Strength band
a film, not a material you buy by MPa
Numbers below are bands used by working engineers, not live quotes. Tensile note: a film, not a material you buy by MPa.
Fire performance in this atlas is editorial. Real projects need the assembly report.
Mechanical
Stiffness
Modulus follows chemistry and orientation — not the marketing nickname.
Toughness
Crack growth, not peak stress, retires most real parts.
Fatigue / creep
Cyclic and time-dependent damage dominate certificates issued on static coupons.
Hardness / hand
Indentation, drape or compressive class — whichever the trade actually measures.
Thermal
Conductivity
char foam becomes the insulator — Intumescent coating is not a substitute for a dedicated λ layer.
Service temperature
Melting / softening / decomposition band: designed to foam ~200–300 °C.
Expansion
Joints and clearances must follow the expansion class of Intumescent coating, not of steel-by-habit.
Thermal mass
Density wet film as specified sets how fast a section changes temperature.
Ageing of λ
Foams, VIPs and moist batts drift; quote aged values.
Electrical
Conductor or dielectric
Intumescent coating is generally a dielectric or semiconductor film, not building wire.
Static / EMI
Fillers and moisture change resistivity more than brochures admit.
Standards language
IACS, volume resistivity or dielectric strength — pick the quantity the job uses.
Fire
Reaction to fire
Typical declared class: coating on A1 steel; system tested. This is not a universal passport.
Resistance vs reaction
Euroclass is reaction. EI/R ratings are assemblies — boards, coats, cavities.
Melt-drip / char
Intumescent coating tends to char or stay inorganic rather than melt-drip like commodity olefins.
Smoke / toxicity
CO, HCN, HF or fibres — the species depend on chemistry. Name the test (ISO 5659, EN 45545, NFPA 1971).
If a salesperson quotes a single “safety score”, ask which standard, which thickness, which year.
Keep exploring
More in Fire performance
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Gypsum board
CaSO4·2H2O panels that buy fire time by calcining — the everyday A2/A1 lining of interiors.
Overall 59 👨🚒Nomex
DuPont’s meta-aramid — fire-fighter turnout, electrical paper and a char that does not melt-drip like nylon.
Overall 65 🌡️Ceramic fibre
Spun refractory fibres for 1000–1400 °C — kiln linings, gaskets, and a respirable-fibre caution that AES grades try to ease.
Overall 62