Fire proof

Fire safety in construction, written by HSE and Published by TSO (The Stationery Office), Third Edition, 2022, suggests that the terms fire-retardant, flame-retardant, fire-proof and flame-proof: ‘…are used to describe materials that do not burn particularly well. When they are used to describe sheet materials, it normally means that a fire will not be any worse if they are present – although they will typically burn or melt away if they are close to an existing fire. When these terms are used to describe treatments applied to materials, they normally mean that it takes a longer time and/or a larger fire to make them burn, and that when they are on fire the flames spread more slowly. Often, they are tested for effectiveness only in small fires, and may not perform as well if exposed to a larger fire.’

It defines fireproofing as: 'Adding an insulating material to the structure to extend the length of time it can survive in a fire. An example would be spray coating for structural steel. This will have a ‘fire-resistant’ rating.'

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Approved Document B (Fire Safety).
• Building Safety Act.
• Building Safety Wiki.
• Fire Safety Act.
• Fire.
• Fire resistance.
• Fire retardant.
• Flame retardant.
• Grenfell Tower.
• Hackitt review.
• Joint fire code.
• ‎Risk assessment under The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.