Aesthetics, flexible installation, and other factors play into escutcheon selection for Tyco®, Central, and other brand-name fire sprinklers
Few brands in the fire protection industry can boast as wide-ranging a catalog as Tyco International. With nearly 60 years on the market, Tyco’s product line extends far beyond fire sprinklers, encompassing valves, piping, specialty electronics, and even design services for engineers.
In this article, we focus on one of their most ubiquitous products: the rings installed behind many pendent and sidewall fire sprinklers. We explain how Tyco’s fire sprinkler escutcheons provide code-compatible coverage to once-popular brands—like Star, Central, and Gem—and make it easy to identify when a Style 10, Style 20, or another option works with a particular sprinkler model.
If you’d like, you can also browse our Style 10 and Style 20 options, as well as our white or chrome Style 15 escutcheons.
Tyco escutcheons ensure proper timing and spray patterns for Tyco, Central, Gem, and Star fire sprinklers
Escutcheons neaten the area around a fire sprinkler, covering the hole where the head meets the pipe. They’re decorative, but they also play an important role in sprinkler performance. Without the right escutcheon, rising heat from a fire may bypass the sprinkler head. And because sprinklers activate at specific temperatures, this heat loss may cause a sprinkler to start spraying far later than it should. Worse, a mismatched escutcheon may even prevent water from reaching its target at all, leaving whole sections of a building unprotected.
It’s for these reasons that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) offers rules for the use of escutcheons. In particular, escutcheons for recessed, flush, or concealed sprinklers must be specifically tested and approved—or listed—for use with specific sprinkler models.
As such, manufacturers like Tyco offer a wide variety of listed and approved escutcheons for their sprinklers. But one problem that arises is that the names of this brand’s escutcheons don’t bear any obvious relationship to the sprinklers they’re supposed to be coupled with. Adding to that confusion is the fact that Tyco has, over the years, acquired other fire protection companies. Fire sprinklers and escutcheons from three companies now sell under the Tyco brand:
- Central Sprinkler Company (Central/CSC)
- Star Sprinkler Incorporated
- Gem Sprinkler Company & Grinnell Corporation
What this means is that consumers searching for Central, Gem, or Star escutcheons are looking for one of the five Tyco “Style X” escutcheons shown below.
| Star, Gem, and Central Fire Sprinkler Escutcheons – TYCO Equivalent | |||||||||||
| TYCO Style Number | Central Part Number | Gem Part Number | Star Part Number | ||||||||
| 10 | 3211 | F700 (1/2″) | 2085 | ||||||||
| 20 | 3221 | F705 (1/2″) | 2084 | ||||||||
| 30 | 4221 | F705 (3/4″) | 2086 | ||||||||
| 40 | 4211 | F700 (3/4″) | 2088 | ||||||||
| 50 | 307X | N/A | N/A | ||||||||
Tyco escutcheons’ adjustment, material, and finish vary
While listings limit the code-compliant options available to consumers and installers, any given fire sprinkler may have more than one compatible—and approved—escutcheon. Take, for instance, a Series TY-FRB sidewall sprinkler, which may use either Tyco’s Style 10 or Style 20 recessed escutcheon.
The biggest difference, in a word, is adjustment. The Tyco Style 20 escutcheon allows the base of the sprinkler head to recede as far as 1/2” into the wall (mounting surface). The Tyco Style 10, on the other hand, increases that allowable recess by 50 percent—up to 3/4” total. Either escutcheon has the option to leave the sprinkler’s base even, or flush, with the mounting plate. Both have almost identical dimensions. One, however, offers more latitude to installers working to connect pipes to heads.
One of the other notable differences between escutcheons is the range of finishes available. Tyco offers most escutcheons in two different materials—carbon or stainless steel. Generally, stainless steel provides greater corrosion resistance, making it better-suited to outdoor or humid environments, while carbon steel offers greater strength.
Tyco’s carbon-steel escutcheons come in the widest range of colors, including:
- Brass plated
- Pure white
- Signal white
- Jet black
- Chrome plated
In fact, all Tyco “Style X” escutcheons are available in carbon steel. And excluding the Style 60—which comes only in carbon steel—all “Style X” escutcheons are also available in stainless steel, too. Tyco offers only a handful of stock finishes for these stainless-steel escutcheons, such as:
- Signal white
- Grey aluminum
- Plain unpolished
To check if a particular escutcheon is compatible with a given sprinkler, consumers should first find their sprinkler’s SIN, or sprinkler identification number. It’s typically stamped on the metal plate (deflector) at the front of the sprinkler. Then, search this page for a matching SIN by pressing Control-F (Windows) or Command-F (Mac).
Learn more about finding your SIN.
Style 10 Tyco escutcheons offer impressive adjustment to 1/2” wet and dry fire sprinklers
Style 10 escutcheons provide up to 3/4” of recess to 1/2” fire sprinklers from a variety of brands, including Tyco, Central, Gem, and Star. Along with the Style 20, the Style 10 is one of the most versatile escutcheons, covering sprinklers from two popular Tyco Series sprinklers—the TY-B and TY-FRB—along with the dry sprinklers used in low-temperature environments.
Type: Two-piece recessed
Fits: Select 1/2” (15 mm BSP) fire sprinklers
Approvals: Listings vary by model; designed for use with Tyco Series TY-B, TY-FRB, DS-1 (Dry) pendent and sidewall fire sprinklers
Adjustment: Flush to 3/4” (19.1 mm) recessed
Dimensions: 2 7/8” (73 mm) outside diameter; 1 15/16” (49.2 mm) inner ring diameter
Material: Carbon steel or stainless steel
Finishes: Brass-plated, chrome-plated, signal white, pure white, jet black, grey aluminum, unpolished (stainless steel only)
Fire sprinklers with the following identification numbers (SINs) are compatible with Tyco Style 10 escutcheons:
- TY1231
- TY1251
- TY2231
- TY3204
- TY3205
- TY3231
- TY3251
- TY3304
- TY3305
- TY3307
- TY3331
- TY3332
- TY3351
- TY8281
- TY8291
Style 15 offers the maximum possible adjustment to two TY-B and TY-FRB heads
Readers may notice that the two SINs presented here—TY323 and TY325—also have a match in the Style 20. The core difference is adjustment: the Style 15 offers an additional 1/8” of maximum recess to a handful of sprinklers, while the Style 20 offers a total of 1/2” of recess to a wide variety of heads.
Type: Two-piece recessed
Fits: Select 1/2” (15 mm BSP) fire sprinklers
Approvals: Listings vary by model; designed for use with TYCO Series TY-B and TY-FRB pendent fire sprinklers
Adjustment: Flush to 5/8” (15.9 mm) recessed
Dimensions: 2 7/8” (73 mm) outside diameter; 1 15/16” (49.2 mm) inner ring diameter
Material: Carbon steel or stainless steel
Finishes: Brass-plated, chrome-plated, signal white, pure white, jet black, unpolished (stainless steel only)
Fire sprinklers with the following identification numbers (SINs) are compatible with Tyco Style 15 escutcheons:
- TY323
- TY325
Tyco Style 20 escutcheons compete with Style 10 for the greatest number of compatible heads
The Style 20’s list of compatible sprinklers includes two typical Tyco-type heads—the TY-B and TY-FRB—and is the only style compatible with the TY-FRL, a re-designated Star/Gem fire sprinkler head.
Type: Two-piece recessed
Fits: Select 1/2” (15 mm BSP) fire sprinklers
Approvals: Listings vary by model; designed for use with TYCO Series TY-L, TY-FRL, TY-B, TY-FRB, and LF II fire sprinklers
Adjustment: Flush to 1/2” (12.7 mm) recessed
Dimensions: 2 7/8” (73 mm) outside diameter; 1 15/16” (49.2 mm) inner ring diameter
Material: Carbon steel or stainless steel
Finishes: Brass-plated, chrome-plated, signal white, pure white, jet black, unpolished (stainless steel only)
Fire sprinklers with the following identification numbers (SINs) are compatible with Tyco Style 20 escutcheons:
- TY1334
- TY2231
- TY2234
- TY2334
- TY2335
- TY3205
- TY3211
- TY323
- TY3231
- TY3231
- TY325
- TY3305
- TY3307
- TY3331
- TY3332
- TY3334
- TY3352
- TY3934
- TY4334
- TY4911
Style 30 and Style 40 escutcheons overlap, but the 40 provides more adjustment
Both the style 30 and the Style 40 focus largely on the same types of sprinkler—and are the first in this list to cover the EC-series models. These escutcheons can provide code-compliant coverage to some former Central sprinklers, including the EC-14. But between the two, the Style 30 is the only option for TY-L Series sprinklers—and only the Style 40 offers the maximum adjustment of 3/4”.
Style 30
Type: Two-piece recessed
Fits: Select 3/4” NPT (20 mm BSP) fire sprinklers
Approvals: Listings vary by model; designed for use with Tyco Series TY-L, LFII, TY-FRB, EC-8, EC-11, and EC-14 fire sprinklers
Adjustment: Flush to 1/2” (12.7 mm) recessed
Dimensions: 2 7/8” (73 mm) outside diameter; 1 15/16” (49.2 mm) inner ring diameter
Material: Carbon steel or stainless steel
Finishes: Brass-plated, chrome-plated, signal white, jet black, unpolished (stainless steel only)
Fire sprinklers with the following identification numbers (SINs) are compatible with Tyco Style 30 escutcheons:
- TY4111
- TY4131
- TY4232
- TY4234
- TY4332
- TY5137
- TY6237
Style 40
Type: Two-piece recessed
Fits: Select 3/4” NPT (20 mm BSP) fire sprinklers
Approvals: Listings vary by model; designed for use with Tyco Series TY-FRB, TY-B, EC-8, EC-11, and EC-14 fire sprinkler heads
Adjustment: Flush to 3/4” (19.1 mm) recessed
Dimensions: 2 7/8” (73 mm) outside diameter; 1 15/16” (49.2 mm) inner ring diameter
Material: Carbon steel or stainless steel
Finishes: Brass-plated, pure white, signal white, chrome-plated, jet black, grey aluminum, plain unpolished (stainless steel only)
Fire sprinklers with the following identification numbers (SINs) are compatible with Tyco Style 40 escutcheons:
- TY3231
- TY3251
- TY4131
- TY4151
- TY4231
- TY4232
- TY4251
- TY4332
- TY4931
- TY4951
- TY5237
- TY6237
The Style 50 escutcheon specializes in Series EC-5 heads
Tyco Style 50 escutcheons work with Series EC-5 fire sprinklers—including re-designations of Central’s C3232 and C3302 pendent heads. For more information, see their respective datasheets or Tyco’s escutcheon specifications.
Type: Two-piece recessed
Fits: Select 1/2” NPT (15 mm BSP) fire sprinklers
Approvals: UL-listed for use with Series EC-5 heads, with additional listings and approvals from C-UL, FM, and NYC
Adjustment: Flush to 3/8” (9.5 mm) recessed
Dimensions: 2 7/8” (73 mm) outside diameter; 1 15/16” (49.2 mm) inner ring diameter
Material: Carbon steel or stainless steel
Finishes: Brass-plated, pure white, signal white, chrome-plated, plain unpolished (stainless steel only)
Fire sprinklers with the following identification numbers (SINs) are compatible with Tyco Style 50 escutcheons:
- TY3232
- TY3302
The Style 60 escutcheon allows two EC-series models to protrude below the ceiling
Each escutcheon listed so far provides two basic positions for sprinkler heads: either they’re flush or, to some degree, recessed. The Style 60, while limited to only a small selection of heads, allows the sprinkler head to seat either above the mounting surface (recessed) or below (protruding).
Type: Two-piece flush
Fits: Select 3/4” NPT (20 mm BSP) fire sprinklers
Approvals: UL-listed for use with Series EC-11 and EC-14 pendent sprinklers
Adjustment: 3/4” (19.1 mm) total adjustment—seating surface moves up to 1/4” (6.4 mm) above the mounting surface (wall or ceiling) or 1/2” (12.7 mm) below
Dimensions: 2 7/8” outside diameter; fits 2 1/4” hole
Material: Carbon steel
Finishes: Chrome, signal white, or brass
Fire sprinklers with the following identification numbers (SINs) are compatible with TYCO Style 60 escutcheons:
- TY5237
- TY6237
Style 70 escutcheons focus on 10mm orifice sprinkler heads
The Style 70 escutcheon is one of only two models not re-designated from another brand. Some models may be available in or specifically designed for markets in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. For more information, see Tyco’s datasheet for compatible 10mm TY-B and TY-FRB fire sprinklers.
Type: Two-piece recessed
Fits: Select 3/8” NPT fire sprinklers
Approvals: LPCB- and VdS-approved for use with TY-B and TY-FRB pendent sprinklers (10 mm orifices only)
Adjustment: Flush to 3/4” (19.1 mm) recessed
Dimensions: 2 7/8” (73 mm) outside diameter; 1 15/16” (49.2 mm) inner ring diameter
Material: Carbon steel or stainless steel
Finishes: Chrome, white, signal white, pure white, chrome-plated, brass, jet black
Fire sprinklers with the following identification numbers (SINs) are compatible with TYCO Style 70 escutcheons:
- TY2208
- TY2209
Let QRFS help you choose the right Tyco-brand escutcheon
Escutcheons are a simple, essential, and sometimes overlooked part of water-based fire protection. While their names don’t always make it easy to track down an exact match, this guide—along with a wealth of data online—can make the process of finding a code-compliant option easier.
Feel free to browse our selection of escutcheons for Tyco, Central, Star, and Gem sprinklers, including the Style 10, Style 15, and Style 20—each part of a listed solution for TY-B, TY-FRB, LF-II, and a host of other sprinkler heads. For more, take a look at our Tyco fire sprinklers, cover plates, and accessories. If you’re looking for Style 30, 40, 50, 60, or 70 escutcheons (or simply have questions), call us at +1 (888) 361-6662 or email support@qrfs.com.
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Thank you for the informative article!