Hilti EDucation
Engineering
Judgments
Engineering Judgments
What is an EJ?
An engineering judgment, or EJ as they are commonly known, is a drawing or group of
drawings typically generated by a firestop manufacturer for a customer’s jobsite-specific
application. They are recommended as a solution when a customer’s jobsite condition
deviates from a tested firestop design/system.
What is their purpose?
Contractors consistently encounter unique jobsite conditions requiring new penetrations
through fire-rated assemblies regardless of how many firestop systems are tested and
approved by third-party testing agencies. Custom drawings are sometimes needed in order
to provide the most comprehensive fire protection solution for an entire project to account for
these unique applications for which a tested and approved system does not already exist.
How are these drawings created?
Per International Firestop Counsel (IFC)
guidelines, engineering judgments are firestop
designs created by qualified personnel based
off of third-party tested and approved systems.
These designs are in accordance with the
recommended IFC guidelines for evaluating
firestop system engineering judgments.
www.firestop.org
Engineering Judgments at Hilti
The IFC guidelines recommend that tested
systems be used in lieu of engineering
judgments when available and that
engineering judgments be based on previously
tested systems. Additionally, engineering
judgments should only be issued by qualified
technical personnel.
All project and application-specific
information, such as the penetration type
and size as well as the location of the
penetrating item, must appear on the drawing.
Engineering judgments must only be issued
for a single job and should not be transferred
to another job without review by the entity
who issued the EJ of all aspects of that job’s
specifications to determine whether or not the
EJs are applicable to the new project.
Hilti. Outperform. Outlast.
Hilti, Inc. (U.S.) 1-800-879-8000 www.us.hilti.com • Hilti (Canada) Corp. 1-800-363-4458 www.hilti.ca
06/16 DBS
Firestop systems are designed and installed to
impede the passage of fire, and toxic smoke,
with some systems designed to also restrict
water and sound, through construction openings
in fire-rated assemblies. These systems are
required by all Model Building Codes to be
tested and rated as part of an assembly in
accordance with ASTM E-814, ASTM E-1966,
ASTM E-2307, or CAN/cUL 8115 and/or other
applicable fire testing standards (UL 1479/UL
2079). The International Building Code (IBC)
justifies the use of engineering judgments as
referenced under sections 703.2 Fire Resistance
Ratings and 703.3 Alternative Methods for
Determining Fire Resistance, IBC 2012. The
testing and rating process ensures that each
specifically designed system will maintain or
exceed the hourly fire rating, as tested, for which
it was approved.
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