Wall & Ceiling Panels

What makes accommodation panels different from ordinary building panels

Marine wall and ceiling panels are a certified fire-rated assembly, not just a decorative surface: the certification covers the panel's core, facing, joint and fixing method as a tested system, so mixing a certified core with an uncertified facing or a different jointing method invalidates the fire rating even if the visual result looks identical. Panels are classified A-0 to A-60 or B-0 to B-15 depending on the core insulation and the time in minutes the assembly resists fire and limits temperature rise on the unexposed face, and this classification, together with the space it separates, decides where each panel type is permitted under the ship's fire control plan.

Main components

Core material

Mineral wool or rock wool cores provide the insulation value behind higher fire ratings (A-60); honeycomb aluminium or paper cores give a lighter, stiffer panel for B-class or non-fire-rated partitions where weight matters more than insulation time.

Facing and veneer

Laminate, steel, aluminium or real wood veneer facings are bonded to the core; the facing and adhesive must be part of the same tested assembly, since an unapproved facing can add fuel load the certification did not account for.

Joints and seals

Certified joint profiles, often with intumescent seals, maintain the fire rating across panel-to-panel and panel-to-bulkhead junctions, which is usually where a poorly installed system fails first.

Fixing system

Panels are hung on a track or frame system rather than fixed rigidly to structure, allowing for the ship's working and thermal movement without cracking the joint seal.

Selection and sizing

Panel type follows directly from the fire zone boundary it forms: corridor and stairway enclosures, cabin divisions and machinery space boundaries each carry a required A- or B-class rating from the ship's approved fire control plan, and the panel selected must match or exceed that rating as tested. Beyond fire class, selection also weighs weight (a real factor on passenger ships with large panel areas), acoustic insulation for cabin partitions, and impact resistance in high-traffic corridors and galleys.

Regulations and class

SOLAS Chapter II-2 sets the structural fire protection requirements that define A-class and B-class divisions, including the standard fire test each class must pass and where each class is required in the ship's arrangement. Panels must carry a type approval certificate referencing the tested assembly, and any deviation from that tested build-up, including substituted adhesives or fixings, requires fresh certification before it can be accepted as meeting the same class.

Typical faults

• Field substitution of facing or adhesive - a yard or repair crew swaps in a locally available material that looks the same but was never tested with that core, silently voiding the fire rating.
• Poorly sealed joints - gaps or missing intumescent seal at panel junctions let fire and smoke pass well before the rated time, even though the panels themselves are correctly specified.
• Penetrations for cabling or piping without fire-stopping - later additions through a rated panel without proper sealing create a direct bypass of the fire boundary.
• Moisture ingress into mineral wool cores - water damage from a leaking deck or pipe degrades insulation performance and promotes core corrosion in metal-faced panels.
• Loose or corroded fixing tracks - panels can shift or drop from their frame over time in way of vibration-heavy areas, opening gaps in the fire boundary.

What to look for in a supplier

• Type approval certificates that match the exact core, facing, joint and fixing combination to be installed, not just a general product family.
• Documented weight per square metre, relevant for stability and lightship weight calculations on panel-heavy refits.
• Consistency of colour and finish batches for large-area orders, since a mismatch across a delivery is a common cause of costly reordering.
• Installation guidance covering joint sealing and penetration fire-stopping, since installation quality decides whether the rating holds in practice.

Treat a rated panel system as a single certified product, not a kit of interchangeable parts - any substitution of core, facing, adhesive or joint detail needs its own paperwork before it can be called the same fire class.