Information On Fire Retardant Clothing

There is a wide variety of fire retardant clothing that has become available to consumers over the past few years. This variety consists of aprons, coveralls, uniforms, pants, laboratory coats, cold weather wear, rain gear and reflective coveralls to name a few. With such a large amount of fire retardant clothing, worker safety will be guaranteed.

There are many benefits to fire retardant clothing. It helps with the protection of workers from sparks and or fire that could ignite more common fabrics quickly. Almost all fire protective clothing is guaranteed to retain its flame resistant properties should the clothing be washed by following the manufacturer’s instructions in the approved manner. For example, should flame protective clothing be washed with chlorine based bleach products, the flame resistance will be washed out. If done correctly, the fire resistant clothing will last longer than normal fabrics. Fire resistant clothing has been reported to show a substantial increase to the safety of employees as well as to minimize the employer’s liability.

There are many sorts of materials that can be used in the making of fire resistant clothing. The protective clothing can be made of; twaron, nomex, arselon, coated nylon, carbon foam, Kevlar, proban cotton, pyromex, technora and modacrylic materials just to name a few. The fabrics that the flame resistant clothing is made of ensures the safety of all workers in high heat and chemical work places.

Fire retardants minimize the risk of the material becoming flammable stopping the fire physically or by creating a chemical reaction to prevent the fire and are category 2 based, which means they come as a full body kit that includes gloves, helmets, boots and so on.

There are several physical ways in which the ignition process can be retarded:

  • Cooling – the materials are actually cooled down by the chemical reactions. By creating a protective layer which stops the underlying material from catching alight.

  • Dilution – the materials release carbon dioxide and/or water while burning.

The chemical reactions are similar to the physical ways:

  • Gas phase reactions – the chemical reaction to flames could be interrupted by the fire retardants. However, there could be situations where the gas released could prove to be more dangerous when this type is involved.

  • Solid phase reactions – breaks down polymers which allow them to flow away and melt from the flame.

  • Char formation – is a solid phase retardant that allows carbon char to form a layer over the polymer surface, which is harder to burn and stops any further burning.

  • Intumescents – is a retardant material that will add chemicals that can cause the swelling of the protective char layer, which in turn provides a much better insulation behind barrier of protection.


These methods are all based on category 2 fire retardant clothing which help employer’s to provide the correct safety regulations in all work places involving chemical and or high heat hazards. Fire resistant clothing prevents the worker from serious injury or burns, when working in hazardous work places.