FireCarb is an expandable intumescent graphite fire retardant additive that can expand when heated.
Expandable when heated
Minimal surface acidity
Non-hazardous
Non-Toxic
Pourable material
Stable Mineral
Product information
FireCarb standard grades
Please find our FireCarb product range including the typical properties per grade below:
Grades
Expansion ml [°C]
Particle Size
TEG-500
300
80% > 300 µm
TEG-370
275
80% > 300 µm
TEG-345
250
80% > 300 µm
TEG-315
220
80% > 180 µm
TEG-160
85
95% < 250 µm
Customised products are available upon request – these include delayed expansion (DE), high initial expansion (A), and modified pH (H) grades.
FireCarb packaging
Our FireCarb product range is available in paper sacks or big bags. Due to the products conditions no bulk solution is available.
FireCarb Uses
FireCarb is based on a high quality Chinese crystalline flake graphite; its structure is in the form of layered sheets of carbon atoms. In a process known as intercalation, an acid solution is placed between the carbon layers. Following manufacture, the material is thoroughly washed and dried, trapping the solutions within the platelets. The result is a dry, pourable, clean material with minimal surface acidity.
Expandable graphite
Expandable graphite belongs to a group of products called ‘intumescents’, the main property of which is the ability to expand when heated. On exposure to heat, the retained solutions within FireCarb produce a gas that expands and forces open the graphite platelets.
The tremendous expansion that expandable graphite offers (up to 350 x volume at 1000°C) makes it more effective than conventional intumescents. This expansion has the added benefit of creating high pressure, especially when mechanically restricted. At the same time, an insulating carbonaceous char is formed, which protects the substructure from the heat source.
Typically expansion starts at 170°C, and standard FireCarb grades demonstrate a good onset of expansion at relatively low temperature and a high total volume of expansion.
Mineral information
Properties of FireCarb
Physical properties of FireCarb:
Expansion onset temperature (°C)
170
Carbon content (wt.%)
90 min.
pH value
4 – 7
Volatiles (%)
< 12
Loose bulk density (kg/l)
0.45 – 0.50
Expandable graphite origin
LKAB Minerals use high quality Chinese expandable graphite for its FireCarb products.
