# Boards & Display Surfaces: research notes

Date: 2026-10-25. Scope: unpowered boards you write on, pin to or display on: dry-erase whiteboards (melamine, painted steel, porcelain steel, glass), chalkboards, cork, fabric, vinyl and rubber pin boards (bulletin boards and tackboards), combination boards, dry-erase and magnetic calendar boards (`planners` routes them here), enclosed bulletin boards, mobile boards sold with their own stand, desktop and adhesive whiteboard sheets, felt letter boards, and foam and tri-fold display boards. board and chalkboard erasers, sold as accessories beside the boards (`correction-products` routes them here and `pens` does not take them; no facet in this register applies to them beyond which face they wipe). Not interactive or electronic whiteboards (electronics), dry-erase markers (`pens`), push pins (accessory leaf), bare easels, tripods and lecterns (sibling `supplies > crafts > easels`), flip-chart and poster paper sold by the pad or sheet (routed to `paper`, but `paper`'s scope does not yet list them; open, see corrections), desk pads and blotters (sibling `desk-mats`), and children's magnetic drawing toys (play). Overlaps left to the sibling: poster board and foam board sold as craft sheet stock sit on the line with `paper`; a mobile whiteboard sold without its board is an easel; dry-erase sheets with a magnetic or adhesive back stay here (they have a writing face), while plain magnetic sheet with no writing face goes to `magnet-fasteners`. The add-on enum's `foam` and `poster_paper` values are kept here only for display boards sold as finished boards.

Taxonomy: `supplies > stationery > boards`, add-on `data/schema-parts/supplies/stationery/add-ons/board.jsonc`.

Quote labels: **verbatim** = the sentence in quotation marks was in text I read myself (curl plus HTML stripping, or pdftotext on a downloaded PDF), or the fetch tool returned it in quotation marks; **fetched excerpt** = the fetch tool summarised or lightly reworded; **search excerpt** = the claim came only from a search-engine summary. A search-excerpt-only number does not go in category.json.

Raw text for every source below is in the scratchpad (`/private/tmp/claude-501/.../scratchpad/stationery-boards/*.txt`).

## Seed

Seed output (verbatim):

```
=== Example entry (from an unrelated category) ===
category: olive-oil
what this shows: a facet that experts rank first, that almost no listing carries, and that is expensive to backfill. The honest answer is to list it, mark it researched, and limit backfill to the top of the catalog. Also shows a derived metric hanging off a researched facet.
[example: harvest_date facet and months_since_harvest derived metric]

=== Persona ===
A nurse, who thinks in who this is actually for and what goes wrong in use

Ask yourself two things and write the answers under 'Seed' in notes.md:
  1. What is the stationery-boards equivalent of the example above?
  2. What would this persona notice first about stationery-boards that a typical buyer would not?
Keep what survives the data check. Drop the rest.
```

1. **The boards equivalent of harvest date is the fire class of a pin board, with the writing-surface material a close second.** For a school or hospital the ASTM E84 class is the first thing a specifier checks (Ohio School Design Manual, Texas Tech standards, both verbatim), and Quartet's consumer spec tables do not carry it at all. Like harvest date it is cheap to state and expensive to find, so it is marked researched and backfilled for the institutional range only. The second echo is the best-before trap: a cheap whiteboard's title says "dry erase board" and hides that it is melamine, the way a best-before hides the harvest. Here the stand-in is readable: the magnetic flag (melamine is not magnetic) and the surface warranty. **Kept**: `fire_rating`, `writing_surface` with the inference rule in its backfill note, and `weight_per_sq_ft` as the derived metric hanging off a researched facet (`weight_lb`).
2. **The nurse notices who the board is for and what goes wrong in use.** What goes wrong: a heavy board coming off the wall (Quartet: porcelain is heavy, mount somewhere sturdy with more than one person; MyBinding: two people over 24 x 36 in, stud fixings), a child swallowing the strong magnets a glass board needs (Quartet: glass needs rare earth magnets; CPSC: swallowed magnets attract internally and many cases needed surgery), a cork board in a hospital corridor failing the fire code (Hutton, RAM). Who it is for: healthcare rooms want cleanable faces (RAM: vinyl-covered tackboards "ideal for healthcare"; Ghent sells "Hygienic Porcelain"). **Kept**: `weight_lb`, the mounting judgement, the magnet judgement, `vinyl-covered` as a `pin_surface` value. **Dropped**: a hygienic or antimicrobial surface facet (only Ghent names it, no data on effect); chalk dust and allergies (Wikipedia's history line and one MyBinding dustless-chalk figure of 70 to 80 percent, unsourced).

## Sources and what each supports

### Regulators, public bodies and institutional standards

**Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, Ohio School Design Manual, Section 10 11 00 Visual Display Units (2024 PDF, pdftotext)**
https://dam.assets.ohio.gov/image/upload/ofcc.ohio.gov/OSDM/Files/10_11_00-visual_display_units.pdf
- verbatim: "Surface-Burning Characteristics: Comply with ASTM E84 ... 1. Flame-Spread Index: 25 or less. 2. Smoke-Developed Index: 450 or less."
- verbatim: "Markerboards 1. Porcelain Enamel Face Sheet. a. Optional: Low-glare for projection. b. Optional: Magnetic. 2. Core: 3/8 inch thick particleboard."
- verbatim: "Tack Assemblies: Natural cork, Plastic-impregnated cork sheet, or Vinyl-fabric faced industrial fiberboard."
- Supports: Class A thresholds in a public school manual, porcelain as the institutional default, low-glare projection option, tack face materials. Kind set to regulator because it is a state agency's mandatory design manual; it is not the building code. Confidence high.

**Texas Tech University System, Design and Construction Standards, Division 10 (rev. December 2023, pdftotext)**
https://www.texastech.edu/fpc/division_10_specialties.pdf
- verbatim: "Glass markerboards are the preferred over porcelain markerboards or chalkboards at all TTUS campuses."
- verbatim: "Visual Display Surfaces shall be Class A fire-rated and meet ASTM E84."
- verbatim: "Tackboards and bulletin boards located in public areas shall be specified with locakable glass doors for security." (sic)
- Supports: Class A requirement, enclosed boards in public areas. Confidence high.

**Saint Paul Public Schools Design Standards, Visual Display Surfaces 10 11 00 (2023, pdftotext)**
https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1708981768/sppsorg/ys3jffojk9paobpewzj3/10_11_00_Visual_Display_Surfaces-2023.pdf
- verbatim: "Low or reduced gloss white finish; no substitution of finish allowed. Finish to be optimized for projection surface and durability"; "No seams in marker board surfaces used for projection."; "Do not provide cork tack strip or map rail on marker boards used for projection as they obstruct the projected image."
- verbatim: "Seamless, single-layer, self-sealing, ¼” compressed fine-grain natural cork sheet; bulletin quality, and face sanded for natural finish and laminated to 3/8” fiberboard"; "Size: height to be 4 feet typical, up to 16 feet wide".
- verbatim mounting heights: Pre-K to grade 3 "mount bottom of 4 foot high marker boards and tack boards at 30 inches AFF"; grades 4 up "at 36 inches AFF".
- Supports: projection finish, 1/4 in cork, 4 ft typical height. Confidence high.

**US CPSC, High-Powered Magnets and Ingestion Hazards (WebFetch; curl returned a 435-byte block page)**
https://www.cpsc.gov/Safety-Education/Safety-Education-Centers/Magnets
- verbatim (returned in quotation marks): "These high-powered magnets are not the magnets off your grandfather's refrigerator door. They are up to eight times stronger than magnets that are used in toys."
- verbatim: "When two or more magnets are swallowed, they attract each other internally. Many incidents have resulted in surgeries to remove the magnets."
- The page does not mention whiteboards. Supports: the magnet judgement as a chain with Quartet's rare-earth-magnet line. Confidence high on the hazard; the link to glass boards is ours.

### Fire rating (ASTM E84) from trade sources

**A. Hutton, Fire Ratings of Tackable Wall Coverings (curl)**
https://www.ahutton.com/cork/fire-rating.htm
- verbatim: "Class A or I Flame spread 0-25 / Class B or II Flame spread 26-75 / Class C or III Flame spread 76-200"; "Smoke developed is less than 400".
- verbatim: "There is no cork that is Class A. The tackable surfaces are made by putting special fabrics or vinyl's over fire retardant cores."
- verbatim: "colored cork is ASTM E-84 (Fuel Contribution) - Class B"; natural corks "Come in both B and non-rated. There is a substantial upcharge for the rating of 20 to 40%".
- verbatim: "Areas that fire marshalls require A rated materials are School Hallways, Classrooms that are Hospitals, Convalescent homes, College Dorms."; "Sprinkler systems may lower required fire rating-Check with your fire Marshall."
- Supports: class bands, no Class A cork, coloured cork Class B. Disagreement: Hutton's smoke line is under 400; Ohio and RAM say 450. The JSON uses 450 (two sources). Confidence high.

**RPS Building Specialties (rampartitions.com), Tackboards and Bulletin Boards (curl)**
https://rampartitions.com/tackboards-bulletin-boards/
- verbatim: "Natural cork does not meet Class A requirements. For fire-rated applications, fabric-wrapped tackboards over fiberglass substrate using Class A rated adhesive are the standard."
- verbatim: "the tackboard assembly — not just the fabric, but the complete system of fabric, substrate, and adhesive — must achieve a Flame Spread Index of 25 or less and a Smoke Developed Index of 450 or less".
- verbatim: "Cork boards are available in 1/4" and 1/2" thicknesses over fiberboard backing"; "cork can crumble in high-humidity environments and does not achieve Class A fire ratings."
- verbatim: "Vinyl-covered — Cleanable, moisture-resistant surface ideal for healthcare, food service, and laboratory environments."; recycled rubber "Won't crumble in humidity or high-traffic conditions."
- verbatim: enclosed boards are for "HR notices, safety information, legal postings, OSHA requirements"; outdoor ones have "weather-sealed gaskets, tempered safety glass doors".
- Supports: Class A assembly rule, cork not Class A, cork thicknesses, pin surface values, enclosed boards. Second source for Hutton's "no Class A cork". Confidence high.

**Wikipedia, Flame spread (curl of action=raw, fetched 2026-10-25 for the blind-check fixes; raw text in `scratchpad/fix-stationery-boards/wiki_Flame_spread.txt`)**
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame_spread
- verbatim: "The Life Safety Code (NFPA 101) and Section 803.1 of the International Building Code limit finishes for interior walls and ceilings to materials in three classes (A, B, or C...)"; "In order to meet classification in any of the three categories, the smoke developed index cannot exceed 450."
- Supports: the codes, not E84 itself, set the classes; the 450 smoke cap applies to every class. Starc writes as if E84 assigns the classes, so the two disagree on wording. Not verified against the code text (ICC still 403). Confidence medium.

**Starc Systems, ASTM E84 Explained (June 2026, curl)**
https://starcsystems.com/blog/astm-e-84-fire-rating-your-questions-answered/
- verbatim table: "Class B 26-75 / Class C 76-200"; "a material with a Flame Spread Index of 15 would fall within the Class A range".
- Supports: second source for the B and C bands. Confidence high.

**Could not read the building code itself.** codes.iccsafe.org (IBC 2021 chapter 8) returned 403 to WebFetch and curl; up.codes returned a stub; Internet Archive snapshots were stubs. The register therefore cites school design manuals and dealers for the Class A requirement, not the IBC or NFPA 101, and the fire judgement says so.

### Manufacturer specification sections (institutional brands)

**Magna Visual, master specification Section 10 11 00 (2023 PDF, pdftotext)**
https://magnavisual.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Magna-Visual-Master-Spec.-2023.pdf
- verbatim: porcelain "Warranty Period: 50 years from date of Substantial Completion"; "Magna Visual Steel Dry Erase Board ... Warranty Period: 1 year from date of Shipment"; "Premium Steel Dry Erase Board ... Warranty Period: 15 years".
- verbatim failure definition: "Surfaces lose original writing and erasing qualities. b. Surfaces exhibit crazing, cracking, or flaking."
- verbatim: "Flame-Spread Index: 25 or less. 2. Smoke-Developed Index: 50 or less." (tighter smoke figure than the code-level 450).
- verbatim: porcelain face "0.024-inch uncoated thickness"; steel boards "22 gauge coated steel".
- Supports: warranty ladder, warranty definition. Confidence high.

**Platinum Visual Systems, Section 10 11 00 (ARCAT, curl)**
https://www.arcat.com/sdspecs/htm04/10_11_00pvs.htm
- verbatim: "Porcelain-on-Steel Markerboards and Chalkboards ... Warranty Period: Lifetime of the building."; "Tackboards ... Warranty Period: Ten years."
- verbatim: "Colored cork surface will be 1/4 inch resilient homogenous tackable linoleum surface consisting of linseed oil, granulated cork, rosin binders and dry pigments calendared onto natural burlap backing. Color shall extend through thickness of material and be self-healing."
- verbatim: "Commercial grade vinyl on 1/8 inch natural cork over 3/8 inch tackable core".
- Supports: porcelain lifetime warranty, coloured cork definition and thickness. Confidence high.

**Aarco Products, Section 10 11 00 (PDF, pdftotext)**
https://blackboardcaseworkdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Aarco-Visual-Display-spec.pdf
- verbatim: "Fuse cover and ground coats to steel at manufacturer's standard firing temperatures, but not less than 1200 degrees F."
- verbatim: "Vinyl Fabric-Faced Tackboards: ... laminated to 1/8" thick cork sheet. Provide Fabric with a flame-spread rating of 15 or less; smoke development 20 or less when tested according to ASTM E-84."
- Supports: fabric-faced tackboards as the rated route; porcelain firing. Confidence high.

**Ghent, Whiteboard Catalog (PDF from ghentwebsite S3, pdftotext). bestrite.com now serves the Ghent site.**
https://ghentwebsite.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/Literature/Whiteboard+Catalog.pdf
- verbatim: "Hygienic Porcelain High-Traffic"; "Porcelain Everyday Use ... conference rooms and classrooms"; "Non-Magnetic Occasional Use ... breakrooms and private offices."
- verbatim: "With our 50-year warranty on wall boards and 10-year warranty on mobiles"; "10-year warranty on Non-Magnetic Whiteboards / 50-year warranty on Porcelain Whiteboards".
- verbatim sizes: "M1 Porcelain: 2'x3', 3'x4', 4'x4', 4'x5', 4'x6', 4'x8', 4'x10', 4'x12'".
- verbatim: "Proma boards have a porcelain-on-steel low luster finish surface that reduces projection glare by 70%." (single source; the 70% is not in the JSON).
- verbatim: Mobile: "The double-sided reversible board comes with a full-length accessory tray and 4 locking wheels."
- Ghent's ladder is not Quartet's: Porcelain is "Everyday Use" (conference rooms and classrooms), Hygienic Porcelain is "High-Traffic", Non-Magnetic is "Occasional Use", and "Hygienic Steel" sits under "more occasional use". There is no painted-steel middle rung. (Corrected after the blind check; the first draft called Ghent a third source for "daily use = painted steel".)
- Supports: busy rooms get porcelain (agrees with Quartet's guide), porcelain 50-year warranty (second source with Magna), size ladder, projection porcelain. Confidence high.

### Consumer brand spec pages (what fields brands publish)

**Quartet product pages (curl; spec table read from the stripped HTML)**
- Classic DuraMax Porcelain 48 x 36: verbatim spec rows "Surface Type Porcelain | Magnetic Yes | Warranty Lifetime | Size 48" x 36" | Usage Public Space - High traffic | Use Frequency Heavy | Weight 28 lbs | Placement Wall". https://www.quartet.com/p/dry-erase-boards/whiteboards/classic-duramax-porcelain-dry-erase-boards/
- Classic Nano-Clean 36 x 24: "Surface Type Painted Steel | Magnetic Yes | Warranty 5 years | Use Frequency Moderate | Weight 9 lbs". https://www.quartet.com/p/dry-erase-boards/whiteboards/classic-nano-clean-dry-erase-boards/
- Classic Total Erase 36 x 24: "Surface Type Melamine | Magnetic No | Warranty Limited 3-Year | Usage Personal Office - Moderate to heavy use | Use Frequency Moderate | Weight 7 lbs". https://www.quartet.com/p/dry-erase-boards/whiteboards/classic-total-erase-dry-erase-boards/
- Element Framed Magnetic Glass 74 x 42: "Surface Type Glass | Magnetic Yes | Warranty 25 years | Use Frequency Heavy | Weight 79 lbs"; bullets "Tempered glass board is stain and ghost resistant"; "Steel-backed magnetic glass allows secure hanging of papers with high powered glass board magnets". https://www.quartet.com/p/dry-erase-boards/glass-boards/element-framed-magnetic-glass-whiteboards/
- Classic Cork, Aluminum Frame 48 x 36: "Magnetic No | Surface Type Cork | Warranty 5 years | Usage Cubicle - Light use | Use Frequency Moderate | Weight 15 lbs | Placement Wall"; bullet "Natural cork is self-healing and will re-close when push pins are removed". https://www.quartet.com/p/bulletin-boards/cork-boards/classic-cork-bulletin-boards-aluminum-frame/
- Fields Quartet lists, in order: Surface Type, Magnetic, Frame Finish, Accessory Tray, Color, Hardware Included, Orientation, Pack Quantity, Warranty, Size, Surface Color, Usage, Use Frequency, Weight, Placement, Accessories Included. No cork thickness, no fire rating, no substrate.
- Quartet's site navigation (in the blog page HTML) splits into dry-erase boards, bulletin boards, combination boards (under both), enclosed boards, glass boards, desktop products, mobile dry-erase easels.

**Quartet blog, The Difference Between Whiteboard Surface Types (curl)**
https://www.quartet.com/quartet-blog/buyers-guide/the-difference-between-whiteboard-surface-types/
- verbatim: "Glass board are available in both magnetic and non-magnetic options. Please note that due to the thickness of the glass, you must use rare earth magnets to post papers or notes on magnetic glass boards."
- verbatim: glass boards "come with warranties ranging from 15 years to lifetime."
- verbatim: "Porcelain whiteboards are your second-best option"; "Porcelain boards are great for busy conference rooms, schools and shared common spaces. Note that porcelain boards are heavier than typical glass boards or whiteboards. We recommend you choose a sturdy place to mount the board and use multiple people to help with the installation."
- verbatim: "Painted steel boards are a great choice for moderate usage and work well in both offices and homes."
- verbatim: "If you want a dry-erase board for personal or occasional use, a melamine board is for you."; "Melamine boards are non-magnetic"; "The Total Erase coating is also available on select painted steel boards."
- Supports: use-to-surface ladder, magnetic rules, glass magnets, glass warranties, installation. Confidence high.

### Retailer and dealer guides

**MyBinding knowledge base (curl; retailer articles, unsigned and possibly machine-written, so used only where a second source agrees)**
- What should I look for in a whiteboard: verbatim "Melamine for occasional light use. Painted steel for regular daily use. Porcelain for heavy daily use in permanent installations."; "Melamine boards are not magnetic."; "White painted steel and porcelain whiteboards can be used as projection surfaces with moderate quality results ... Dedicated projector screens produce better contrast"; "Melamine boards typically maintain acceptable performance for 2 to 5 years". https://www.mybinding.com/a/knowledge-base/whiteboards/what-should-i-look-for-in-a-whiteboard
- Porcelain vs melamine: verbatim "an effective service life of 2 to 7 years in typical use". https://www.mybinding.com/a/knowledge-base/whiteboards/what-is-the-difference-between-porcelain-and-melamine-whiteboards
- Cork board options: verbatim "Standard cork boards use 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick cork surfaces. For moderate office use, 1/4 to 3/8 inch is adequate. For heavy daily pinning or items with significant weight, 1/2 to 1 inch cork"; also "Standard posting - 1/2 inch cork minimum" (contradicts the first line); "For boards over 24x36 inches, locate wall studs and anchor at least two mounting points into studs." https://www.mybinding.com/a/knowledge-base/bulletin-boards/what-are-my-options-for-cork-boards
- Chalkboards: verbatim three surfaces "natural slate ..., porcelain-on-steel chalkboard surfaces ..., and painted/MDF chalkboard surfaces"; "Porcelain and natural slate surfaces accept most liquid chalk markers ... Painted MDF surfaces vary ... Always test a liquid chalk marker in a corner"; seasoning: "rub a piece of chalk sideways across the entire surface ... then erase. Repeat 2 to 3 times." https://www.mybinding.com/a/knowledge-base/chalkboards/what-are-some-good-chalkboards
- Ghent mounting: verbatim "Use two people minimum for any board larger than 24 x 36 inches."; "For any Ghent board over 30 pounds, stud mounting is strongly recommended."; "A large Ghent board (4 x 8 feet) can weigh 60 to 90 pounds." (single source, not in JSON); "Glass partitions and temporary walls typically aren't rated for the sustained loads ... mobile whiteboard stands as an alternative". https://www.mybinding.com/a/knowledge-base/whiteboards/how-to-install-and-mount-a-ghent-whiteboard
- Board options: verbatim "writing boards (whiteboards, chalkboards, glass boards), pinning and posting boards (bulletin boards, cork boards, tack boards, fabric boards), and combination boards". https://www.mybinding.com/a/knowledge-base/boards/what-are-some-of-my-options-for-a-board
- Bulletin vs tack board: verbatim "A bulletin board typically uses a fabric, felt, or foam surface ... A tack board uses a harder surface material (cork, homasote, or a dense fiber composite)". https://www.mybinding.com/a/knowledge-base/boards/how-do-i-choose-between-a-bulletin-board-or-tack-board

**Displays2Go, The Difference Between Porcelain, Melamine & Glass Whiteboards (curl)**
https://www.displays2go.com/Guide/The-Difference-Between-Porcelain-Melamine-Glass-Whiteboards-4
- verbatim: "Whiteboards made of glass are extremely durable and are constructed from tempered glass for safety."; "One of the best features of a glass surface is that you can use liquid chalk, dry erase & wet erase markers."; "Floorstanding tempered glass whiteboards are also available ... with wheels".
- Product titles on the page: "96 x 48 Write-On Board, Wall Mount, Dry Erase, Magnetic, Utensil Tray – White"; "48 x 36 Write-On Board, Wall Mount, Dry Erase, Tempered Glass – Frosted". Size, mounting, magnetic and surface are all in the retail title here.
- Supports: marker compatibility for glass, tempered glass, size in titles. Confidence high.

**HPM Material (whiteboard material manufacturer), Melamine vs Lacquered Steel vs Porcelain (curl)**
https://hpmaterial.com/melamine-vs-lacquered-steel-vs-porcelain-whiteboard/
- verbatim: "Melamine is the most porous of the three. Lacquered steel is less porous. Porcelain enamel is essentially non-porous."
- verbatim: "Porcelain has a glass-based enamel fired at 800°C+"; "In heavy-use classrooms, ghosting can appear within the first year." (the latter not in JSON).
- Supports: porosity order (with Quartet and Wikipedia). Confidence medium (a seller).

### Primers

- **Wikipedia, Whiteboard** (curl): verbatim melamine is "resin-infused paper which is typically used over a substrate that can range from particle board to MDF"; glass boards "typically feature tempered glass"; "Adhesive whiteboards come in either a sheet or a roll". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiteboard
- **Wikipedia, Marker pen** (curl of Whiteboard_marker redirect): verbatim "A whiteboard marker—or dry-erase marker—uses an erasable ink, made to be used on a slick (or matte-finished), non-porous writing surface"; "Wet-wipe markers—or wet-erase markers—are ... used on ... other non-porous surfaces." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiteboard_marker
- **Wikipedia, Vitreous enamel** (curl): verbatim "fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 °C (1,380 and 1,560 °F)". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitreous_enamel
- **Wikipedia, Bulletin board** (curl): verbatim "A bulletin board which combines a pinboard (corkboard) and writing surface is known as a combination bulletin board."; "Magnet boards ... are a popular substitute for cork boards because they lack the problem of board deterioration from the insertion and removal of pins". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulletin_board
- **Wikipedia, Foamcore** (curl): verbatim polystyrene "foam clad with an outer facing of paper on either side"; acid-free versions exist; 1/8 and 3/16 in (3.2 and 4.8 mm) thicknesses for the graphic arts industry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foamcore
- **Wikipedia, Blackboard** (curl): verbatim "blackboards made of porcelain usually last 10–20 years in intensive use." Not in the JSON (one source, and Platinum warrants lifetime).

### Could not reach or did not use

- WebSearch budget for the session ran out after the first three searches (the tool reported 200 of 200 used, shared across parallel agents). Every later source was a known URL, a link found inside a fetched page, or a brand site navigated by its own links. No other search route was used.
- IBC chapter 8 and NFPA 101 (403 and stubs; see above). Forbo Bulletin Board data sheet (no URL without search). PBS/Claridge spec PDF (275-byte error page). Eastern Michigan and University of Minnesota Division 10 PDFs (HTML stubs). Amazon and other marketplaces not attempted; earlier registers record they block fetches.
- Search excerpts not used as sources: Chalkola's "ghosting and staining within 3–6 months" for melamine, mybinding's "20 to 50 years" for porcelain.

## Data points used for derived metrics

`weight_per_sq_ft` = weight_lb / (width_in × height_in / 144). From Quartet spec tables (frame and tray included in the weight; size as Quartet states it):

| Board | Surface | Size (in) | ft² | lb | lb/ft² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic Total Erase | melamine | 36 × 24 | 6.0 | 7 | 1.17 |
| Classic Cork, aluminium frame | cork | 48 × 36 | 12.0 | 15 | 1.25 |
| Classic Nano-Clean | painted steel | 36 × 24 | 6.0 | 9 | 1.50 |
| Classic DuraMax | porcelain | 48 × 36 | 12.0 | 28 | 2.33 |
| Element framed glass | glass | 74 × 42 | 21.6 | 79 | 3.66 |

One product per surface, so the figures are examples, not bands. MyBinding's Ghent porcelain claims (3 x 4 ft at 25 to 40 lb, 2.1 to 3.3 lb/ft²; 4 x 8 ft at 60 to 90 lb, 1.9 to 2.8 lb/ft²) bracket the Quartet porcelain figure but are single-source and stay here.

## Against the existing add-on schema

Add-on read: `supplies/stationery/add-ons/board.jsonc` has `surface_type` (enum melamine, porcelain, glass, cork, fabric, felt, slate, chalk_surface, dry_erase_surface, foam, poster_paper, magnetic_surface, other, unspecified) and `magnetic` (boolean). `stationery-standard.jsonc` is empty. `supplies-standard.jsonc` carries `high_signal_markdown` and the `sizing` block (dimensions, weight, pack_count and others). Proposals only; nothing in zamana-expertise was edited.

| Facet in this doc | In schema today | Proposed kind under AGENTS.md | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| board_job | no; implied by `surface_type` | not stored (derived) | Derive from surface_type at query time. |
| writing_surface | partly, `surface_type` | vertical-level quality currency | The enum lacks `painted_steel`, the middle tier Quartet sells most of; `dry_erase_surface` and `magnetic_surface` are not materials and collapse three tiers into one. Proposal: replace them with `painted_steel`, and split `chalk_surface` into painted chalkboard and porcelain chalkboard (porcelain already covers porcelain chalkboards if colour is left to photos). |
| pin_surface | partly, `surface_type` (cork, fabric, felt, foam) | same enum as above | Add `vinyl` and `rubber`; `coloured_cork` could stay inside `cork`. |
| magnetic | yes, `magnetic` | hard filter | Keep. The comment "invisible" is right: a photo cannot show it. |
| use_frequency | no | not stored (derived) | Derive from surface. Quartet publishes it; not worth a field. |
| surface_warranty_years | no; AGENTS.md cuts warranty blocks | high_signal_markdown | It is the best proxy for surface grade, but the rule says warranties are Jev material. One line in the markdown ("50-year porcelain warranty") does the job. |
| marker_compatibility | no | not stored (derived) | From surface. |
| cork_thickness_in | no | quality currency for pin boards, borderline | The one number pin boards are compared on in specifications, but consumer brands omit it; we would not happily augment it, so by AGENTS.md it is high_signal_markdown. |
| fire_rating | no; AGENTS.md cuts certifications | high_signal_markdown | Although it is a certification, for institutional buyers it is a hard filter. Proposal: keep it in markdown and let the assistant read it when the buyer says school or hospital. |
| enclosed_door | no | hard filter (boolean) | Text fact ("enclosed", "locking"), partly visible in photos; borderline. |
| mounting_format | no | hard filter (enum: wall, mobile, desktop, adhesive) | Mobile boards are a separate segment; photos show it, but "adhesive" and "reversible" are text facts. Borderline under rule 1. |
| board_size | yes, `sizing.dimensions` | sizing | Bought by number; keep inside sizing. |
| weight_lb | yes, `sizing.weight` | sizing | Varies by size variant, so it belongs in sizing; it drives mounting. |
| projection_finish | no | high_signal_markdown | Rare outside institutional lines. |

Add-on fields this register considers noise: `surface_type` values `dry_erase_surface` and `magnetic_surface` (functions, not materials, and `magnetic` already exists); `poster_paper` (sheet stock belongs to the paper sibling); from supplies-standard, `sizing.capacity` and `sizing.pieces_included_text` for boards (no meaning beyond markers in the box). Frame material and colour are photo facts and correctly absent.

## Branches

Each leg names the register sentence (or notes line) it follows from. The `when` labels are the split facet's own values; the split questions offer those values in the question text. Legs changed after the blind check (2026-10-25) are marked (changed).

**Split 1, board_job ("Write and wipe, pin up papers, both, or display (sign, letter board)?")**

- when `write and wipe`: then_ask use_frequency, magnetic, marker_compatibility, fire_rating; makes_irrelevant pin_surface, cork_thickness_in.
  - use_frequency: "Brands use it to sort writing faces" (use_frequency, why experts care; Quartet guide and MyBinding verbatim above).
  - magnetic: "Magnets let you post papers on a writing board without tape" (magnetic, why experts care).
  - marker_compatibility: "Wet-erase and liquid chalk markers need a non-porous face" (marker_compatibility); applies only to writing faces.
  - fire_rating (changed, added): "Institutional specs set it for writing and pin boards alike" (fire_rating); Texas Tech "Visual Display Surfaces shall be Class A fire-rated", Ohio's flame-spread rule covers markerboards, Magna's spec covers its whiteboards (all verbatim above).
  - pin_surface and cork_thickness_in irrelevant: both are defined on the pin face; a write-only board has none.
- when `pin up papers`: then_ask pin_surface, cork_thickness_in, fire_rating, enclosed_door; makes_irrelevant writing_surface, marker_compatibility, surface_warranty_years, projection_finish.
  - fire_rating: "Natural cork is not Class A; rated fabric or vinyl over a fire-retardant core is" (fire_rating); whether Class A is needed is the project's to state (Hutton, Ohio, SPPS).
  - enclosed_door: Texas Tech requires lockable doors on "Tackboards and bulletin boards located in public areas" (verbatim).
  - The writing facets are defined on the writing face (surface_warranty_years "guarantees the writing face"; projection_finish "A low-gloss white writing face").
  - (changed) use_frequency no longer irrelevant: its definition now covers the whole board, and "MyBinding ties heavier pinning to thicker cork and RPS ties high traffic to rubber" (use_frequency). It is left live, not asked.
  - (changed) magnetic no longer irrelevant: "a magnetic board can stand in for a cork board" (magnetic; Wikipedia "Magnet boards ... are a popular substitute for cork boards"). Left live, not asked.
- when `both on one board`: then_ask use_frequency, pin_surface, magnetic, fire_rating. "combination boards carry one of each" (board_job) and MyBinding: combination boards "integrate a whiteboard writing surface and a cork or fabric posting surface". fire_rating (changed, added) for the same reason as the write leg.
- when `fixed display`: then_ask board_size, mounting_format; makes_irrelevant use_frequency, writing_surface, marker_compatibility, surface_warranty_years, projection_finish.
  - (changed) then_ask added: "for them this register filters only on size and mounting" (board_job). Letter-board and foam-board facets were dropped for want of sources, so size and mounting are the only narrowing this register offers a display query; mounting_format gained `desktop or tabletop` and `unmounted sheet` coverage for tri-folds, letter boards and foam boards.
  - The writing facets are irrelevant because "Display pieces ... skip both sets of questions" (board_job). Pin and magnetic facets are left live because foam board takes pins and magnetic letter boards exist; nothing about them is claimed.

**Split 2, use_frequency ("A few notes at home, daily office use, or classroom all day?")**

- (changed) Question now anchors each value in a board setting (light = a few notes at home, Quartet "personal or occasional use"; moderate = daily office use, Quartet "painted steel ... work well in both offices and homes"; heavy = classroom all day, Quartet "busy conference rooms, schools" and Ghent "conference rooms and classrooms" for porcelain).
- (changed) skip_if_known now maps only classroom and conference room, to heavy, because Quartet's guide and Ghent both put porcelain there. Kitchen and other rooms were removed: no source maps them.
- when `light`: then_ask magnetic. Chain: light use means melamine (split rationale; Quartet "personal or occasional use, a melamine board is for you") and Quartet and MyBinding say melamine boards are not magnetic (magnetic). So whether magnets are needed decides if the cheapest tier is in.
- when `heavy`: then_ask writing_surface. Heavy "means porcelain steel or glass" (split rationale), and these two differ on magnets ("glass is magnetic only when steel-backed, and then needs high-powered rare-earth magnets").
  - (changed) weight_lb removed from this leg: the chain heavy → porcelain or glass → heavy board rested on one Quartet product per surface, and size drives weight as much as surface does.
- No branch for `moderate`: painted steel changes nothing downstream that the other legs do not already cover.

**Split 3, magnetic ("Need magnets to hold papers on it?")**

- when `yes`: then_ask writing_surface. (changed rationale) A yes removes melamine, non-magnetic glass and cork; painted steel, porcelain steel and steel-backed glass remain (Quartet Element "Steel-backed magnetic glass"; Texas Tech "All glass markerboards shall be magnetic unless otherwise specified"), so the surface is still the next choice. The old rationale ("decides between glass and porcelain") was wrong.
- No branch for `no`: a no keeps every surface.

## Numbers in category.json and how many sources stand behind each

| Number | Sources |
|---|---|
| Class A flame spread 0 to 25 | Ohio OSDM, RAM, Hutton, Magna, Starc |
| Class B 26 to 75, Class C 76 to 200 | Hutton, Starc |
| Smoke-developed index 450 or less | Ohio OSDM, RAM (Hutton says under 400; Magna's own spec 50). That 450 applies to every class: Wikipedia Flame spread only, unverified against the code |
| Porcelain warranty 50 years | Magna, Ghent; lifetime: Quartet DuraMax, Platinum |
| Glass warranty 15 to 25 years or lifetime | Quartet blog (15 to lifetime), Quartet Element (25) |
| Painted steel warranty 1, 5, 15 years | Magna (1, 15), Quartet Nano-Clean (5) — product data points |
| Melamine warranty 3 years | Quartet Total Erase only — a product data point, labelled as Quartet's |
| Non-magnetic 10 years (Ghent) | Ghent only — product line data point |
| Cork 1/8 in under vinyl or fabric | Platinum, Aarco |
| Cork 1/4 in | SPPS, Platinum (coloured cork), RAM, MyBinding |
| Cork 1/2 in | RAM, MyBinding (MyBinding's 1 in is single-source and named in the range's typical text only) |
| Weights 7, 9, 15, 28, 79 lb and lb/ft² | Quartet spec pages (each the product's own figure) |
| 24 × 36 in two-person line | MyBinding (two articles, one site); Quartet says "multiple people" without a size |
| Sizes 36 × 24, 48 × 36, 72 × 48, 96 × 48 in; 4 × 12 ft | Quartet, Displays2Go, Ghent |
| 4 ft typical height | SPPS, Ghent size list (most sizes 4 ft high); Ohio is silent. Stated as each source's, not as "standards usually" |
| Enamel firing 750 to 850 °C | Wikipedia, HPM (800 °C+); Aarco floor 1,200 °F. Not stated as a number in the JSON |

## Dropped

- Viewing-distance sizing rule. MyBinding gives "1 inch of board width for every foot of viewing distance" and, in the same article, "48 inches wide minimum" for a room up to 15 ft deep, which the rule would put at 15 in; a second MyBinding page gives letter height per distance. Self-contradictory and single-site.
- Service-life years per surface (melamine 2 to 5 or 2 to 7, painted steel 10 to 15, porcelain 25+ or 20 to 50, porcelain chalkboard 10 to 20). Seller estimates that disagree; warranty years used instead (judgement 7).
- Substrate and core (particleboard, MDF, gypsum, honeycomb). Specifications care, buyers never see it, and only one consumer source mentions warping.
- Frame material. A photo answers it (AGENTS.md rule 1), and MyBinding says it "does not affect how well the board holds pins".
- Letter-board facets (letter count, letter height, felt vs board). No sources found without search; the register only routes letter boards to "fixed display".
- Foam board thickness and acid-free paper. Real (Wikipedia) but craft and framing territory, shared with the paper sibling.
- Mounting heights for classrooms (SPPS, MyBinding). Installation guidance, not a product attribute.

## Trimmed detail

- summary: "For a writing board" shortened to "For writing"; the warranty sentence now stands alone. No fact cut.
- mechanism: "A board does one of three jobs" removed (the families table carries the three jobs, plus combination); "felt letter boards" cut from the display sentence (kept in board_job and the families table); "MDF" replaced by "fibreboard" so the mechanism has no undefined abbreviation.
- surface_warranty_years: Magna's warranty failure definition ("Surfaces lose original writing and erasing qualities ... crazing, cracking, or flaking") is in the definition; Platinum's "lifetime of the building" is in the reference only.
- fire_rating: Hutton's note that sprinklers may lower the required class, and that rating natural cork Class B costs "20 to 40%" more, are kept here only.
- projection_finish: Ghent's "reduces projection glare by 70%" is single-source and kept here only.
- weight_lb: MyBinding's 30 lb stud line and its 4 x 8 ft weights are kept here only.

## Script and brief problems

- **The brief says set `vertical` to `supplies`; the schema's enum is formulations, machines, fashion, furnishing, other, and `validate.py` rejects `supplies`** ("schema vertical: 'supplies' is not one of [...]", tested on a copy of the lamps register). The build command chains validate with `&&`, so a `supplies` value would stop render and viewer, and the workflow's later step only writes `.ready` when all three exit 0. The register therefore uses `vertical: "other"`, the only valid value that fits. If the schema gains `supplies`, change this one field and rebuild; nothing else depends on it.
- The WebSearch budget was exhausted after three searches (see "Could not reach").

## Corrections

- 2026-10-25, author's own pass against the raw text before handing over:
  - Coloured cork binder corrected from "resin" to "rosin" (Platinum spec says "rosin binders").
  - "Quartet Total Erase is melamine" removed: Quartet's blog says Total Erase coating "is also available on select painted steel boards".
  - The 24 × 36 in stud line re-attributed: it is in MyBinding's cork article; the Ghent article sets studs at 30 lb. Judgement evidence updated.
  - The flame-spread vocabulary line dropped "0 for cement board to 100 for red oak" (Hutton only).
  - Class B and C bands given a second source (Starc) and that reference added.
  - CPSC wording aligned to the page: "many incidents have resulted in surgeries", not "often".
  - Tempered-glass definition no longer claims how it breaks (no source fetched says so).

## Corrections after the blind check (2026-10-25)

Against `check.md`. One line per change; field names are category.json paths.

1. Fire claim (fix 1). summary: "need ... Class A, which no cork reaches" became "may require ASTM E84 Class A, which natural cork does not reach". "No cork" is Hutton's alone; RPS says natural cork.
2. mechanism: "never reaches the top fire class, so institutional pin boards use" became "Natural cork ... does not reach the top fire class, so fire-rated pin boards use", since Ohio and SPPS school specs accept natural cork.
3. fire_rating.why_experts_care rewritten: Texas Tech, Ohio and Magna set the class for writing and pin boards alike; RPS says schools and hospitals need Class A; Hutton says it depends on area and sprinklers; Ohio and SPPS accept natural cork.
4. fire_rating.cold_start_question: "For a school, hospital or other public building?" became "Does a school or hospital spec set a fire class?" ("other public building" had no source).
5. fire_rating.backfill_note: the hard "yes means filter to Class A" became "ask which class the spec names, then filter; if unknown, show and flag boards stating none". Backfill now covers writing and pin boards in the institutional range.
6. pin_surface.why_experts_care: "reaches Class B for fire at best" now attributed to Hutton and led by "is not Class A".
7. Judgement 3 rewritten (natural cork not Class A; requirement depends on area and sprinklers), confidence high to medium, sources_disagree true, evidence adds spps_standard.
8. Trade-off 3 and the Fire class scale grammar: "tops out at Class B" and "why cork cannot go in a school corridor" restated as natural cork failing where a project requires Class A.
9. Ghent attribution (fix 2). use_frequency.why_experts_care, split 2 rationale, judgement 1 note and the Surface ladder origin no longer cite Ghent for "daily use = painted steel"; they say Ghent maps Everyday Use to porcelain and has no painted-steel rung, and that Quartet rates its melamine and painted-steel boards both Moderate.
10. Judgement 1 confidence high to medium, sources_disagree true; evidence adds quartet_totalerase and quartet_nanoclean.
11. use_frequency.listing_field_hint: Quartet's row was listed as "(Light, Moderate, Heavy)"; the pages read show only Moderate and Heavy, so it now says so, and it warns not to map Ghent's labels straight onto the values.
12. Split 2 skip_if_known: the room skip now maps only classroom and conference room to heavy (Quartet guide, Ghent); "kitchen" removed as unsourced.
13. Circular backfill (fix 3). writing_surface.backfill_note no longer infers melamine from a missing "magnetic"; it needs the brand's Surface Type row or a named surface, else unknown.
14. magnetic.backfill_note: brand Magnetic row or title word first; infer only from a stated surface; melamine and glass need the brand page (mybinding_porcelain lists melamine as "Varies"); else unknown. Reference mybinding_porcelain added to magnetic.evidence.
15. use_frequency and marker_compatibility backfill notes now state they derive from writing_surface, which is researched, so they cost what it costs and stay unknown while it is. Source label kept as derived.
16. Seed kept line for writing_surface updated to match (the magnetic flag no longer stands in for the surface).
17. fire_rating on writing boards (fix 4): added to then_ask on the `write and wipe` and `both on one board` legs.
18. Weak legs (fix 5): `pin up papers` no longer makes magnetic irrelevant (Wikipedia: magnetic boards substitute for cork; magnetic.why_experts_care now says so, wiki_bulletin added to evidence).
19. `pin up papers` no longer makes use_frequency irrelevant; use_frequency.definition now covers the whole board and why_experts_care adds the pin-side mapping (MyBinding cork thickness by pinning load; RPS rubber for high traffic). Evidence adds mybinding_cork and ram_tackboards.
20. Split 3 rationale: "decides between glass and porcelain" replaced; a yes removes melamine, non-magnetic glass and cork and leaves painted steel, porcelain and steel-backed glass.
21. Split 2 `heavy` leg: weight_lb dropped (single-product chain; size drives weight too).
22. cork_thickness_in (fix 6): range min 0.25 to 0.125 for the 1/8 in cork under vinyl or fabric (Platinum, Aarco); max kept at 0.5 (two sources); MyBinding's 1 in named in typical as single-source. why_experts_care rewritten to attribute each figure, aarco_spec added to evidence; MyBinding's "1/4 to 3/8" and "1/2 minimum" now both said to be on the same page (the old text said "another of its pages").
23. surface_warranty_years (fix 7): backfill "fall back to the tier the surface implies" removed; never impute, store unknown. range.typical "Melamine about 3 years" became "Quartet's coated melamine 3 years" with each rung attributed. why_experts_care now says "within one brand" and notes Ghent's non-magnetic beats Magna's standard steel.
24. Summary "Warranties climb the same ladder" became "Within a brand, warranties climb the same ladder". Judgement 2 claim and note restated to within-brand only.
25. Trade-off 2 (fix 8): "Quartet warrants one glass board for 25 years against lifetime on its porcelain" replaced with Quartet's 15-years-to-lifetime glass range; warranty dropped from give_up.
26. Display branch (fix 9): `fixed display` leg now asks board_size and mounting_format; board_job.why_experts_care says size and mounting are the only display filters in this register.
27. mounting_format: values "desktop or portable" became "desktop or tabletop" and "unmounted sheet" was added; definition and why_experts_care name tri-folds, letter boards and foam boards; the wall-mounted default now applies to writing and pin boards only.
28. Scope orphans (fix 10): dry-erase and magnetic calendar boards claimed (scope line and the Writing boards family). No date-layout facet added: Quartet's "Date Indicator" row is one source.
29. Board and chalkboard erasers claimed in scope as accessories, since `correction-products` routes them here and `pens` does not list them; no facet added.
30. Magnetic dry-erase sheets: stay here (writing face); plain magnetic sheet goes to `magnet-fasteners`. Stated in the scope line.
31. Flip-chart and poster pads: partly rejected. Not claimed here, because none of this register's facets apply to paper pads; the scope line now marks them as an open routing item for `paper`'s owner. Siblings could not be edited from this folder.
32. Unsourced lines (fix 11): porcelain whiteboards taking wet-erase and liquid chalk removed from writing_surface.why_experts_care and marker_compatibility.backfill_note (sources cover glass and porcelain chalkboards only).
33. board_size: "School standards usually fix the height at 4 ft" became Saint Paul's standard plus Ghent's size list; "porcelain ranges run to 4 × 12 ft" attributed to Ghent.
34. weight_lb.listing_field_hint: unsourced "Marketplaces often give only shipping weight" removed; the hint now just says to flag shipping weight where that is all a listing gives.
35. Judgement 4 (magnet ingestion) confidence high to medium; note says the CPSC page does not mention boards.
36. ASTM E84 wording (fix 12): fire_rating.definition now says building and fire codes assign the classes from E84 results and that every class caps smoke-developed index at 450; the 450 is no longer tied to Class A in why_experts_care. New reference wiki_flame_spread (fetched for this fix). Unverified against the code text: ICC still returns 403 and WebSearch is exhausted.
37. Flame-spread index vocabulary: "25 or less is Class A" became "codes call 25 or less Class A".
38. Split 1 question (fix 13): "or a fixed display?" became "or display (sign, letter board)?"; board_job.cold_start_question matches.
39. Split 2 question: "Light occasional notes, moderate daily use, or heavy shared use?" became "A few notes at home, daily office use, or classroom all day?" so it no longer reads unchanged for other categories; use_frequency.cold_start_question matches.
40. visual_grammars Surface ladder origin reworded so it reads after the renderer's "Used today by" prefix (no doubled period).
41. References: supports lines updated for ghent_catalog, quartet_surfaces, quartet_nanoclean, quartet_cork, ohio_osdm, spps_standard, hutton_fire, ram_tackboards, mybinding_cork, mybinding_porcelain and wiki_bulletin to match the claims they now carry.
42. Not changed, by choice: board_size stays `kind: text` with a sort_key role, and "most retail listings" stays untested; the checker raised both in Part D but listed neither as a required fix. No marketplace was read in this pass either.