What is the minimum temperature rating of ceiling sprinklers in roll paper stored at 15 ft. (4.6 m) or less?

NFPA 13 treats roll-paper piles as a special-storage arrangement. Where the storage height does not exceed 15 ft (4.6 m), §24.13.4.1 (2022 ed.)/§20.4.4.1 (2019 ed.) states that ceiling sprinklers “shall be ordinary-temperature sprinklers.” Ordinary-temperature classification is defined in Table 7.2.4.1 as nominal 155 °F (68 °C). Option C (150 °F / 66 °C) is the only choice that represents this ordinary-temperature requirement and therefore is the minimum rating permitted for the described storage arrangement.

A. 100 °F (38 °C) – Low-temperature classification; NFPA 13 does not allow low-temperature sprinklers in roll-paper storage because they can open prematurely from routine heat.

B. 135 °F (57 °C) – Lower end of ordinary class, but NFPA 13 specifies the 155 °F nominal sprinkler for this hazard; 135 °F is not listed as the acceptable minimum.

D. 175 °F (79 °C) – Intermediate-temperature sprinklers are required only when roll-paper storage exceeds 15 ft or for in-rack locations, not for ≤15 ft ceiling protection.

1. NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, 2022 ed., Sec. 24.13.4.1, p. 347 – “Sprinklers shall be ordinary-temperature for storage ≤4.6 m.”

2. NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, 2022 ed., Table 7.2.4.1, p. 66 – Ordinary-temperature nominal rating 155 °F (68 °C).

3. NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, 2019 ed., Sec. 20.4.4.1 & Table 20.4.4(a), p. 283 – Identical ordinary-temperature requirement for roll-paper ≤15 ft.

4. J. Crawford, “Storage Occupancies—Special Commodities,” Kansas State Univ. FPP 221 Course Notes, 2021, slide 34 – Summarizes NFPA 13 roll-paper sprinkler temperature criteria (ordinary ≤15 ft, intermediate >15 ft).