Fire Retardant Plywood

Added on October 24, 2024

Fire Retardant plywood is a type of plywood which is treated with special fire-retardant chemicals at the time of manufacture, so that it becomes better at resisting fires. It is also known as FR grade plywood.

It is commonly used in public places, where the risk of fire must be reduced, such as for woodwork in the kitchens of large restaurants, or for interior woodwork in public theaters and halls, and in railways. It can be used in homes and offices, for car interiors and anywhere else where it is necessary to reduce the risk and spread of fire.

The Indian quality standards for manufacture of Fire Resistant Plywood are certified IS:5509. The rate of burning of the plywood should be more than 20 minutes, the time taken for flames to penetrate the plywood must be more than 30 minutes.

Chemicals such as diammonium hydrogen phosphate, are used to make fire retardant plywood. The addition of fireproofing chemicals, gives the plywood better fire proofing qualities such as,

Lesser tendency of spark and ignite.
Slow burning, having a decreased tendency of the fire to spread over the surface of the plywood.
Low flammability and lesser smoke generation.
Higher flame penetration time.

The use of FR grade plywood for making household furniture is very limited. However, for the discerning consumer, for whom cost is not a major concern, and who want to reduce the risk of fire in their homes, FR grade plywood can be a good choice. Apart from the additional fire-retardant properties of FR grade plywood, all its other characteristics are like regular plywood used for making home furniture.

The sizes and thicknesses of fire-retardant plywood is same as those for the commercial MR grade and the Exterior BWR grade types of plywood. Thickness usually ranges from 4 mm to 18 mm, while standard size sheets such as 8′ x 4′ are commonly used.