A database was developed for the transient thermal response of unconfined ceilings above small (up to 2kW) fires. The investigation concentrated on the response of ceilings under conditions of heating when convection is the main mode of heat transfer to the ceiling. The data obtained were the ceiling temperature as a function of time and position from the fire plume stagnation point. Three ceiling materials were used: Marinite-XL and fiberboard ceilings were painted with a stable high emissivity coating. Two sets of tests were run on the steel ceiling: first with a polished (low emissivity) surface, and then with a painted high emissivity surface. The fires were produced by burning stoichiometric proportions of methane premixed with air. On each ceiling, tests were run at six non-dimensional fire strengths, Q*, between 0.00079 to 0.0099. A total of twenty-four tests are in the data base.