How this works. FM DS 8-9 organizes its ceiling-only sprinkler designs into ten protection tables, keyed by commodity and by whether storage is solid-piled/palletized/shelf/bin-box or in open-frame racks. Choose those two inputs below and the tool opens the matching table image so you can read the design (sprinkler K-factor, response, orientation, and ceiling-height limits). It does not select the design value for you.

1 · Find your ceiling-level protection table Tables 2–11, §2.3.3

Storage arrangement

Commodity

Select a storage arrangement and a commodity to load the matching protection table.

Companion design tables Hose demand · dry-pipe · high ceilings

Tables that pair with the ceiling-level protection design above. Table 14 gives the hose demand and water-supply duration that accompany every design. Tables 14a–14b give the dry-pipe (and similar delayed-water) ceiling-only designs for Class 1–3 commodities at ceiling heights over 30 ft (9.0 m) and up to 55 ft (16.5 m). Table 17b provides quick-response, standard-coverage pendent ceiling-only designs for ceiling heights over 40 ft (12.2 m). Click any table to open it full size.

2 · Rack flue-space requirements §2.2.3.2.2–2.2.3.2.4

Adequate flue spaces are what let rack storage be treated as open-frame (and use Tables 7–11). Choose the rack configuration to see the acceptable arrangements and the figures that illustrate them. Net dimensions are measured between loads after deflection/overhang.

All ceiling-level protection tables Browse Tables 2–11

Tables 2–6 cover solid-piled, palletized, shelf, and bin-box storage; Tables 7–11 cover open-frame rack storage. Click any table to open it full size.

How to use & methodology

Classify the commodity per FM DS 8-9 §2.2.2 (Class 1–4 and the plastic categories). The five commodity choices map directly to the table groupings.
Identify the storage arrangement. Solid-piled, palletized, shelf, and bin-box share Tables 2–6. Open-frame rack storage uses Tables 7–11.
Open the matching table and read the ceiling-only sprinkler design across the columns (sprinkler K-factor and temperature rating, quick- vs. standard-response, pendent vs. upright, wet vs. dry) for your maximum ceiling/roof height and storage height.
For rack storage, confirm flue spaces in Section 2 to verify the racks may be treated as open-frame; otherwise the solid-shelf provisions and/or in-rack sprinklers govern.

What the tables assume

The tables are ceiling-level (ceiling-only) sprinkler designs. Where a cell is blank or directs you elsewhere, the configuration cannot be protected by ceiling sprinklers alone and in-rack sprinklers (IRAS, §2.3.4) or another scheme is required.
Designs are subject to the clearance to ceiling, aisle width, and other occupancy conditions in §2.2; verify these separately.
Hose demand and water-supply duration come from Table 14 (§2.3.5) — see the companion-tables card above.

Flue-space quick reference

Single-row racks — transverse flue spaces only (§2.2.3.2.2): 3 in. every 4½ ft, or 6 in. every 9 ft, or 6 in. vertically aligned every 4½ ft if transverse flues are misaligned.
Double-row racks — longitudinal + transverse flues (§2.2.3.2.3): four accepted combinations of 3 in./6 in. flues at 4½ ft, 5 ft, or 9 ft spacing.
Multiple-row racks — longitudinal + transverse flues (§2.2.3.2.4): 6 in. flues every 5 ft, or (depth ≤ 20 ft with ≥ 8 ft aisles) 6 in. transverse flues every 5 ft.
When a rack tier is protected by in-rack sprinklers, flue spaces are not required for the tier level directly above the in-rack sprinklers.

Scope & references

All tables and figures reproduced here are from FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheet 8-9, Storage of Class 1, 2, 3, 4 and Plastic Commodities (March 2010, Interim Revision April 2025). This selector covers the ceiling-level protection tables (Tables 2–11, §2.3.3) and the rack flue-space provisions (§2.2.3.2). It also includes the hose-demand/duration table (Table 14, §2.3.5), the dry-pipe ceiling-level designs for Class 1–3 at ceiling heights over 30 ft to 55 ft (Tables 14a–14b, §2.3.6.1), and the quick-response standard-coverage pendent ceiling-only designs for ceilings over 40 ft (Table 17b, §2.3.6.9). It does not implement in-rack sprinkler design (§2.3.4) or the other special-application sections (§2.3.6). Consult the data sheet directly for those.

Engineering aid only. This tool is a navigation and reference convenience for FM DS 8-9. It does not replace the source document and is not a substitute for independent review by a qualified fire protection engineer. The user is responsible for correctly classifying the commodity and storage arrangement, reading the applicable design from the governing table, verifying all occupancy and installation conditions, and confirming the current edition of the data sheet.