What does a one-hour fire rating mean?

A “one-hour” fire rating is given to an assembly consisting of various building materials that can resist the exposure of a standardized fire exposure for one hour. It was developed to evaluate the performance of building elements during an intense fire exposure (for example, fire spreading from one apartment to another apartment sharing a common wall). This kind of rating can be applied to a wall, floor, or roof system. The test follows a standard procedure that specifies the rate …