in Korea to have acquired a test certificate through the wet exterior wall finishing construction method, drawing significant attention.

According to the Korea Conformity Laboratories (KCL) on the 18th, DK Board’s non-combustible insulation material DK Board-X passed the wet exterior wall finishing real-scale fire test (KS F 8414) conducted earlier this month under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Notification No. 2022-84.

DK Board-X, first developed and mass-produced in March 2021, is a product that integrates four patented technologies through over 10 years of technical development and investment by DK Board.

It boasts advantages such as maximizing insulation effect, excellent workability, and enhanced quasi-non-combustible performance compared to conventional expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation materials.

Prior to this real-scale fire test, DK Board-X significantly improved the shortcomings of combustible insulation materials and combustible dryvit exterior wall finishing construction methods, which have been identified as causes of major fire incidents such as the Uijeongbu apartment and Jecheon sports center fires.

Subsequently, from September 22, 2022, to January 18, 2023, DK Board-X passed the total heat release test and gas toxicity test for quasi-non-combustible single-material insulation under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Notification No. 2022-84 (February 11, 2022) quality certification and management standards for building materials. Then, real-scale fire tests (KS F 8414) with wet exterior wall finishing were conducted twice each at minimum thickness of 50 mm and maximum thickness of 300 mm.

In particular, DK Board-X underwent batch testing at the KCL Samcheok Real Fire Test Research Center to ensure product quality performance and sample uniformity.

DK Board became the first company in Korea to pass the wet exterior wall finishing real-scale fire test, enabling the use of test certificates for all thicknesses from 50 mm to 300 mm in future wet exterior wall finishing constructions.

The newly strengthened Building Act requires that for exterior wall finishing of buildings with three or more floors or over 9 meters in height, construction must be based on products from companies that have obtained real-scale fire test certificates for wet or dry methods under Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Notification No. 2022-84. This calls for meticulous supervision by construction site managers, architects, supervisors, and building permit authorities.

A DK Board official stated, “Fake certificates and expired test certificates have been rampant in frontline construction sites and the insulation material market, causing enormous property damage and numerous casualties. To prevent such tragic accidents, it is essential to actively promote verification of quasi-non-combustible (single-material) insulation material certificates and ensure only verified materials are used.”

The excellence of DK Board-X was verified last year by receiving four consecutive quasi-non-combustible compliance judgments during unannounced building safety monitoring inspections by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Additionally, in June last year, after review by the Korea Institute of Registered Architects, which has 16,000 architect members, DK Board-X was selected as a recommended material by the institute. This month, it was also registered as a material partner of the Passive Architecture Association, which promotes sharing and dissemination of architectural information and technology, further proving its outstanding quality.

DK Board has also focused on promoting the excellence of DK Board-X.

Last year alone, it uniquely participated as an insulation material company in 13 architectural exhibitions including Korea Build, Kyunghyang Housing Fair, Dong-A Expo, and Korea Architecture Industry Exhibition, receiving significant interest and positive responses from architects and public institution building officials.

This year, DK Board plans to continue its active presence by participating in the Daegu Dong-A Architecture Expo on the 26th and the KINTEX Korea Build Architecture Expo in Ilsan in February, further solidifying its status as a pioneering company in non-combustible insulation materials.

Han Gap-ho, CEO of DK Board, emphasized, “Above all, we have focused on producing honest styrofoam and have now become the nation’s leading EPS insulation material manufacturer. We will not be complacent but will do our best to establish ourselves as a 100-year company that values producing products of honest quality above corporate profit.”