Domestic technical textiles Industry Segment-wise consumption of ...

fire. The there are typically two major categories of fire retardant fabrics which are coated fabric and
inherently fire retardant fabric.
Product characteristics
The fire retardant fabrics are primarily of two types:
1. 100% cotton fabric with coating of fire retardant chemical.
2. Inherently fire retardant fabric.
The cotton fabrics are coated with fire retardant chemical in a bath which results in a layer of fire
retardant getting formed on the cotton surface. Generally, PYROVATEX® from CIBA is generally
used as fire retardant coating. The weave and the basis weight of the cotton fabric too decide the
performance of this fabric. However, incomplete coverage of fire retardant chemical reduces the
performance with wear and tear, cracking, flaking, bending and aging.
The other type of fabric is the one which uses inherently fire retardant fibres. These are modified
polyester fibre with permanent fire retardant properties. The world leader in fire retardant fabric is
Trevira® a Reliance Netherlands B.V. brand. The fibre is obtained after high level of polyester
modification. The fabric made from inherently fire retardant fibres results in uniform fire retardant
features. The other fibres used for fire retardant fabric are:
Generic name Fibre Manufacturer
Aramid (Meta) Nomex DuPont
Aramid (Para) Kermel/Kevlar/Twaron Rhone-Poulence/ DuPont/
Akzo (Holland)
Modacrylic SEF/ Kanecaron Monsanto (Italy)/ Kaneka
(Japan)
Polyamide P84 Lenzing (Austria)
Vinal Vinex FR9B Westex
The typical characteristics of the fire retardant fabric are:
1. Very low fume toxicity in fire
2. High tear and abrasion resistance
3. Breathable and comfortable
4. Anti decay and Anti mould
Source: Journal of Textile Association, May-June 2007