Why Steel Protection is Important

If it’s not there, there is a big risk that the building will collapse in a fire.

Steel will not burn, but if it gets exposed to heat, it loses its strength very quickly.  Loss of strength of steel begins at about 300ºC and increases rapidly after 400ºC. Failure temperature of the steel core is about 550°C, depending on the orientation and type of structure. When steel looses its’ strength building can and most likely, will collapse.

In a cellulosic fire for example, when it is fueled by wood, paper and/or plastics, an average piece of unprotected steel hits 550 °C in as little as 15 minutes.

Nullifire offers Intumescent Coatings that protects the steel from reaching structural failure temperatures in fire. Protected steel will maintain structural stability for times up to 120 minutes, which gives the emergency services time to evacuate people and stop the fire.

Nullifire offers 3 different types of systems; Waterbased, Solvent Based, and Hybrid. Take a look at the table below to understand the differences between the systems:

Please consult our technical service for choosing the right system for your project.

When the coating is exposed to temperatures of ~200°C, the coating starts to react and rapidly swell, or intumesce, providing an insulating char much greater in thickness than the original coating. This thermally insulating char barrier reduces the rate of heat conducted to the metallic element.

Film thickness of the coatings, depending on the product and the project vary from 0.2 to 4 mm typically. Coatings can be applied using conventional spray equipment or by brush.