AbstractIn the later part of 1992 the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), in collaboration with a number of industry and governmental partners, commenced a research program to quantify sound‐transmission‐class and fire‐resistance ratings for gypsum‐board protected wood‐frame and steel‐frame building assemblies. The ‘partners’ include Forintek Canada Corp. acting on behalf of Canada's wood products industry. Although thousands of fire‐resistance tests have been carried out over the past century, many of which were on wood‐frame constructions, three interrelated issues arose in regard to the wood studs used in these tests: moisture content, strength, and magnitude of the load superimposed on the walls that the studs would be required to withstand during the fire tests. This paper dis