Explore free Canadian Wood Council tools—CodeCHEK, FRR & STC, and Mass Timber Calculator—to assess code compliance, assemblies, and timber design options.

This presentation highlights the Canadian Wood Council’s suite of free, web-based fire design tools, CodeCHEK, FRR & STC Tool, and Exposed Mass Timber Calculator.

CodeCHEK enables project teams to evaluate code-compliant opportunities for wood construction by assessing key building characteristics, such as height, area, sprinkler presence and more, highlighting potential pathways for alternative solutions, and clarifying where wood elements may be permitted in buildings otherwise required to be of noncombustible construction.

The FRR & STC (fire-resistance rating & sound transmission class) Tool helps designers in the determination of generic fire-resistance rating designs of lightweight wood-frame wall, floor, and roof assemblies using the Component Additive Method described in Appendix D of the NBC, which is referenced as an acceptable solution in Section 3.1 of the NBC and can be used for Part 3 and 9 buildings. In addition, the tool provides the sound transmission class (STC) value that is associated with each wall or floor assembly for which STC information is available.

The Exposed Mass Timber Calculator helps users assess whether mass timber compartment exposure/encapsulation designs align with the 2025 National Building Code of Canada provisions by evaluating compartment inputs against applicable criteria and generating warnings when configurations are not code-consistent, positioning it as a practical screening and learning aid that complements (but does not replace) detailed code analysis and professional judgment.

 

Learning Outcomes: 

1. Evaluate code-compliant opportunities for wood construction using the CodeCHEK tool by analyzing key building parameters (e.g., height, area, and sprinklering) and identifying potential pathways for alternative solutions.
2. Apply the FRR & STC Tool to design compliant assemblies by determining fire-resistance ratings and sound transmission performance of lightweight wood-frame wall, floor, and roof systems using the Component Additive Method.
3. Assess mass timber exposure and encapsulation strategies using the Exposed Mass Timber Calculator to verify alignment with 2025 National Building Code of Canada provisions and support early-stage design decision-making.

 

Photo © Tom Arban