Intumescent Fire Resistant Coatings

Firefree 88®(“Ff88"), is a premium intumescent fire-resistant coating tested to comply with fire ratings performance prescribed under the International Building Code (IBC). These standards involve (i) fire resistant testing which measures a product's ability to prevent fire penetration over a period of time, such as full schale ASTM E 119, FM 4470 (NFPA 276), FM 4975, ASTM E 662-97, ASTM E 3675-98, ASTM E 162-98, ASTM E 1354-94, ASTM E 814, BS 476, AS 1530.3 AS 1530.4. EN 13501-1, and (ii) fire retardant testing such as ASTM E 84 and Room Corner Test standards including UBC 8-2, NFPA 286, UBC 26-3, measuring a product's ability to limit flashover.

Firefree 88 is listed and labeled by FM Approvals, a division of FM Global, listed and inspected by the International Code Council (“ICC"), classified by Underwriters Laboratories (U/L), and accepted by NY Material and Equipment Acceptance Division (MEA).

Key Features:

•  Cost efficient

•  Fully tested and certified

•  High performance

•  Easy to use and apply

•  Eco-friendly

•  Usable on multiple substrates and assemblies

•  Ahead of competition

Firefree Class A (“FFA") is a premium quality water based, non- toxic, single component, thin film intumescent flame retardant coating fully tested that complies to all ratings in accordance with ASTM E84, ASTM E84, 30 minutes extended, ASTM E2768 Ignition Resistant at a minimal dry film thickness application.
FFA is listed by the California State Fire Marshal, inspected by the International Code Council.

Key Features:

• Tested ASTM E-84 standards

• Economical fire retardant paint

• Easy to use & apply

• High performance

• Eco-friendly

• Works on various combustible materials

Firefree Exterior System for Wildfire is a special 2-Step coating that protects against wildfires in areas where cities meet wildlands. It's the first and only system that meets the ASTM fire & weatherization standards. This fire rated paint for wood has been tested to make sure it works well in different conditions.

Key Features:

• Passed all ASTM WUI test standards

• Resists fire ignition, approved by ICC

• ICC-listed for weather resistance

• Easy to use and cost-effective

• Eco-friendly

• Provides a high-quality exterior finish
  
  

John Simontacchi, is our expert, with 50 years of experience in the construction industry.

• John worked with forensic architects and experts in defective construction litigation to evaluate  and devise alternative structural engineering  repairs.

• John is accredited for co-writing ASTM www.astm.org standards.

• John, previously Firefree's CEO, now consults for Firefree Coatings assisting project/construction managers, architects, developers to help; resolve deadlocks regarding fire safety, structural engineering.

Johns@firefree.com / 415 459 5197

Wildfires and the United States share a destructive relationship, one that shows no signs of fading. In 2025 alone, more than 43,061 wildfire incidents have occurred so far, reducing structures to ashes, as reported by the National Interagency Fire Center. This statistic shows that you need to take proactive steps to prevent loss of life and property.

As insurance companies respond with strict policies and raising premiums, homeowners in Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ) are desperately seeking ways, such as the application of fire-resistant coatings. But the critical question remains- how to lower home insurance with fire-resistant coatings. In this blog, we are going to discuss the same.  

Fire-resistant coatings play a crucial role in protecting buildings from the rapid spread of flames. Whether applied indoors or outdoors, these specialized paints and coatings delay fire damage, giving occupants more time to evacuate during wildfires and reducing structural harm. 

However, interior and exterior fire-resistant coatings have different purposes. Understanding the differences between these coatings ensures you choose the right product for maximum safety and longevity. In this blog, we will discuss the same.

Wildfires are becoming an increasing threat to homes and communities across the country, especially in Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) areas. One of the most vulnerable parts of a building during a wildfire is the exterior eaves, the overhanging edge of a roof that often includes soffits, vents, or projections. If embers or flames penetrate these areas, they can quickly ignite the building’s interior, leading to devastating losses.

ASTM E2957 is a rigorous fire test method designed specifically to evaluate the ability of eaves, soffits, and other projections to resist wildfire exposure and prevent flame penetration. It simulates real wildfire conditions, including ember attack and direct flame impingement, providing meaningful data on how well a product performs under extreme threat.

For this test, 1/2-inch oriented strand board (OSB) is often used as the substrate and that’s no coincidence. OSB is one of the most widely used yet highly flammable wood products in construction. It’s an engineered wood product made from strands, adhesives and resin content that make it particularly susceptible to ignition and flame spread, which raises the bar significantly for any protective system tested over it.

Fire-resistant coatings can degrade over time due to exposure to environmental conditions, physical damage, or chemical interactions. According to a report from the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), s0   tructural fires cause an estimated $14.8 billion in property damage yearly in the U.S. alone. 

Without proper maintenance, the protective qualities of fire-resistant coatings are reduced, increasing the risk of rapid fire spread. In this blog, we will talk about the essential maintenance tips to ensure your fire-resistant coatings remain effective, comply with safety regulations, and extend their lifespan.

Home preparation is the first step in safeguarding against wildfire devastation, especially if you live in a wildfire-prone zone. As the old saying implies, “prevention is better than cure,” and this principle applies perfectly here. What if you could prepare your home for these challenges with fire-resistant coatings? These coatings form a protective barrier when exposed to high temperatures, particularly during wildfires.

They delay ignition, reduce heat transfer, and slow the spread of flames. When applied to a building, they act as a crucial layer of defense against embers and radiant heat, two leading causes of home ignition during wildfires. In this blog, we will discuss how to prepare your home for a wildfire season with fire-resistant coatings..

Every year, the U.S. faces devastating wildfires, leaving countless residents homeless and heartbroken as flames consume lives and properties. These destructions have forced homeowners to rethink their defenses because when embers rain down, traditional safeguards often fail. But what if your home could fight back?

Now it can. Firefree Coatings don’t just resist fire—they defy it. When flames strike, these coatings instantly expand, forming a rock-solid barrier that locks out heat and stops fire in its tracks. In this blog, we will inform you about how you can safeguard your home against devastating wildfires with Firefree coatings.

In today’s construction world, you can’t afford to ignore two things: sustainability and fire safety. With stricter building codes and climate change driving up risks, architects and developers require advanced solutions that safeguard both people and the planet. For this, intumescent coatings emerge as a dual-purpose solution that smart builders can’t ignore.

These advanced coatings expand under heat, creating a fire-resistant shield for steel, wood, and concrete. They actively contribute to LEED v4 certification while meeting stringent fire codes. In this blog, we will explore how intumescent coatings support LEED v4 and green building certification in detail.

As a building owner, one of your highest priorities should be the safety of your occupants. One way to ensure that safety is by conducting regular fire risk assessments. Keep reading to explore the things to ask during fire risk assessments to promote a productive assessment process. From what a fire risk assessment is and why it is crucial for any building to identifying hazards, you will learn everything you need to know about completing a successful assessment.

Steel is a well-known material for its strength and durability in architecture and construction projects. However, steel’s susceptibility to high temperatures and fire is a significant challenge. This is where intumescent coatings come into play as a critical solution for enhancing the fire resistance of steel structures. These coatings, also known as intumescent paints, are a simple and effective way to protect the essential parts of a building, like columns, beams, floors, and roofs, from fire.

This coating helps keep the building from collapsing during a fire by insulating these structural elements. It provides the building with a certain amount of time to resist fire, which is crucial for safety. In this blog, we will discuss how they work, their applications, and considerations for use in construction. Let’s discuss it in detail!

ntumescent coatings are specialized fire-retardant coatings designed to expand when exposed to heat or flame, forming a thick insulating layer. This layer protects the substrate beneath, generally steel or wood, from the effects of fire, thereby significantly delaying its structural failure. 

Intumescent coatings are beneficial for everyone, especially for those who live in Wildland Urban Interface zones. These fire retardant coatings are generally applied alongside a primer and a topcoat to provide corrosion protection and aesthetic customization. In this blog, we are going to discuss what exactly these coatings are and how they are used in various applications. 

Firefree coatings have been used on multiple projects including residential, commercial, industrial and governmental entities, including Alaska Office of Education, Australia NSW Department of Housing, AMD Energy Honk-Kong, AMTRAK, Anheuser Busch, B/E Aerospace UK, Boeing, Bowling Green State University, CA Department of Corrections, CO Department of Correction, Comfort Inn, Dow Aksa, General Electric, Google, General Mills, Honeywell, Holiday Inn, Kaiser, Los Alamos National Laboratory, NASA, Nestle, Oakridge Nuclear Facility, Owens Corning, San Francisco Public Works, Smithsonian Institute, Space Observatory Australia, Universities (Cal Poly, Dominican College, Georgia Tech, UC Santa Cruz, Bowling Green U, University of Alaska, University of Australia, University of Georgia, University of Kentucky, University of Nebraska, University of Richmond VA..),US Army, US State Department, US Coast Guard, US Department of Energy, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Verizon…

How do your products work?

Firefree coatings will expand (intumesce) many times from their original thickness when exposed to flame or extremely high heat (350° Fahrenheit). During this process the coating will produce a char, which insulates the surface reducing heat release, smoke development and flame spread dramatically reducing the chances of flashover occurring.

Which substrates can your products be applied to?

Our paints can be applied to most substrates used in the construction and transportation industries including wood, gypsum board (sheetrock, plasterboard), lathe and plaster, concrete, masonry, embossed/pressed metal tin, thin gauge metal, galvanized steel and aluminum, spray polyurethane foam (SPF), fiberglass, carbon fiber, plastics and other composite etc. Our products are not used for steel beams and columns.

What are your Products used for?

Firefree products are approved and used in construction, both new, retrofit and defective, (residential, commercial, industrial and government), insulation and transportation. The projects using our products included historic properties, schools, health care (hospitals, assisted living…), apartments, condominium, ,high-rises, hotels, stores, restaurants, oil and solar facilities, government facilities, military applications and facilies, transportation (aerospace, aviation, light rail, maritime, energy…. Our products' uses include walls, floor, ceilings, doors, shaft walls, attics, decorative panels and structures, automotive, airplane, ship and train parts, lithium batteries, shipping containers, playgrounds, mining structures, military equipment etc.

Which colors and finishes are available?
Ff88 and FfA come in a white color and are tintable to most colors (not exceeding 8 oz of tint/gal). Contact your local paint store to enquire about universal compatible tint and for assistance with tinting choice and process. For interior use, if a different color or finish is desired, Ff88 and FfA can also be top coated with most premium latex paints to achieve a different color and finish. Contact your local paint store for assistance with choice of a compatible topcoat.

For exterior uses, FfE is required. FfE comes in a white color and both standard (white) and (deep) bases, satin finish. Both bases are tintable to most colors (not exceeding 8 oz of tint/gal). Contact your local paint store to enquire about universal compatible tint and for assistance with tinting choice and process. In some cases, improper tinting can contribute to surfactant leaching. FfE can also be top coated with most premium exterior latex paints to achieve a different color and finish. Contact your local paint store for assistance on choice of topcoat.

Can your products be used for exterior applications?

Firefree 88 and Firefree Class A are designed for interior use. However;

• Firefree Class A can be used as part of the Firefree Exterior System, when covered by Ff Exterior Topcoat

• Firefree 88 can used in some exterior applications if covered by the Ff Exterior Topcoat in strict compliance with Firefree's specifications at time of sale.

Please refer to Wildfire Systems.

What is the difference between Firefree 88 and Firefree Class A?

• Firefree 88 is our premier intumescent fire resistant coating tested to comply with fire ratings performance prescribed under the International Building Code. These standards involve (i) fire resistant testing which measures a product's ability to prevent fire penetration over a period of time, such as ASTM E 119, FM 4975, ASTM E 662-97, ASTM E 3675-98, ASTM E 162-98, ASTM E 1354-94, ASTM E 814, BS 476, AS 1530.3 AS 1530.4. EN 13501-1, and fire retardant testing such as ASTM E 84 and Room Corner Test standards including UBC 8-2, NFPA 286, UBC 26-3 (Part 1 of FM Class 4880), measuring a product's ability to limit flashover.
  Firefree Class A is our flame retardant paint classified as Class “A" rating per ASTM E 84 and ASTM E 84, 30 minute extended. These standards involve fire retardant tests which measures a product's ability to slow down horizontal flame spread and smoke development.
  
  

What type of assemblies have Firefree products been tested to?

The testing has been performed on a vast number of wall, floor/ceiling and roof ceiling assemblies both full scale and small scale, in load bearing conditions and non-load bearing conditions including hose stream testing where applicable. Additional testing has been performed to Factory Mutual test standard as well as transportation, maritime and aviation test standards.

What standards have your products been tested to?

Firefree products have been tested to a wide variety of international standards including ASTM E 119 (1 and 2 hours), FM 4975, ASTM E 662-97, ASTM E 3675-98, ASTM E 162-98, ASTM E 1354-94, ASTM E 814, ASTM E 84, ASTM E 84 Extended 30 minutes, ASTM E2768-11, ASTM D2898-10, Room Corner Test standards including UBC 8-2, NFPA 286, UBC 26-3 (Part 1 of FM Class 4880), BS 476 in England, AS 1530.3, 1530.4, in Australia, EN 13501 in Poland, and SISIR door test standards in Singapore.

Firefree 88 is listed and labeled by FM Approvals, a division of FM Global, listed by ICC-ES, classified by Underwriters Laboratories (U/L), listed by CA SFM Building Materials and accepted by NY Material and Equipment Acceptance Division. FF88's FM Approval Diamond is recognized internationally, including in the UAE. FfA is listed by ICC-ES. The Firefree Exterior System is listed by ICC-ES.

Where is your testing conducted?

Firefree testing is conducted at IAS/ICC (IAS www.iasonline.org) third party accredited laboratories, which are subject to yearly calibration and certification and are competent and comply with Industry and / or International Standards.

What are the recommended thickness for applications?

The dry film thickness to be applied will vary depending on the fire rating being required and the material/substrate and assembly construction being coated. We will assist in providing the proper technical advice to assist clients in determining the adequate thickness.

Can I get your products outside of the US?

We sell and ship fireproofing solutions in all five continents for private, corporate and governmental projects. We have customers and projects all over the world from the Americas (US, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Venezuela…) to Asia (Australia, India, Indonesia, Philippines…) to Africa (Nigeria…) and the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuweit…).

Are your products safe and eco-friendly?

Yes, our fireproof coatings are safe and eco-friendly. They have has low VOCs ( <36gr/liter) which is extremely low compared to the current EFP regulations of 250gr/liter (per ASTM D3960). It is even significantly below California's limit of 50gr/liter confirming that our products are non-flammable and non toxic.
Firefree 88 is certified under CDPH Method V1.2 (meeting the VOC emissions guidelines set by US Green Buildings). Additionally Firefree 88 qualifies for LEED Version 4, is Green Categorized under Factory Mutual, and meets Green Standards Performance under MPI GPS01 and GPS-02.

Are your products easy to use and apply?

Yes, the process is similar to applying a regular water-based latex paint. Our paints can be brushed, rolled or sprayed using an airless spray gun. Additionally because of their high percentage of solids, our products will have an excellent spread rate and coverage.

Please note that as our Products involve fire protection (and thus life safety matters) it is important the the applicator strictly complies with the applications instructions and applies exactly the recommended thicknesses. It is the sole responsibility of the customer to choose a qualified applicator for the Product and ensure that such applicator applies the Product in strict compliance with the Application Instructions and applies the recommended thickness.

What are your quality control procedures?

Firefree 88 is manufactured under FM Approvals and ICC-ES QC and surveillance inspections. FfA is listed and inspected by ICC-ES. The Firefree Exterior System is listed and inspected by ICC-ES.

Do your products require the use of a primer?

No, in most cases our products do not require the use of a primer, unless you are painting over high gloss enamels or exposed, unprimed metal. In most cases, surfaces to be coated would be prepared, as would normally be done before the application of any paint. For high gloss finishes or bare metal, apply one coat of an appropriate type primer prior to an application of the Firefree coating.

How often should I recoat the Firefree Exterior System?

Per manufacturer's recommendation and industry standards for paint/coating, the Exterior System should be monitored and inspected every 10 years from the original date to ensure conformance with the specified dry film thickness.

What is surfactant leaching?

Occasionally surfactant leaching might happen. It is a common issue in the paint industry (although improper application can make it worse, which experienced painting contractors are familiar with. As your contractor will explain it will often correct itself over time. For more information, please ask your paint store or contractor, or see Surfactant Leaching

Are your Products also available as clear or sealant coatings?

No.

Can I paint the interior of a home?

Yes, you can paint the interior of your home with Firefree, please check Firefree 88, or Firefree Class A, depending on which substrate you are covering and which testing standard you need.

Can I use your coatings over my exterior deck?

No.

Who can conduct the third-party dry film thickness inspection?

As this is a life safety issue Firefree Coatings (“Firefree") requires that all surfaces to which the Product was applied be inspected by third party special inspection agency, or an ICC-ES certified professional, of a Firefree QA/QC qualified inspector to verify that the Product has been properly applied in the required uniform thickness. To obtain a list of inspections agencies, go to https://www.intertek.com/psi/, or www.terracon.com .The hiring of an independent inspector is the responsibility of the contractor or customer.

Firefree products are unique because of their performance, ease of use, applicability to multiple substrates and assemblies, and full testing and certification to international standards (from ASTM, UBC and FM in the US and GCC, to AS in Australia, EN and BS in Europe), through IAS/ICC accredited laboratories.
Because of their high level of performance, Firefree coatings are cost effective as they will usually require a relatively low thickness, and thus lower amounts of paint (compared to other coatings) to comply with the fire retardant or fire resistance requirements. Furthermore, in many cases Firefree paints have achieved testing results not reached (or even attempted) by other coatings. In such cases the only alternative to Firefree products are traditional construction materials (gypsum…), which will often involve significant, lengthy, and expensive amounts of construction, and/or destruction/reconstruction to achieve the required ratings.