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Huber Engineered Woods Introduces Wall Application For EXACOR™ Magnesium-Oxide (MgO) Panels

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (September 27, 2021) – From the manufacturer that brought AdvanTech™ Subfloor Assemblies and ZIP System™ Building Enclosures to market, Huber Engineered Woods has just expanded its line of EXACOR™ Magnesium Oxide (MgO) panels to include wall sheathing, marking a major addition to the company’s fire-rated assembly1 offerings. The MgO structural panels – now available for subfloor, subfloor underlayment and wall applications – are engineered with commercial and multifamily builders’ needs in mind.

EXACOR™ wall sheathing panels are cementitious panels primarily made of inorganic materials reinforced with layers of glass fiber mesh. They are manufactured under a quality control program with inspections by ICC-ES and Underwriters Laboratory (UL) to ensure consistent product performance. The panels exhibit structural values approaching wood sheathing with fire resistance similar to gypsum panels.

The panels can be easily installed by framing crews familiar with installing OSB or plywood sheathing. Additionally, the panels provide a fire-resistant solution that may help reduce the number of layers needed in 2-hour fire-rated exterior wall assemblies for Type III Construction. For instance, in most conventional gypsum-based exterior wall assemblies, two layers of Type X gypsum panels are needed on either side of the wall assembly or the addition of certain exterior siding materials is required to achieve two hours of fire-resistance. The published 2-hour EXACOR MgO exterior wall assembly2 features a single layer of MgO on the exterior side of the assembly, helping reduce material and cost of labor while still providing fire-resistance and structural performance.

“Over the past year, we’ve seen how EXACOR panels in underlayment and subflooring assemblies are helping to meet the sound attenuation and fire-resistance rated needs of builders around the country, and we continue to learn from our trusted builder and architectural partners who align with the Huber philosophy of better building,” said Kate Land, General Manager, MgO Products for Huber Engineered Woods. “As Huber’s first major offering in fire-rated exterior wall assemblies, EXACOR opens the door to industry-wide innovation for multifamily and light commercial builds to help save our partners time and money.”

For more information on the Huber Engineered Woods portfolio of products, please visit www.huberwood.com. For more information on EXACOR wall sheathing, visit https://www.huberwood.com/exacor/wall-sheathing.


1 EXACOR panels may be used in specific published fire-resistant-rated assemblies as tested in accordance with ASTM E119/ANSI UL 263. Follow published fire-resistance-rated assembly requirements and consult local building codes and designer of record for fire-resistant design requirements.

2 According to ICC-ES ESL-1290.

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About Huber Engineered Woods

Building products innovator Huber Engineered Woods LLC has a reputation built on consistent product performance and commitment to people. Fueled by on-the-jobsite analysis and building science principles, AdvanTech™ Subfloor Assemblies, ZIP System™ Building Enclosures and EXACOR™ product solutions have changed the way construction teams build better buildings. The portfolio includes solutions to help streamline installation, while providing dependable performance as critical components of quiet, stiff floors and weather resistant, tight building envelopes. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company has manufacturing facilities in Maine, Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee and Oklahoma and dedicated R&D facilities in Commerce, Georgia. Huber Engineered Woods is a subsidiary of J.M. Huber Corporation. Visit huberwood.com to learn more.