Hardipanel as exterior shear panel in california 2

[Inspector314159]

Hi all,

I'm new here and i'm guessing you've all had this question before. Hopefully, it's an easy one. I'm an inspector and have looked at several homes with hardipanel exterior siding. I have a couple questions:
1. is it allowed for shear (seismic and wind) or does it have to have a structural sheathing under it?
2. if it isn't allowed, when did this change? seems like it used to be allowed.

It seems to me that it used to be allowed, but i've been asking around and some of the building departments no longer allow it.

I'm in sacramento, california. if that makes a difference.

Thanks!

 

[BAretired]

It comes in various specifications and thicknesses. Have you seen this reference?

https://www.jameshardie.com/homeowner/pdf/ner-405.pdf

BA

 

[Inspector314159]

Yes, thanks. I've seen that. But it says "legacy report" meaning, what? it's no longer used? That is the only reference i've seen and it seems to be outdated.

 

[Harbringer]

I'd say don't allow it. There is a wide variety of allowable shear values depending on the product and nailing, some have similar values to sheathing some doesn't. If they want siding without sheathing tell them to hire an engineer to design for it.

 

[r13]

I don't think it is disallowed, but it has quite a few problems. Start with water damage.... please Google online.

 

[hokie66]

There are many applications of fibre cement sheets being used in building. Hardie Panel is a compressed sheet, typically used as an underlayment for tiled floors. Suggest you contact Hardie direct for advice on the applicability of this material for wall bracing, as it is not common. But if you are trying to make any single sheet material work as both siding and structural sheathing, beware.

 

[Inspector314159]

So, just for the next guy who may be searching for this, I'm going to close the loop: it isn't allowed for shear walls. It once was but they stopped sometime in early 2000s.

I checked directly with Hardie, and a tech told me it isn't rated for structural shear loads. When you do some google research, it can appear like it is allowed because Hardie links documents like NER-405 report (which provides shear values). Unfortunately, this report is an old "legacy report" which is no longer available at ICC and no longer valid. I guess you could use it if you were trying to evaluate an existing system, but modern codes don't allow it.

Also, if you look up James Hardie in the ICC Evaluation Service (here) you will find their products listed for a variety of things, including wind loads (as a cladding, I assume this is for pull out) but it is no longer rated for shear.

Hope that helps.