Tested system
A tested system is an assembly (board, framing, fixings, insulation) tested together for a fire, acoustic, or structural rating. Swap a part and the rating is void.
Ask Chalkline about this →A tested system is a complete building assembly, every component together (the board or cladding, framing, fixings, insulation, and fastener type and spacing), that has been physically tested as a whole to achieve a specific fire, acoustic, or structural rating. The rating belongs to the system, not to any one product in it. A board that achieves an FRL of 60/60/60 only does so as part of the exact build-up it was tested in.
This is the single most-missed compliance principle on framed work. The NCC sets the required FRL or sound rating but does not list products or layer counts; you meet it by building a documented tested system. Swap any element, a different board brand, one fewer layer, a wider stud spacing, the wrong screw pattern, or even the wrong insulation, and you no longer have the tested rating, even if the substitute looks equivalent. The certifier signs off the system you actually built, by its documented number, not a rating you assert.
Manufacturers publish catalogues of their tested systems: the CSR Gyprock Red Book and the Knauf Fire Systems Guide are the common plasterboard examples, and acoustic and structural assemblies have their own tested-system references. The same logic applies to a field-tested acoustic wall and to proprietary structural systems. Match the tested system to your actual frame, build it exactly as documented, and record the system number on the job. See NCC fire separation.
Also known as: Tested assembly, rated system, NATA-tested system.
Category: Compliance / Fire and acoustics.
Related
See also
References
- ABCB NCC 2022 Volume Two Part H6 / fire provisions (verified 2026-05-23)
- NATA: testing and accreditation (verified 2026-05-23)
Last updated: 2026-05-30. Verified: 2026-05-23. Quarterly review for currency.