Standards Development

Scope

This British Standard specifies requirements and test methods for partitions, including requirements for the installation of partitions for the purposes of performance testing.

It does not specify requirements for special-purpose partitions. 

The standard does not cover:

1. structural stability of screens;

2. thermal insulation to cold store partitions;

3. sound absorption of partitions to large auditoria;

4. bullet-resistance of glazed high security partitions (see BS 5051-1);

5. X-ray resistance of partitions (see HTM561)) [1];

6. patent glazing partitions (see BS 5516).

Purpose

A revision of BS 5234-1:1992 and BS 5234-2:1992 is needed because BS 5234-1:1992 has largely been superseded by BS 8000-8 Installation Plasterboard Load-bearing boards Construction sites Building systems Design and both parts no longer reflect current construction practices. As both parts of BS 5234 are intended for manufacturers, this project will merge the remaining relevant content of BS 5234-1:1992 into BS 5234-2:1992 and publish it as the newly numbered BS 15234. As part of this process, recommendations from Part 1, which is currently a code of practice, will be reviewed, updated and converted into clear requirements.

The revised standard will modernise partition performance classifications and test methods to reflect current building use, products and safety expectations. It will introduce updated duty ratings, a new grading system to support the specification of appropriate and safe partition systems, and revised door impact testing based on the door weights commonly used in UK construction today, helping to improve safety, consistency and confidence in partition system performance.