Smoke-developed index (abbreviated SDI) is a measure of the concentration of
smoke
Smoke is a suspension of airborne particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwanted by-product ...
a material emits as it burns. Like the
Flame Spread Index, it is based on an arbitrary scale in which
asbestos-cement
Asbestos cement, genericized as fibro, fibrolite (short for "fibrous (or fibre) cement sheet") or AC sheet, is a building material in which asbestos fibres are used to reinforce thin rigid cement sheets.
Although invented at the end of the 19t ...
board has a value of 0, and
red oak
The genus Oak, ''Quercus'' contains about 500 species, some of which are listed here. The genus, as is the case with many List of the largest genera of flowering plants, large genera, is Taxonomic rank#Ranks in botany, divided into subgenus, subgen ...
wood has 100. The SDI is measured using a horizontal test specimen, according to the
Steiner tunnel test The Steiner tunnel test is a widely used method of testing building interior wall and ceiling finishes for their ability to support and propagate fire, and for their tendency to emit smoke. The test was developed in 1944 by Al Steiner of Underwriter ...
protocol.
The
ASTM
ASTM International, formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials, is an international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, an ...
standard E84 defines a standard test method for surface flame spread and smoke density measurements.
A smoke-developed index of less than 450 is required by
IBC IBC is an initialism that can stand for:
Broadcasting
*Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation, Channel 13, Philippines
* International Beacon Project, Worldwide network of radio propagation beacons
*International Broadcast Centre
*International ...
section 803.1 at interior walls and ceilings for all surface materials except trim.
See also
*
Steiner tunnel test The Steiner tunnel test is a widely used method of testing building interior wall and ceiling finishes for their ability to support and propagate fire, and for their tendency to emit smoke. The test was developed in 1944 by Al Steiner of Underwriter ...
*
Limiting oxygen index The limiting oxygen index (LOI) is the minimum concentration of oxygen, expressed as a percentage, that will support combustion of a polymer. It is measured by passing a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen over a burning specimen, and reducing the oxygen ...
References
{{reflist
Fire test standards