A fire resistant material is one that is designed to resist burning

Combustion

Combustion or burning is the sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of chemical species. The release of heat can result in the production of light in the form of either glowing or a flame...

 and withstand heat

Heat

In physics and thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred from one body, region, or thermodynamic system to another due to thermal contact or thermal radiation when the systems are at different temperatures. It is often described as one of the fundamental processes of energy transfer between...

. It is used in the bunker gear

Bunker gear

Bunker Gear or "Turnout Gear" are terms used by many firefighters to refer to their system of outer protective clothing. "Bunker gear" and "turnout gear" can refer, depending on the context, to just the trousers and boots, and jacket, or the entire combination of personal protective equipment and...

 worn by firefighter

Firefighter

Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...

s to protect them from the flame

Flame

A flame is the visible , gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic reaction taking place in a thin zone...

s in a burning building. Most auto racing

Auto racing

Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...

 drivers also wear fire-retardant materials in case their car catches fire. Fire-retardant materials are designed to burn slowly, in contrast to fire-resistant materials, which are designed not to burn at all.

Fire-retardant materials used in buildings

• rock wool
• gypsum
  Gypsum
  Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
  
   boards
• asbestos
  Asbestos
  Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
  
   cement
• perlite
  Perlite
  Perlite is an amorphous volcanic glass that has a relatively high water content, typically formed by the hydration of obsidian. It occurs naturally and has the unusual property of greatly expanding when heated sufficiently...
  
   boards
• calcium silicate
  Calcium silicate
  Calcium silicate is the chemical compound Ca2SiO4, also known as calcium orthosilicate and sometimes formulated 2CaO.SiO2. It is one of group of compounds obtained by reacting calcium oxide and silica in various ratios e.g. 3CaO.SiO2, Ca3SiO5; 2CaO.SiO2, Ca2SiO4; 3CaO.2SiO2, Ca3Si2O7 and...
  
   boards
• treated lumber plywood
• Treated vegetable fiber (e.g. Cotton
  Cotton
  Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
  
  , Jute
  Jute
  Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fibre that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from plants in the genus Corchorus, which has been classified in the family Tiliaceae, or more recently in Malvaceae....
  
  , Kenaf
  Kenaf
  Kenaf [Etymology: Persian], Hibiscus cannabinus, is a plant in the Malvaceae family. Hibiscus cannabinus is in the genus Hibiscus and is probably native to southern Asia, though its exact natural origin is unknown. The name also applies to the fibre obtained from this plant...
  
  , Hemp
  Hemp
  Hemp is mostly used as a name for low tetrahydrocannabinol strains of the plant Cannabis sativa, of fiber and/or oilseed varieties. In modern times, hemp has been used for industrial purposes including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food and fuel with modest...
  
  , Flax
  Flax
  Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
  
  , etc..)

Fire-retardant materials used in clothing

• Twaron
  Twaron
  Twaron is the brandname of Teijin Aramid for a para-aramid. It is a heat-resistant and strong synthetic fibre developed in the early 1970s by the Dutch company AKZO, division Enka, later Akzo Industrial Fibers. The research name of the para-aramid fibre was originally Fiber X, but it was soon...
  
  
• TARAMID (a TARASafe trademark)
• Nomex
  Nomex
  Nomex is a registered trademark for flame resistant meta-aramid material developed in the early 1960s by DuPont and first marketed in 1967.- Properties:...
  
   (a DuPont trademark)
• Arselon (Khimvolokno trademark)
• coated nylon
  Nylon
  Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides, first produced on February 28, 1935, by Wallace Carothers at DuPont's research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station...
  
  
• Carbon Foam
• M5 fiber
  M5 fiber
  M5 fiber is a high-strength synthetic fiber first developed by Dr. Doetze Sikkema and his team at the Dutch chemical firm Akzo Nobel...
  
  
• Kevlar
  Kevlar
  Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
  
  
• TARACOMFORT (a TARASafe trademark)
• Proban fr cotton
  Cotton
  Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
  
   [www.rhodia-proban.com]
• PYROMEX (a trademark of Toho Tenax)
• Pyrovatex fr cotton
• Dale Antiflame
• Indura fr cotton
• Technora
  Technora
  Technora is an Aramid that is useful for a variety of applications that require high strength or chemical resistance. It is a brandname of the company Teijin.-Production:...
  
  
• Teijinconex
• Lenzing FR (fire retardant Rayon
  Rayon
  Rayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulose fiber. Because it is produced from naturally occurring polymers, it is neither a truly synthetic fiber nor a natural fiber; it is a semi-synthetic or artificial fiber. Rayon is known by the names viscose rayon and art silk in the textile industry...
  
  )
• Carbon X
• Kanox
• Mazic
• Modacrylic
  Modacrylic
  A modacrylic is a synthetic copolymer. Modacrylics are soft, strong, resilient, and dimensionally stable. They can be easily dyed, show good press and shape retention, and are quick to dry. They have outstanding resistance to chemicals and solvents, are not attacked by moths or mildew, and are...
  
  
• Kermel
• PBI
  Polybenzimidazole fiber
  Polybenzimidazole fiber is a synthetic fiber with a very high melting point that also does not readily ignite, because of its exceptional thermal and chemical stability. The U.S...
  
  

External links

• The Fire Retardant Forum Meeting place for all Flame Retardant related issues; for producers and users of flame retardants.
• www.fireretard.com A European group of research organizations and manufacturers, providing research and information on fire retardants for wood and wood based materials