What Kind of Siding is the Most Resistant to Fire?

If you are weighing your options in regard to buying new siding for your house, one of your primary concerns may be the flammability of whatever product you are putting on your house. If the time ever comes that your home catches fire then you may very naturally wish to know that your siding is retarding rather than helping the flame.

The four basic kinds of siding are vinyl, wood, aluminum, and fiber cement siding. The two that are considered flammable are wood and vinyl. Vinyl siding has been shown to have the worst track record in regard to fire.Vinyl siding manufacturers claim that it burns slowly, but in tests it catches flame more quickly than treated wood does, and it has been shown that it is especially easy for fire to jump between two houses that are both covered with vinyl siding. Furthermore, vinyl releases a toxic chemical when it burns. While this is not a danger to the environment, it is a danger to firefighters and people standing by. People unfortunate enough to be caught inside a house while vinyl siding is burning on the outside of it suffer a much incidence of death and sickness from smoke inhalation than people in other sorts of houses.

Wood is not as dangerous in a fire as vinyl, however it is certainly flammable. Fiber cement siding and aluminum siding are both thought to be fire proof, as they are made out of materials that are not naturally flammable. However, they can still be damaged by fire, especially the aluminum. Aluminum may not burn, but it does grow soft and will twist and become misshapen during a fire. Fiber cement is the strongest kind of siding available in almost any situation, and it is extremely resistant to fire.

When it comes to cost, though, vinyl siding is cheapest, and it is among the longest lasting as well. Wood and aluminum both cost more than vinyl, and fiber cement costs the most at all. Covering your house with fiber cement siding may be nearly twice as expensive as vinyl siding would be.