Passive fire protection is designed to protect buildings and structures without relying on active intervention.
One important technology is intumescent fire retardant paint.
When exposed to high heat, an intumescent coating reacts and expands to form an insulating char layer. The resulting barrier slows heat transfer to the protected substrate.
Scudoflex FlameShield IRC-20/2H is described by the manufacturer as a high-performance intumescent flame-retardant coating for structural and cellulosic substrates.
How intumescent coating works
Under normal conditions, the coating forms a relatively thin protective film.
During fire exposure, the coating undergoes an endothermic reaction and expands many times its original thickness, producing a microporous carbonaceous char.
This char acts as a thermal barrier.
The purpose is to slow the rate at which heat reaches the protected substrate.
FlameShield IRC-20/2H applications
The published applications include:
- Structural steel beams
- Structural steel columns
- Steel reinforcement
- Ductwork
- Cable trays
- MDF
- Plywood
- Particle board
- Timber
- Wooden frames
- Fire walls
- Fire doors
- Staircases
- Concrete
- Gypsum boards
Technical characteristics
The current product page specifies:
| Property | Published value |
|---|---|
| Appearance | White / light grey |
| Solid content | Approx. 76% ±2% W/V |
| Specific gravity | 1.45 ±0.05 kg/L @20°C |
| Service temperature | +10°C to +60°C substrate |
| Set-to-touch | Approx. 1 hour |
| Full cure | Approx. 4 hours |
| Theoretical coverage | 10–12 sq.ft/kg @0.5 mm WFT |
| Shelf life | 15 months @25°C |
Fire-performance terminology
Fire-protection specifications should distinguish between:
- Flame spread
- Surface flammability
- Fire resistance
- Structural fire protection
- Reaction-to-fire classification
- Direct flame exposure
These terms describe different testing concepts and should not be used interchangeably.
FlameShield's current product page states performance against ISO 11925-2 and describes up to 2 hours of direct flame protection under the stated product criteria.
For a project, the actual certificate/test report and its exact scope should be reviewed before making a compliance claim.
Passive fire protection for Pakistan projects
Structural fire protection is relevant to:
- Commercial buildings
- Warehouses
- Industrial facilities
- Manufacturing plants
- Data centres
- Hospitals
- Hotels
- High-rise developments
- Infrastructure projects
For projects in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi, specification should consider substrate, required fire performance, application thickness, primer compatibility and site conditions.
Application
FlameShield can be applied using:
- Brush
- Roller
- Heavy-duty airless spray
For thicker builds, the manufacturer recommends multiple uniform coats with an inter-coat drying interval of at least four hours at ambient temperature.
Technical documentation
Consultants and contractors should request:
- Product datasheet
- Applicable test reports
- Certificate documents
- Application instructions
- Required dry-film thickness
- Substrate compatibility information
The Scudoflex technical library provides access to the FlameShield IRC-20/2H datasheet.