Shutter Materials and Fit in the Blue Mountains

CSIRO's Bushfire best practice guide says a shutter system should be tight fitting, with gaps under 2mm to keep embers out, and made of non-combustible material, and that plastic shutters should be avoided because they melt during a bushfire.

What shutter materials and fit in the Blue Mountains actually involves

A shutter system should be tight fitting, with gaps under 2mm, to keep embers out, and it should be made from non-combustible material. Shutters made of non-combustible material give protection from flame contact, embers and flying objects.

The metal shutter housing fixed above a window on a weatherboard wall — shutter materials and fit, Blue Mountains. Illustrative example.

Active systems

A shutter is an active system and works only if someone closes it by hand; CSIRO suggests considering an automated system to close it. Avoid plastic shutters and flyscreens. Such products melt in a bushfire and add a hazard of their own. The same CSIRO page says to seal all gaps larger than 2mm, which applies to the whole window and door system and not only to a shutter.

Ask the provider what the slats and channels are made of, how the shutter meets the sill, and how it closes.

A flat illustration of the bottom edge of a metal shutter meeting a sill — shutter materials and fit, Blue Mountains. Illustrative example.

Check which rules apply to your job