Safety evo
Life saving tips
It may not be common to ask is fiberglass insulation flammable or not
But it still considered a good question for those who are dealing with it frequently.
In order to answer this properly, we need to explain some expressions
First we need to know what is the fiberglass, what is the meaning of flammability
What are the properties of fiberglass and what are the most common uses of fiberglass.
The following elements should cover these information.
What is Fiberglass
One of the most widely used materials nowadays
not only for thermal insulation, but it has many other industrial and medical uses.
It is a polymer material based on thermosetting polymers.
Fiberglass is made of fiber-reinforced plastic randomly arranged to form sheets or woven cloth.
This material is made of fiber-reinforced plastic randomly arranged to form sheets or woven cloth.
Flammability meaning
Just to describe the meaning of flammable material shortly,
To say that this material is flammable means that it can ignite rapidly in ambient temperatures
if exposed to a flame
While, there is another expression which is combustible material.
And this means that the material still can catch fire.
but it needs some special conditions to do so.
To make it easier, some examples in the following table can explain the idea.
The difference for sure needs another post to discuss.
But this is only for now.
Fiberglass properties and uses
Also to facilitate the answer for our question
IS FIBERGLASS INSULATION FLAMMABLE
We need to know some of the characteristics and properties of fiberglass.
Fiberglass is non-magnetic and electrically non conductive material
Very flexible that can be molded into many complex shapes.
It is chemically inert, can withstand chemicals with no reactions.
And when comparing it with other material like carbon fibers, it is cheaper.
And the most important for our post, fiberglass is fire resistant.
There is a huge difference between fire resistant and fire retardant materials
This difference can be discussed later, but regarding fiberglass, it can withstand up to 1000 F
These features are the reasons why it is widely used in industrial, home and even medical fields.
Fiberglass can be found in oil and gas industries, house building, piping, storage tanks, boats and many other uses and fields.
Also, this part can be covered separately in another post to mention the uses of fiberglass.
IS FIBERGLASS INSULATION FLAMMABLE
We just mentioned that fiberglass is a fire resistant material.
Which means that it can resist burning to a certain degree.
Fiberglass can withstand up to 1000 F, and it can start to melt after reaching 2050 F.
It is classified as a class A fire rating which is the best rating in fire resistance.
For this reason, fiberglass insulation is used in hazardous industries like LPG and oil & gas storage and piping.
Also for home constructions to withstand fires.
The ignition temperature of fiberglass is around 1112 F
Which means that it can start burning if its temperature reached 1112 without the support of ignition source.
It is not easy to reach this point by the way.
But be careful, this does not mean that fiberglass is quite safe.
It can produce hazardous fumes after molten.
These fumes can badly affect the human respiratory system
We can summarize this article in the following point.
- Fiberglass is a fire resistant material (Class A) and not fire retardant
- Its properties makes it the perfect substitute for many other materials.
- It is widely used in many fields due to its perfect nature.
- To reach the ignition temperature of fiberglass is not an easy task.
- 1112 F is the temperature we need to ignite the fiberglass.