Intumescent fire and smoke seal

The word ‘intumescent’ refers to substances that expand and decrease in density on exposure to heat. This behaviour can be used as a coating to protect materials from damage or failure during a fire, or can be used to seal gaps to prevent the spread of fire and smoke.

An Intumescent fire and smoke seal is defined in The code of practice: Hardware for fire and escape doors, Issue 5, (published by DHF and GAI in November 2024) as 'A combined seal designed to enhance the performance of a fire & smoke door assembly, generally by virtue of an intumescent core in the seal profile along with a flexible smoke sealing element (fin or brush).

For more information see also:

• Intumescent coatings.
• Intumescent strips.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Cavity barrier.
• Cementitious fire protection.
• Concrete vs. steel.
• Finishes.
• Fire protection engineering.
• Fire resistance.
• Fire retardant.
• Fire safety design.
• Installing fire protection to structural steelwork (GG 85).
• Intumescent coatings in buildings
• Intumescent strip.
• Metal fabrication.
• Paints and coatings.
• Passive and reactive fire protection to structural steel (IP 6 12).
• Passive fire protection is a vital tool in any fire strategy.
• Substrate.