[ESTABLISHED]Established
Criteria published for moisture-design analysis of building envelopes
A consensus standard sets out the inputs, boundary conditions, and evaluation criteria to be used when performing a hygrothermal moisture-design analysis of a building envelope assembly.
How to read this
This library reports what studies found. An entry describes a study's design, its findings in its own terms, and its limits. Nothing here is a claim about what a Sage Co. home does, delivers, or prevents.
Last reviewed August 30, 2026.
What they studied
- A consensus standard developed and periodically revised through ASHRAE's standards process, rather than a single experiment.
- It specifies design indoor and outdoor conditions, rain-loading assumptions, material property inputs, and simulation procedures for moisture-design analysis.
- It defines the criteria against which an analysed assembly is evaluated for mold growth potential, corrosion, and moisture accumulation.
What they found
- The standard states that moisture-design analysis requires transient, climate-specific boundary conditions rather than a single steady-state dew-point calculation.
- It specifies quantitative evaluation criteria, including surface relative humidity and temperature conditions over defined averaging periods, for judging simulated assembly performance.
- It states that results are conditional on the input assumptions used, and requires those assumptions to be documented with the analysis.
What this study does not establish
- A design-analysis standard, not a measurement of any constructed building's performance.
- Outputs are simulation results that depend entirely on the inputs and material data supplied.
- The standard does not report health outcomes of any kind.
- This entry reports the standard. It is not a statement about any building Sage Co. designs or constructs.
Source
ASHRAE Standing Standard Project Committee 160 (2021). ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 160: Criteria for Moisture-Control Design Analysis in Buildings. ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers).
hygrothermalstandardsenvelope designcondensation
Elsewhere under Building Science
This is the only published entry under this domain.