Intumescent paint is a fast method of providing u to 120 minutes fire protection to structural steel.
It has the advantage of other methods of structural steel fire protection in that it gives a smooth robust decorative finish that allows the structural to be used as an integral part of the building design. Intumescent paint can be used in conjunction with other fire protection systems however due to the nature of its activation care must be taken in its application.
The heat from a fire causes a chemical reaction which cause the paint to expand causing a ‘Char’. It is this expansion of the paint, which in some instances can be up to 50 times its original thickness, that creates the insulation and protects the substrate. This insulation is designed to stop the steelwork reaching a temperature that would cause structural failure.



