Products & SystemsProduct record
Hicem fibre cement board
Fibre cement building board · Ramco UK range
Fibre cement board questions rarely arrive as product questions. They arrive as build-up questions: this wall, this framing, this finish — and whether the board's evidence covers the role it's been given.
Hicem is a fibre cement building board from the Ramco UK range — a connected product route for The Bench, which means we hold structured evidence records for it and see its typical questions regularly. This page sets out where Hicem is commonly proposed, the evidence commonly reviewed, and how to get a specific question answered in writing.
ScopeEvidence review. Not certification, Building Control or design sign-off.
When Hicem is in the specification and the question is evidence
Use this page if Hicem — or a fibre cement board like it — is in your specification, your build-up or your query inbox, and you need to know whether the available evidence supports the intended use. It maps the usual roles the board is proposed for, the documents that usually decide the question, and the evidence areas each question falls into.
The relationship is stated so that it is visible. It does not imply certification, approval, endorsement or guaranteed acceptance of the product or any build-up.
The questions that usually arrive with this board
Can this board be used as external sheathing on this framed wall?
The wall is drawn, the board is named — and the sheathing role needs evidence for the actual configuration.
Is there racking evidence for this thickness and fixing pattern?
Racking evidence is specific: board, thickness, fixings, centres and frame all form part of what was tested.
Can it carry this render or brick slip system?
The system evidence may sit on this board — or on a different one. Which board the evidence covers is the question.
What does the reaction to fire evidence actually cover?
Classification evidence has a scope, and the proposed use needs to sit inside it rather than near it.
How does the board behave with moisture and weathering?
Durability questions arise during and after construction, and the answers live in the product information, not assumptions.
Which fixings and centres does the installation evidence assume?
Installation guidance carries assumptions — fixings, centres, joints, edge distances — that the site detail has to match.
The paperwork behind fibre cement board questions
- Technical datasheets and declared performance values
- Reaction to fire classification reports
- Racking and structural test evidence, where board is used as sheathing
- Render and brick slip system evidence, where the board acts as the carrier
- Moisture, durability and weathering information
- Installation guidance — fixings, centres, joints and edge distances
- CE/UKCA documentation and declarations of performance
Available evidence can be reviewed against the intended use — the board at the proposed thickness, on the proposed frame, behind the proposed finish. Evidence for one configuration may be relevant to another, but that read-across is exactly what needs checking, not assuming.
Manufacturer data describes the product. It is not independent proof of how it performs in a particular build-up.
Clear about the limits of the review
The Bench does not certify, approve or replace project-specific design responsibility. In particular, the review does not provide:
Not part of the review
- Certification or approval of the board or any system using it
- Building Control or other statutory sign-off
- Warranty or guarantee decisions for the product or build-up
- Design responsibility for the wall, floor or façade detail
Those decisions remain with the appointed competent person or organisation for the project. Our written review is there to support them, not replace them.
Where Hicem questions usually resolve
Hicem questions may be relevant to these evidence areas. They are reading routes, not evidence about the product.
- Racking & sheathingBoard as structural sheathing in framed walls
- Renders & brick slipsBoard as carrier for finish systems
- Façades & external wallsExternal wall and façade build-ups
- System build-upsThe assembly, not just the board
- Moisture & mould riskMoisture and durability behaviour
- Fire performanceReaction to fire evidence
These links go to manufacturer or product-owner information. The Bench's review stays evidence-led.
A written evidence position for the board as actually proposed
- Review Hicem evidence against a specific wall, floor or façade build-up
- Check whether system evidence — render, brick slip, racking — covers the board as actually proposed
- Help identify evidence gaps, and set out what would close them
- Help organise the evidence route for a specification, tender or Building Control query
- Provide a written review note, gap register or evidence summary for the project team
The output is written — something you can put in front of the specifier, contractor or Building Control. We quote before any written work starts.
A Hicem question on your desk?
Send the build-up, the question and the documents you already have — datasheets, certificates, drawings, or just the email that raised it. We quote before any written work starts.
Not sure where your question sits? Find your route ›
What helps us start
- The question, as it was put to you
- What the product or build-up is, and where it is going
- The documents you already have — data sheets, reports, certificates, drawings
- Any comment from Building Control, the designer or the client
- When you need an answer
You do not need a complete set to get in touch — send what you have.