Benefits

Innovation MgO is the top material choice for commercial and multifamily buildings needing protection from fire in exterior walls, interior shared or common “party” walls, or roof and floor decks. Magnesia cement panels like Innovation MgO are inherently fire resistant in their natural and organic makeup, which varies greatly from products like fire-retardant-treated wood (FRTW) sheets or gypsum which rely on harmful chemicals to achieve a lesser degree of fire resistance.

Innovation MgO 1/2″ Wall Panels are independently fire-rated for 1 and 2-hours with many NFPA 285 assemblies available. Unlike gypsum, Innovation MgO 1/2″ Wall Panels do not require tapes, sealants, or other treatments for fire ratings.

Innovation MgO panels offer:

• Innovation MgO 1/2″ Wall Panels are classified as noncombustible class A1 fire resistant with independent 1 and 2-hour fire ratings and many NFPA 285 fire-rated assemblies per ASTM E119 testing. Innovation MgO panels do not burn at 800°C per ASTM E84 testing and meet ASTM E136 acceptance criteria as a noncombustible material.
• An easy and effective method to extend the amount of time for safe evacuation of occupants in a fire event. Innovation MgO panels achieved no flame spread and very low smoke development in ASTM E84 testing at 1,200°C in 10- and 30-minute extended testing.
• In a fire event, Innovation MgO panels will char, not burn, and will absorb large amounts of heat, contributing to a delay in fire and smoke spread.
• Fire performance comparable to exterior 1/2″ gypsum boards and Portland cement panels and superior to FRTW sheets.
• Approvals for many NFPA 285 wall assemblies that use combustible products such as FRTW sheets, interior and exterior gypsum, and various types of insulation and weather resistive barriers. Innovation MgO panels are approved for more than 20 different common wall configuration types.

More information on these properties can be found in our Technical Resources.

Unlike wood and gypsum-based panels, Innovation MgO panels will not delaminate, swell, warp, bend, or deteriorate due to rain and humidity.

Innovation MgO panels are highly durable and effective in resisting damage to water during normal construction conditions and for the life of a home or building. Like wood, gypsum, and Portland cement-based panels, Innovation MgO panels are not approved for permanent exterior use and exposure to the elements, instead serving as a structural base for the attachment of many types of finishes and claddings.

Innovation MgO panels are, however, designed to accommodate repeated water exposure, wetting-drying cycles, and freeze-thaw cycles during normal construction. In 25 cycles of wetting-drying testing, Innovation MgO panels experienced a negligible change in their flexural strength compared to OSB (40%), plywood (9%), and gypsum (36 – 52%) panels. In exterior installations, Innovation MgO requires the use of an approved water-resistive barrier (WRB) between the sheathing and the final finish material attaching to it.

Installers can work with Innovation MgO panels much the same as they do with plywood. Installing Innovation MgO requires no special tools, methods or PPE.

Innovation MgO panels are installed by a single trade using traditional tools and methods readily available on job sites. Framing contractors that normally install plywood can install Innovation MgO panels with the same tools and methods they are familiar with. This is an advantage when compared to the installation of gypsum-based products, which oftentimes require specialized tools.

Innovation MgO Subfloor Panels offer an additional advantage in that a layer of wood or gypsum underlayment can be removed from the design and install as our 3/4″ Subfloor Panel product eliminates the need for a second layer. Having one trade and one underlayment product on the job site helps to save time and costs while reducing hassles and potential delays due to weather and labor conditions.

Innovation MgO panels are primarily made of inorganic materials and contain only trace silicas, no formaldehyde, and off gas no VOCs, making them safe to cut and work with in a factory or on a job site. No specialized PPE is required for cutting or installing Innovation MgO panels.

Homes and buildings can rely on Innovation MgO to provide added structural strength and dimensional stability to exterior walls that enable innovative, time saving, and cost saving design and installation practices. Innovation MgO is comprised of a high-density MgO cement, inorganic materials, and layers of fiberglass mesh reinforcement to provide its advanced strength and durability. These characteristics enable Innovation MgO to readily replace alternative materials when flexural strength and fastener withdrawal are a priority. An added benefit of the high-density material is Innovation MgO panels’ ability to match the mechanical properties – such as fastener pull out strength – of engineered wood while well-exceeding those of gypsum-based products.

• Unlike wood and gypsum-based products, MgO panels hold up very well in cycles of wetting/drying and cold/hot until the time that they need to be covered by a WRB or cladding (180 days). Innovation MgO panels surpass common building materials such as FRTW sheets as they maintain their structural integrity and properties in the presence of moisture or water in normal construction conditions.
• Wood-based products can show up to a job site with waves and imperfections and swell and bend due to moisture. Innovation MgO panels will not swell, delaminate, warp, or bend in the presence of moisture or water in normal use conditions. Installers can rest easy knowing that panels will remain dimensionally stable and mechanically strong during wetting-drying and freeze-thaw cycles.
• Innovation MgO panels exceed Portland cement panels in key areas including compressive strength, tensile strength, and high resistance to shear, impact, and bending forces.

Designing with Innovation MgO panels enables project teams to optimize the materials and labor that go into their project. By combining the most valuable traits of many wall and floor sheathing products into one panel product, Innovation MgO panels can reduce the number of layers in a subfloor system, oftentimes replacing one layer of both wood and gypsum panels with a single layer of Innovation MgO Subfloor Panels. Combine this benefit with the ability to install Innovation MgO panels in all weather conditions, which wood and gypsum-based products cannot do, and your project can realize even greater labor savings. Replacing poured gypsum underlayment systems with Innovation MgO panels offers a further benefit of eliminating the need for the “wet trades” on the jobsite as a framing crew can easily handle the Innovation MgO panels installation.

• Architects, designers, specifiers, and building enclosure consultants can specify Innovation MgO to meet fire resistance requirements while benefiting from structural support and many other benefits.
• General contractors, builders, and installers benefit from a single panel product with superior technical performance to multiple others that does not require any specialized tools or PPE.
• Manufacturers of SIP & SIS panels can enhance their existing products and create new ones that benefit from the structural strength and fire resistive properties of Innovation MgO.

Innovation MgO Subfloor Panels offer an additional advantage in that a layer of wood or gypsum underlayment can be removed from the design and install as our 3/4″ Subfloor Panel product eliminates the need for a second layer. Having one trade and one underlayment product on the job site helps to save time and costs while reducing hassles and potential delays due to weather and labor conditions.

US MgO Company supplies and manufactures Innovation MgO panels under a quality control program involving rigorous oversight by ICC-ES, ICC-NTA, Chinese Magnesite Material Association (CMMA), and others. This oversight includes annual audits of our facilities, products, testing protocols, and much more.

In addition, US MgO Company is one of very few, if not the only, U.S.-based suppliers of imported magnesium oxide (MgO) panels that perform quality assurance inspections on imported materials. Unlike other suppliers that simply ship their imported materials to customers, US MgO Company performs rigorous third-party laboratory testing prior to releasing any material into the hands of our customers. This is an important verification step as examples of poor quality MgO arriving in containers from overseas have occurred with other suppliers.

Innovation MgO panels provide structural support for the exterior walls of commercial and multifamily buildings while also providing an excellent attachment plane and fastener base for many types of cladding materials. With more than 350 psf in shear strength and a fastener withdrawal strength of more than 150 lbs of force, Innovation MgO makes attaching or adhering brick, masonry, tile, metal panels, ACM panels, and many other types fast and easy.

Consult our Installation Manual for additional information on panel and cladding attachment to studs.

Comprised of high-density MgO cement and other inorganic materials, Innovation MgO panels are an incredibly dense product that offers strong sound absorption performance that is highly beneficial in residential and commercial building applications. Innovation MgO panels contribute sound absorption qualities to STC/IIC-tested wall, ceiling, and floor assemblies when pursuing sound ratings.

Innovation MgO is highly resistive to various forms of fungal growth due to its chemical makeup and mechanical properties. Panels will not rot in the presence of fungal growth or regular cycles of wetting. Innovation MgO is a great material for interior use in homes and buildings where occupants may be sensitive to materials like drywall that can contain VOCs and trace amounts of toxic substances.

In exterior applications, Innovation MgO supports proper moisture management by serving as a vapor-permeable material that safely stores, transfers, and releases moisture in response to prevailing vapor gradients.

Innovation MgO panels are manufactured using a low-energy intensity process that emits less carbon than alternative materials. Panels contain no harmful amounts of toxic materials such as silicas and no formaldehyde, fly ash, or other toxins. These features make Innovation MgO a beneficial choice for hospitals, homes, or buildings with people who are sensitive to allergies, asthma, or chemicals.

Innovation MgO panels exhibit high hardness and exceptional abrasion resistance, which enables the material to naturally deter termites and insects as they cannot easily bore into the material. While some MgO panels, including Innovation MgO, include trace amounts of wood used as a filler material, the amount and dispersion is such that it is not an available food source for termites or other insects. Innovation MgO uses a very small amount of wood as a filler, further reducing the opportunity for issues with termites and insects. When compared to wood-based products, Innovation MgO is a far superior product in this area.

Innovation MgO panels are an ideal exterior sheathing product for homes and buildings being constructed during or being built in consistently cold climates. Whereas gypsum panels are known to essentially disintegrate in multiple freeze-thaw cycles, MgO panels remain dimensionally and structurally stable.

Wood-based products can show up to a job site with waves and imperfections and swell and bend due to moisture. Innovation MgO panels will not swell, delaminate, warp, or bend in the presence of moisture or water in normal use conditions. Installers can rest easy knowing that panels will remain dimensionally stable and mechanically strong during wetting-drying and freeze-thaw cycles.

Innovation MgO panels provide a smooth finishing surface that bonds well with mud, sealants, paints, and coatings used in interior and exterior applications. This surface can be easily painted, coated, or covered with stucco, plaster, and more. The finishing surface offers a smooth structural surface that is an ideal attachment plane for many cladding types including brick, stucco, metal panels, tile, masonry, rainscreen systems, and more.

Sealants and tapes adhere to Innovation MgO incredibly well, creating a water resistive, airtight, and energy-efficient exterior wall or floor assembly that outperforms alternative materials such as FRTW sheets, gypsum panels, or Portland cement-based panels. Paints and coatings bond with panels very well and are easy to apply due to our panels’ smooth and uniform face.

When sealing exterior walls, panels are compatible with many types of fluid-applied WRBs as well as roll-on types. No matter the case, finished panels receive less wear and damage when compared to comparable products, making them an ideal choice for exterior and interior use.

Adhesives bond with Innovation MgO panels better than to glass, PVC, and anodized aluminum, even in test conditions under full water immersion. Similarly, acrylic and hybrid butyl tapes and adhered water-resistive barriers experience better bonding and higher peel resistance with MgO panels than alternative products.

Visit our Components page for more information.