Guidance

Aluminium composite material cladding

Information and advice for building owners, landlords and leaseholders where aluminium composite cladding is present on their building.

From:
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government
Published
21 November 2018
Last updated
25 April 2023 — See all updates

Advice for building owners

Shortly after the fire at Grenfell Tower, the independent expert advisory panel advised the government to undertake identification screening of residential buildings over 18 metres tall (in accordance with building regulations guidance on rain-screen cladding). This is in order to identify the type of aluminium composite material (ACM) used.

Those checking tests began at the Building Research Establishment (BRE) the following week.

On 6 July 2017, having also spoken to a group of technical experts from a wide range of professions and organisations, the expert panel recommended further large scale testing of cladding systems. This was to better understand better how different types of ACM panels behave with different types of insulation in a fire (these tests can be used to show compliance with the building regulations guidance).

These large scale tests, undertaken by the BRE, looked at 3 different types of ACM cladding combined with different types of insulation, in accordance with British Standard 8414. This involved building a 9-metre high demonstration wall with a complete cladding system fixed to it - including panels and insulation. This was then subjected to a fire designed to replicate the circumstances in which a severe fire breaks out of a window. The spreads of the fire up the outside wall, if any, was then monitored.

See the final consolidated advice after all the tests.

Fire test report ACM category and insulation type Advice note
Fire test report 1 - 28 July 2017 Category 3 - Foam Insulation Advice note 4 – Advice for building owners: large-scale wall system test 1 - 28 July 2017
Fire test report 2 - 3 August 2017 Category 3 – Mineral Wool Advice note 5 – Advice for building owners: large-scale wall system test 2 – 2 August 2017
Fire test report 3 - 8 August 2017 Category 2 – PIR foam Advice note 6 – Advice for building owners: large-scale wall system test 3 – 8 August 2017
Fire test report 4 - 11 August 2017 Category 2 – Mineral Wool Advice note 7 – Advice for building owners: large-scale wall system test 4 – 11 August 2017
Fire test report 5 - 14 August 2017 Category 1 – Foam Insulation Advice note 8 – Advice for building owners: large-scale wall system test 5 – 14 August 2017
Fire test report 6 - 25 August 2017 Category 1 – Mineral Wool Advice note 10 – Advice for building owners: large-scale wall system test 6 – 25 August 2017
Fire test report 7 - 21 August 2017 Category 2 – Phenolic Foam Advice note 9 – Advice for building owners: large-scale wall system test 7 – 21 August 2017

Additional fire test reports on other cladding combinations in accordance with British Standard 8414 can be found on the BRE website.

The Industry Response Group was established by government in June 2017 to advise on immediate steps to ensure building safety. It complements the work of the Expert Panel.

In consultation with the Industry Response Group, independent expert advisory panel, building owners, and other experts, the government has developed an information note to assist building owners in considering what measures to take to make buildings safe - and how they could carry out remedial works on high rise residential buildings with ACM cladding.

Information note for building owners

  • Information note 1 - Information note for landlords and building owners of tall residential buildings with ACM cladding

Action for private sector residential landlords

It is the responsibility of building owners in the private residential sector to carry out necessary measures to ensure the safety of their residents.

Since June, the government has been urging owners of private residential buildings over 18 metres to make urgent use of the free ACM screening tests, and to report the results to local authorities so that private sector blocks with ACM cladding systems can be identified.

We are also working with local authorities to identify privately owned residential buildings over 18 metres with ACM cladding systems. Financial support to local authorities for the work needed to collect data on high rise residential buildings and report on cladding was provided in line with the new burdens doctrine.

Work to reach private sector landlords continues - through industry bodies including the Home Builders Federation, Association of Residential Letting Agents, and the British Property Federation.

Private sector ACM cladding remediation fund

On 9 May 2019 the Secretary of State announced that the government will fully fund the removal and replacement of unsafe ACM cladding on private sector residential buildings 18 metres or over, with costs estimated at £200 million.

See further detail on how responsible entities can apply to the private sector ACM cladding remediation fund.

Corporate entities yet to start remediation works on site

This is a list of corporate entities that have indicated to the department that they are responsible for the remediation of unsafe aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding, but where remediation works have not started on at least one of their buildings.

The entities are the department’s main contact for the remediation of a specific building, or we understand that they are the decision makers on remediation (though they may have other entities working on their behalf).

Entities are excluded from this list if:

  • it would lead to the identification of a specific building with unsafe ACM cladding
  • the entity is awaiting further advice from public authorities about the remediation of unsafe ACM cladding; or
  • where those responsible for remediation are in administration or the building is vacant

List of entities

  • Adriatic Land 5 Limited
  • Betterpride Limited
  • Charbury Limited
  • Fairhold Holdings (2006) Appts Ltd
  • Property Class England 2 GmbH & Co. KG
  • Rockwell (FC100) Limited
  • Rocquefort Properties Limited
  • Schloss Roxburghe Holdings Ltd
  • Tonenest Limited

This list will be updated periodically.

ACM remediation data

MHCLG, now DLUHC collects and holds information about high-rise residential buildings in England (including hotels and student accommodation) and some buildings owned by the public sector. This data is being collected to help the Building Safety Programme make buildings safe and to make people feel safe from the risk of fire, now and in the future.

Where data collected includes personal data, MHCLG, now DLUHC is the data controller. The Data Protection Officer can be contacted at dataprotection@levellingup.gov.uk. Find out more about how the Building Safety Programme handles data responsibly.

In order to facilitate mortgage lending, DLUHC will be sharing with mortgage lenders and valuation firms basic address information of high-rise buildings approved for funding in the Building Safety Fund (BSF) and buildings with funding in place to remove unsafe ACM cladding systems. We intend to do the same for buildings in remediation schemes moving forward. DLUHC will not be sharing personal data with lenders or valuation firms. This information will only be shared with specific mortgage lenders and valuation firms that commit to using this information in a controlled way and for the specific purpose of informing lending decisions on flats in buildings impacted by external wall system defects, helping prospective buyers to access mortgage finance and leaseholders to sell (and re-mortgage).

The Building Safety Programme Data Release has been designated as management information and does not constitute an Official Statistics or National Statistics release. However, the Building Safety Programme Data Release does comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics on a voluntary basis and the principles of transparency of high-quality analytical outputs to inform decision making and the public underpin this data release.

Aggregate data related to the Building Safety Programme are published at regular intervals. The data release has a particular focus on buildings identified with ACM cladding by tenure and remediation progress. Data releases for October 2021 onwards include data on the progress of the Waking Watch Relief Fund. Previous data on the Waking Watch Relief Fund was published alongside the Waking Watch Relief Fund guidance. Data releases can be found below.

2017 ACM fire test reports

Following the Grenfell Tower fire on 14 June 2017, the government commissioned a series of large scale fire tests of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding. These were intended to establish how different types of ACM panels in combination with different types of insulation behave in a fire.

Published 21 November 2018
Last updated 25 April 2023 + show all updates

  1. Updated section on use of information collected on buildings with funding in place to remove ACM cladding systems.

  2. Added section on use of information collected on buildings with funding in place to remove ACM cladding systems.

  3. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - June 2022

  4. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - March 2022.

  5. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - February 2022.

  6. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - January 2022

  7. Added link to Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - May 2021

  8. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - January 2021

  9. Added link to Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - December 2020 and added list of corporate entities yet to start remediation works on site.

  10. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - November 2020.

  11. Added link to Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - October 2020

  12. Added link to Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - September 2020.

  13. Added link to Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - August 2020.

  14. Added link to Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - July 2020

  15. Added link to Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - June 2020

  16. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - May 2020.

  17. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - April 2020.

  18. Added link to Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - March 2020.

  19. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - February 2020

  20. Added section: Corporate entities without a plan for remediating unsafe ACM cladding.

  21. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - January 2020.

  22. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - December 2019

  23. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - November 2019.

  24. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - October 2019.

  25. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - September 2019.

  26. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - August 2019.

  27. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - July 2019.

  28. Added link to the private sector ACM cladding remediation fund.

  29. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - June 2019.

  30. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - May 2019.

  31. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - April 2019

  32. Added a link to Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - March 2019.

  33. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - February 2019

  34. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - February 2019

  35. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - January 2019.

  36. Added Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - December 2018.

  37. Added link to Building Safety Programme: monthly data release - November 2018

  38. First published.

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