Fire5 min read

Fire resistant materials: how cork performs under flame

Cork is naturally Euroclass E with no flame retardants — and char behaviour that protects the substrate.

DS

Dimas & Silva Editorial

Portuguese cork · since 1987

Cork does not melt, does not drip, and does not release halogenated combustion products. Under direct flame, it forms a carbonised char layer that insulates the substrate behind it.

This char behaviour is the reason cork has been used as an ablative shield on space launch vehicles for decades. In building applications, expanded cork board achieves Euroclass E classification without any added flame retardant chemistry.

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