Primer on Selling FR Coatings

Primer on Fire Retardant Coatings

What are Fire Retardant Coatings
Flame Retardant Coatings are specially formulated coatings having the unique ability to delay ignition and reduce the spread of flame along a surface.  They are usually referred to as “passive fire protection” as opposed to active fire protection measures like sprinklers, fire extinguishers, etc. These coatings or treatments can be extremely important factors in fire protection, with or without active fire protection mechanisms. When the appropriate coating for the situation is applied properly, it can provide significant fire protection, keeping the surface from catching fire in the first place, inhibiting flame spread or excessive heat from being generated quickly, and giving time to respond, evacuate and extinguish.  Most of Flame Control’s FR products are designed to reduce the “flame spread” and are classified as either Class A (Flame Spread of 25 or less) or Class B (Flame Spread between 26 and 75) as tested by ASTM E-84 “Tunnel Test” (or NFPA 255, UL 723, ULC S-102).  These products do not give a “time” rating.

Fire Resistive Coatings and Time Rated Assemblies
Coatings that either provide a “time” rating for structural members like structural steel or are part of a rated assembly are tested by ASTM E-119.  This test is usually referred to as the “Furnace Test”.  It is important to note that on structural steel the size, weight and thickness of the steel member dictates the thickness of the coating necessary to provide the specific time rating.  With any other wall or building assembly, the test is run on the exact configuration being built and the coating is only part of the total rated assembly.  Flame Control manufactures some coatings for these.

Types of Flame Retardant Coatings
Ablative coatings are sacrificial coatings which slows the rate of burning.   An intumescent coating  swells or “puffs” as a result of heat exposure and it is this intumescent char that then insulates the substrate from fire or heat.  Insulating coatings provide a barrier to fire and thermal transmission through the coating to the substrate.  Penetrating treatments are chemicals that impregnate the substrate to cause a “char” in the substrate on initial exposure to flame, which then inhibits further burning.

Important Considerations when choosing a Flame Retardant coating
The keys to choosing a coating or treatment and the most important aspects need to be:

• What is my requirement and is there a legal obligation to a code or standard that must be met?
• What is the material (substrate) that I’m trying to protect?
• To what extent does the coating or treatment considered, protect and meet the required code or standard?
• How long will that protection last and under what conditions, both before and during a fire situation?
• What assurances do I have that this coating or treatment will meet all of these requirements?

The first consideration is to identify details of each individual application; what is the substrate, what are you try to achieve or obligated to achieve? Are we trying to keep a flammable substrate from burning, protecting the substrate from heat, both, or something else? And most importantly, what is the legal code requirement for protection for this application. A coating or treatment must not just claim to fulfill a requirement; it must have documented proof that under controlled, required test conditions related to the application, it does.  To assure yourself of the latter, you need to choose a coating from a reputable source that can provide that clear documentation.

Reputable Testing
Agencies like ICC-ES, NFPA, UL/ULC, and FM, set codes and some develop tests that indicate a material will meet these codes. ASTM is involved in development of many of the tests. Some like UL/ULC and SwRI are involved in both developing and carrying out the tests. Many codes are the results of cooperation among these agencies over years of testing. Accredited facilities like Intertek / Omega, and a few others in addition to UL, ULC and SwRI can accurately carry out these required tests. The accredited test report should also clearly meet the application; a “Class A Flame Spread” requirement is quite different than a time to burn through, or time delay heat transfer requirement. Codes and standards are different for different countries and can even be different in different locations throughout the United States. Federal, State and local governments choose which codes to follow and how they will enforce them within their own jurisdictions.
Although we may have omitted some accredited agencies, using information from non-accredited labs, in house testing from the manufacturer or results from independently developed tests, even if when showing some degree of fire protection, leave you at a very high level of risk, and possible failure when it’s most needed. Only a signed report from the accredited agency showing specific results for the specific test required is acceptable.

Problems in the Industry
There are a couple of major problems we see in the Flame Retardant Coatings Industry.  The first is that some manufacturers make the claim that one coating can meet all requirements in all applications. Some also say that some special additive can be mixed into any type of coating, for any application and give you rated fire protection. These are simply disingenuous claims.
The other major issue: some manufacturers deliberately misrepresent the tests and approvals they claim for their coatings:

• Some lead the user to believe they have a Class rating on a combustible surface when their tests are clearly done on a non-combustible surface like cement board which itself won’t burn. 
• Some recommend coverage rates on their data sheets that are significantly lower than the rate that was tested.  As stated earlier,
• Some report in-house test results and not results from an accredited lab. 
• Some reference a UL test number and imply that the product is actually UL approved! 
• Some manufacturers publish ratings on their website that don’t correspond to their tests.  These could be either typographical errors or deliberate misrepresentations.

Another Major Issue – Lack of Traceability
Are you really getting the material that the report, legitimate or not, shows as the performance? One way to significantly lower that risk is to deal with well known, reputable suppliers with a history of performance that can consistently secure the specialty raw materials necessary to make and supply the coatings indicated by the data.  You want a manufacturer with a continuous, long term good reputation and real relationships with recognized, accredited code and testing agencies to improve performance and safety standards. You don’t want a manufacturer that had a test done there once, then loosely reference that known name with all their data.
Another way to insure you’re getting what you expect is to look for participation in a label or reference mark program. Agencies like UL/ULC, SwRI and Intertek / Omega, have programs that continuously check production of coatings and treatments that they have tested, to assure continuous performance indicated in their test results. These programs are complicated and costly to be sure, but are the best way to assure the performance of the product. If the mark is on the can, not just loosely mentioned in the literature, you can be sure it’s the real thing.

What to Do When Selling Flame Retardant Coatings
When a customer comes in and wants a Flame or Fire Retardant coating there are some things you need to know.  Decide what code the product has to meet and what the substrate that is being protected.  When comparing Flame Control’s products with other competitive products have your customers:

• Ask for the data!
• Look at the spec sheets
• Check the substrates material is tested on
• Check the required coverage rate to achieve the required rating
• Fire Testing Data should be there
• Actual Data is always available and all UL/ULC test results are available on ul.com or ulc.com

Reputable companies don’t need to fool you.  All this information is available on Flame Control’s products.  Call Flame Control and we can help you determine the proper product for your application.  We can also compare our products with the other products being considered.  There are other good products on the market but none of us want to see your customers take the risk of using products that don’t give them the protection that they need.

Contact us at flame@flamecontrol.com if you would like to attend a webinar on FR Coatings.