You can buy an excellent certified composition, calculate the thickness precisely — and still end up with a coating that will not work in a fire. The reason is almost always the same: the application technology was violated. Fireproof paint is more capricious than ordinary enamel: it is sensitive to the substrate, humidity and temperature and requires control at every stage. Let us look at how it is done properly.

Stage 1. Surface preparation

This is the foundation of the whole system, and you cannot cut corners here. The metal is cleaned of rust, scale, old paint, grease and dust. For critical structures the surface is prepared to the required degree of cleanliness — most often by abrasive blasting. Why it is critical: an intumescent composition holds exactly as well as it is bonded to the substrate. Poor cleaning — and on heating the char peels off together with the rust, leaving no protection.

Stage 2. Priming

Fireproof paint does not work on its own but in a system with a primer. The primer provides adhesion to the metal and corrosion protection. The key point: the primer must be compatible with the specific fireproof composition — this is stated in its technical documentation. An incompatible primer can lead to peeling or to the paint «not working». That is why the coating system — primer, fire protection, topcoat — is selected as a set, not separately.

Stage 3. Applying the fireproof layer

The composition is applied by brush, roller or airless spray — depending on the volume and geometry. The key rule is layering: the calculated thickness is built up in several passes with intermediate drying, not in one thick layer. A too-thick «wet» layer will crack, run or fail to dry inside. Application must be in permissible conditions: the manufacturer specifies the temperature range and the maximum air humidity. You cannot paint cold, damp or condensation-covered metal. TERM compositions are selected for the facility conditions — see the fireproof paints page (TERM-001, TERM-007, TERM-009).

Stage 4. Thickness control

While the paint is wet, the wet-layer thickness is checked with a comb gauge; after drying, the dry-film thickness is measured with a magnetic gauge at several points on each element. It is the dry thickness that is compared with the design and the test report. Everything is recorded in the works log — that is what the inspector will later check at acceptance.

Stage 5. Topcoat

If the structure is used in conditions of high humidity, outdoors or in an aggressive environment, a compatible topcoat (decorative-protective layer) is applied over the fire protection. It protects the intumescent composition from moisture and mechanical impact, extends the service life of the system and allows the structure to be tinted to the desired colour.

Why professionals should do this

Fire protection is hidden work: once the facility is handed over, you can no longer see whether the composition was applied correctly. Only a fire will reveal a mistake — at the worst possible moment. That is why a trained crew, thickness control at every stage, the log and a compatible material system all matter.

STATERM not only supplies TERM fireproof compositions but also carries out the application according to technology: with surface preparation, selection of a compatible primer and topcoat, thickness control and preparation of the as-built documentation for acceptance.

Call: +998 90 918 81 88.

Clients often have an illusion: once you have bought the «right» fireproof paint, the facility is protected. In reality the can of paint itself guarantees nothing. What matters is the thickness of the applied layer, calculated for the specific structure. It is what turns the coating into R30, R60 or R90. Let us look at what this thickness depends on and why it cannot be taken «by eye».

The key parameter — the section factor of the metal

The key concept in the calculation is the section factor of the metal (sometimes called the reduced thickness). Simplified, it is the ratio of the profile cross-section area to the perimeter heated by the fire. The physical meaning is simple — how «massive» the element is relative to its heated surface.

A thin-walled profile (an angle, a thin flange of an I-beam, a bent profile) has a low section factor: little metal, large heating area, so it heats up quickly. A massive column of large cross-section is the opposite: a lot of metal that «absorbs» heat longer. The conclusion that surprises many: the thinner the metal, the thicker the fire-protection layer needed for the same limit. Not the other way round.

What else affects the calculation

Besides the section factor, the calculation includes the required fire-resistance limit (R90 requires a thicker layer than R30), the critical temperature of the steel (usually around 500 °C) and the specific type of paint. Each composition has its own «thickness table» from the fire-test report: so many microns for such a section factor for such an R. You cannot borrow data from another paint. As a result, the layer on thin elements can be several times thicker than on massive columns. See the materials on the fireproof paints page (TERM-001, TERM-007, TERM-009).

Why «by eye» is dangerous and expensive

Understate the thickness and in a real fire the coating will not provide the declared limit: it foams weakly, the metal heats faster than calculated. Formally there is paint, in fact there is no protection. Overstate it and you overpay for material, sometimes considerably. There is also the acceptance side: the dry-film thickness is checked with a gauge at several points and compared with the design. If it does not match — the hidden-works certificate is not signed and the facility is not commissioned. Recalculating and repainting afterwards is always more expensive than doing it right the first time.

How it is done properly

We take the steel schedule and drawings, determine the section factor for each profile, find the required layer thickness for the target R from the certified table of the chosen paint, compile everything into a specification and only then calculate consumption and cost. During application we control wet and dry thickness and log it.

STATERM performs this calculation for your facility: we select a TERM composition, calculate the thickness based on the section factor and the required limit, and provide a specification and estimate. Send the drawings or the steel schedule — and you will get a working fire-protection system, not just «cans of paint».

Call: +998 90 918 81 88.

When a structure needs to be brought up to the required fire-resistance limit, the designer and the client face a choice between several fundamentally different methods. They all «work», but they cost differently, look differently and suit different conditions. Let us review the main methods honestly — with their pros and cons.

Fireproof plaster (thick-layer coating)

A classic proven over decades. A thick layer of a special cement-mineral compound — from 10 to 40 mm — is applied to the metal. The layer holds high fire-resistance limits, up to R150–R180, and is not afraid of moisture.

The downsides are significant. First, weight: several centimetres of plaster noticeably load the structure. Second, appearance — open beams and columns in an office or showroom cannot be finished nicely this way. Third, labour intensity and requirements to the substrate (reinforcing mesh, adhesion). Plaster is good where aesthetics do not matter but the maximum limit is needed: technical floors, tunnels, industrial areas.

Fireproof boards and mats

The structure is clad with non-combustible boards (basalt, silicate, gypsum-fibre) or wrapped with mats. The method is «dry», gives high limits and is convenient for boxes around columns and for protecting air ducts.

But boards «eat up» space, create extra volume around the element, and require careful installation of joints and a frame. For complex joints, trusses with braces and gussets this is expensive and inconvenient: cladding a straight column is easy, a lattice truss almost impossible.

Thin-film intumescent paints

This is the modern and most versatile approach, which is our primary focus (the TERM range — see the fireproof paints page and the TERM-001, TERM-007, TERM-009 cards). The paint is applied in a layer from a fraction of a millimetre to a few millimetres — like an ordinary coating. In its calm state it is a thin, almost invisible film. In a fire it swells dozens of times, forming a heat-insulating char that protects the metal.

Why it is chosen more and more often:

• Minimal weight and thickness. It does not load the structure and does not «steal» space.
• It preserves geometry. Ideal for open steel structures visible in the interior: the paint can be tinted, the structure stays «readable».
• It is applied to any shape. Truss, lattice, gusset, shaped profile — the paint does not care, it goes on by brush, roller or spray.
• It really provides R30–R90, and with the required thickness in the system — even higher.

The downsides honestly: thin-film compositions are sensitive to service conditions (humidity, aggressive environment) and require a proper thickness selection and a compatible primer. But this is solved by the right coating system and, if necessary, a finishing varnish.

How to choose

There is no universal answer — it all depends on the facility:

1. Maximum limit on hidden structures, aesthetics not important — plaster.
2. Boxes, air ducts, straight columns in technical rooms — boards.
3. Open steel structures, complex shapes, appearance and weight matter, limit R30–R90 — thin-film paint. In most civil and commercial facilities it is exactly the one that wins.

STATERM helps choose the method for the specific facility rather than «selling what is in stock». We will select the fire-protection system, calculate the thickness for the required limit and carry out the application with quality control.

Call: +998 90 918 81 88.

When it comes to fire protection of steel, a client sooner or later runs into a mysterious marking: R15, R30, R45, R60, R90, R120. The designer specifies it in the brief, the inspector checks the site against it, and the paint supplier promises to «reach» the required value. Let us figure out what these numbers actually mean.

What a fire-resistance limit is

The letter R is the ability of a load-bearing structure to keep its strength and stability under fire conditions (from the French résistance). The number next to it is time in minutes during which the element is guaranteed to «hold» the load under the standard fire temperature curve. R30 means a beam or column will not lose its load-bearing capacity for at least 30 minutes. R90 — an hour and a half.

Why is this critical specifically for steel? Metal does not burn, and therein lies its treachery. An unprotected steel structure behaves predictably badly in a fire: already at 500 °C steel loses about half of its strength, and at 600 °C about 70 %. Open flame drives the structure to these temperatures within 10–15 minutes. Then the column «flows», the truss sags, and the building folds even before the firefighters arrive. The task of fire protection is not to «save» the metal, but to win those very minutes: for evacuating people and for the crews to work.

What the required limit depends on

The required R value is not picked out of thin air — it is set by the designer based on the building’s responsibility class, number of storeys, purpose and the function of the structure itself. The general logic is:

• R15–R30 — typical for single-storey production, warehouses, retail pavilions, secondary elements.
• R45–R60 — multi-storey public and industrial buildings, the load-bearing frame.
• R90–R120 — buildings of increased responsibility, high-rise construction, key load-bearing elements on which the stability of the whole structure depends.

In Uzbekistan the exact requirements are set by building codes (ShNK 2.01.02 and the relevant fire-safety documents). Improvisation is not allowed here: understate the limit and you risk failing acceptance and, more importantly, people’s lives.

How paint provides the required R

The thin-film fireproof coatings we use (the TERM range) work on the intumescent principle. When heated, the paint foams up and forms a porous heat-insulating layer — a char dozens of times thicker than the original coating. This «armour» slows down the heating of the steel. More about the materials on the fireproof paints page, as well as in the TERM-001, TERM-007 and TERM-009 cards.

A key point that is often missed: one and the same composition can give R30, R60 and R90 — the difference is in the applied thickness. The higher the required limit, the thicker the calculated layer. Moreover, the thickness also depends on the massiveness of the structure — its section factor. A thin-walled profile heats up faster than a massive column and requires a thicker paint layer for the same result. That is why the calculation is always individual.

What this means for the client

1. Do not order «just fire protection» — specify the required R limit for each type of structure in the design. Without this figure any calculation is meaningless.
2. Require from the contractor a thickness calculation for the specific R and your structure, not «by eye». Saving on thickness is a direct understatement of the actual fire-resistance limit.
3. Check that the composition is certified for exactly the declared limit. The test report is the only honest confirmation that R30 is R30 and not marketing.

STATERM selects TERM fireproof compositions for the required fire-resistance limit, calculates the thickness for your structure and provides application with quality control. Whether you need R15 for a warehouse or R90 for a load-bearing frame — we will help choose a solution and pass acceptance.

Call: +998 90 918 81 88.

Steel looks indestructible — but fire has its own opinion. Already at 500 °C the metal loses about half of its strength, and at 700–800 °C a load-bearing column or beam begins to «flow» and collapse under its own weight. A fire rarely lasts for hours: sometimes 10–15 minutes are enough for a building frame to fold. It is exactly these minutes that fireproof paint «buys» — the time people need to get out and firefighters need to arrive and start extinguishing.

How it works

Fireproof paint belongs to intumescent coatings. In its normal state it is a thin layer, a fraction of a millimetre — a neat coating that barely changes the look of the structure. But as soon as the temperature rises, the paint gets to work: it foams up, expanding dozens of times in volume, and turns into a porous heat-insulating layer — a char foam. This «shield» cuts the heat off from the metal and slows down its heating. As a result the structure holds the load longer, and fire resistance rises to the required limit — R45, R60, R90 and above.

Where it is used

First of all on load-bearing steel structures: columns, beams, trusses, bracing. These are the frames of warehouses and hangars, shopping centres, production workshops, car parks, sports and public buildings. Wherever steel carries the building and people’s lives, fire protection turns from an optional «extra» into a code requirement. More details on the page «Fireproof paints in Tashkent and Uzbekistan».

What if you cut corners or skip it

This is where the truly unpleasant part begins. Unprotected metal loses its load-bearing capacity rapidly in a fire — and collapse may happen before evacuation is complete. Low-quality or counterfeit paint is even more treacherous: outwardly it is no different from a normal one, but in a real fire it foams weakly, peels off or simply burns away, failing to provide the declared limit. The owner pays twice — first for the «cheap» paint, then for redoing the work, and in the worst case the price is measured in entirely different terms. Add acceptance: if the coating thickness and certificates do not match the design, the facility simply will not be commissioned.

What is important to remember

Fire protection is not a «tick-the-box» line in the estimate, but an engineering system. Three things matter: a correctly chosen composition for the required fire-resistance limit, an accurately calculated thickness based on the section factor of the metal, and careful application according to technology. Done right — and you can safely forget about protection for years. Done «by eye» — and you will learn about the problem at the worst possible moment.

STATERM supplies and applies certified fireproof paints (for example, TERM-001) across Uzbekistan, matching the system to the specific facility and to the requirements of ShNK 2.01.02-04 and SNiP 21-01-97. Send us the drawings or the steel schedule — we will calculate the material, thickness and cost. Tel. +998 90 918 81 88.