Plan reliable zones for complex building protection today. Balance area, devices, floors, and spare capacity. Get clear counts that support efficient commissioning decisions everywhere.
Sample inputs and expected outputs for quick validation.
| Scenario | Total Area | Floors | Devices | Max Area/Zone | Max Devices/Zone | Spare % | Recommended Zones |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office mid-rise | 6,000 m² | 3 | 120 | 1,500 m² | 25 | 10% | 6 |
| Industrial shed | 3,500 m² | 1 | 50 | 2,000 m² | 30 | 15% | 3 |
| High-risk facility | 4,800 m² | 4 | 180 | 1,000 m² | 20 | 10% | 10 |
Zones translate a building layout into manageable reporting areas for design, installation, and commissioning. A clear zone strategy improves fault finding, reduces isolation time during maintenance, and supports logical cause-and-effect mapping across building services.
Area-based zoning keeps each zone geographically meaningful, while device-based zoning prevents excessive point loading. When device totals are included, the calculator checks both drivers and uses the governing requirement. This helps avoid zones that are too large to interpret on site or too dense to test efficiently during commissioning and periodic inspections.
Multi-storey projects often need a minimum number of zones per floor to reflect shafts, stairs, risers, and separated occupancies. The floor minimum prevents a building from collapsing into too few zones, even when the total area is modest. Use this control when floors are compartmented, have multiple tenants, or include long travel paths that benefit from clearer alarm location reporting.
Treat the recommended zone count as a planning baseline, then validate it against compartments, smoke boundaries, tenant separations, and operational needs. Confirm whether special risks need dedicated zones, and whether service spaces can be grouped without confusing responders or test teams. Document the chosen limits and spare margin so later design changes can be assessed against the same assumptions, with fewer surprises.
Example: total area 6,000 m², floors 3, devices 120, spare 10%, max area per zone 1,500 m², max devices per zone 25. Area yields 4.4 zones, devices yield 5.3, floor minimum yields 3. Rounding up gives 6 zones, averaging 2 zones per floor and about 1,000 m² per zone. If devices rise to 150, the device check becomes governing and the zone count increases.
Spare capacity increases effective area and device totals before the zone checks run. It helps protect against late scope growth and keeps the zone count realistic for future expansion.
The governing zone count must satisfy area limits, device limits, and minimum zoning per floor. Taking the maximum avoids under-zoning when one constraint is more demanding than the others.
Yes, if your zoning rules consider total points. If your project separates device types, run scenarios with the dominant point group to see whether device loading is likely to govern the result.
Select an occupancy complexity to use practical defaults, then refine later when the project standard is confirmed. Record the assumptions so comparisons remain consistent as the design develops.
Enter an average floor area for a quick indication, then adjust manually for larger floors or wings. For high variation, run separate calculations per floor group and combine the outputs.
They can, but it usually reduces clarity for responders and testers. Keeping zones contiguous improves location accuracy, simplifies drawings, and speeds fault isolation during maintenance.
Use it for planning and early coordination. Final zoning should be verified against compartmentation, drawings, authority requirements, and commissioning procedures before panel programming is locked.
Important Note: All the Calculators listed in this site are for educational purpose only and we do not guarentee the accuracy of results. Please do consult with other sources as well.