How Do You Fireproof Metal?

As you think of what materials would be likely to catch on fire, you probably imagine wood and fabrics. You're right to assume both of these materials would quickly catch on fire and feed the flames. This isn't an exhaustive list, though. While it may take longer to catch fire and require hotter, more intense flames, metal will eventually melt and burn as well. If you want to be truly protected, you need to learn all you can about how to fireproof metal.

Make Fireproof Metal With Special Paint

Let's first take a moment to mention that nothing is ever truly "fireproof." Given hot enough and intense enough flames, anything and everything will eventually succumb to fire. What you're looking for is to make metal more fire resistant. Fire resistance refers to the duration of time an item, in this case a piece of metal, can withstand the flames, gasses, and rising temperatures during a fire.

Steel, especially stainless steel, is the most fire-resistant material. Steel is considered to be a fire-resistant material because it can retain all of its strength in temperatures up to 700ºF. At 930ºF, it loses 30 percent of its strength and at temperatures above 1000ºF, unprotected steel loses close to half of its strength. If the steel in question is holding up a building, that's a big problem. For this reason, one can never be safe enough when it comes to fire safety. There are ways to increase the fire resistance of metal.

If you’re looking to fireproof a stove, grill, cast iron, stainless steel beams, or any other type of metal, you need to look further into Fireproof paint made specifically for metal. This paint looks like traditional paint, but it provides extra safety by:

#1 Reducing flammability

#2 Decreasing the fire's intensity

#3 Slowing the spread of flames

#4 Complying with fire building-codes

There are two types of fire retardants: intumescents and non-intumescents. Non-intumescent paint made to fireproof metal slows the flames from spreading. They are meant for fires to self-extinguish. The second option, intumescent paint, reacts to high temperatures by swelling and creating thick char barrier layers of foam to insulate the structure behind the paint from fire and smoke. Typically, the intumescent substance will become 50 times thicker than its original state well before steel undergoes any structural damage. The two choices boil down to either letting the metal catch on fire without the flames actually damaging it or spreading to anything next to it versus blocking the item from catching on fire in the first place.

A few of our favorite options include:

• Contego HS for Steel
• M111-PA paint additive
• DC315 for Spray Foam Insulation (SPF)

Which is the perfect solution for your needs? That is a question you'll need to answer on your own. If you need help, the team at RDR Technologies is always here for you!