The development of Gypsum Shaftliner Panels dramatically changed the way access and mechanical shafts and area separations walls could be designed and constructed in a commercial structure. Here are several advantages this product has to offer your next project:

• Fire Resistance – Shaft walls and area separation walls constructed with Gypsum Shaftliner Panels are capable of achieving a range of levels of fire protection to meet the design requirements of different structures and applications. These 1”-thick, noncombustible Type X panels are UL-classified for use in vertical wall assemblies designed to provide fire-rated values of 1, 2, 3 and even 4 hours. Their tested flame-spread and smoke-developed surface burning characteristics are also extremely low. Refer to GA-600 Fire Resistance and Sound Control Design Manual.
• Construction Efficiency – Gypsum Shaftliner Panels make it possible to build multi-floor shaft wall and area separation wall systems in a commercial structure without the time, weight and cost burdens of masonry construction. That’s because the assembly of lightweight metal framing is fast and reliable using tools and craftsmen already building other partition structures onsite. Plus, shaftliner panels are available to quickly span the typical height between floors, fit tightly into multiple metal framing systems and allow size adjustments and cutouts to be made easily with a saw or knife. In addition, shaft walls built with these panels can be constructed from outside the shaft itself, eliminating the need for increasingly taller scaffolding and its procurement, storage and assembly.
• Wall Strength – Engineered to handle the stresses, wind pressures and vibrations created by the rapid movement of modern elevator carriages, Gypsum Shaftliner Panels can be a strong, durable component of a structure’s access and mechanical shafts as well as area separation fire walls.
• Mold and Moisture Resistance – In the same way Gypsum Shaftliner Panels help protect a building’s access and mechanical shafts from flame spread, they can also help resist the development and spread of mold and mildew. Both the core and facers of many brands of shaftliner panels are manufactured with moisture-resistant, anti-microbial properties. Consult the manufacturer for specific test results and recommendations.
• Sound Control – Wall assemblies built with Gypsum Shaftliner Panels can be very effective barriers to the transfer of sound vibrations from one space to the adjoining areas within a structure. This is especially valuable when trying to buffer a building’s occupants from equipment noise including hotel rooms adjacent to an elevator or mechanical shaft. In other cases, Gypsum Shaftliner Panels contribute to excellent separation walls to shield tenants from the unwanted noise of their neighbors in residential or office settings. more