Maximum Allowable Quantity (MAQ)
The Maximum Allowable Quantity (MAQ) is the limit, set by the International Fire Code, on how much of a hazardous material such as a flammable liquid may be present in a single control area before stricter high-hazard (H-occupancy) requirements apply. The base quantities come from IFC Table 5003.1.1.
MAQ is measured per control area, a fire-rated space within a building, so a facility can hold more total flammable liquid by separating it into multiple control areas. Exceeding the MAQ for a control area pushes it into H-occupancy, with much stricter construction and protection requirements. For a distillery, knowing the running tally against the MAQ before a transfer is what keeps a routine move from quietly tipping a space over the line.
How do sprinklers and cabinets change the MAQ?
The IFC allows the base MAQ to increase by 100 percent for an approved automatic sprinkler system and by another 100 percent for storage in approved flammable-liquid cabinets. The two increases are cumulative, so with both in place a control area can hold up to four times the base quantity before H-occupancy is triggered.
Are barrels of spirit counted against the MAQ?
Distilled spirits in barrels are generally governed by IFC Chapter 40 as an alternative storage method, with occupancy S-1 above 20 percent ABV or S-2 at or below it, rather than counted in the control-area MAQ tally. The base MAQ quantities are copyrighted and adopted differently by each jurisdiction, so they are entered as your own configuration; the engine applies the sprinkler and cabinet multipliers to that base.
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