Fire-retardant textiles: safety that matters!
When it comes to professional textiles, it’s not just about comfort and durability, but also about safety. You may sometimes wonder about the fire-retardant properties of textiles. Before we go into that, we’d like to explain the difference between the terms ‘fire-retardant’ and ‘fire-resistant’. In practice, we see that both terms are often used interchangeably and in the wrong context.
Fire-retardant versus fire-resistant
‘Fire-retardant’ means that a material delays ignition and/or inhibits the spread of fire, but does not prevent it from eventually burning. This behaviour is achieved through the use of special textile fibres (e.g. flame-retardant polyester) or a special treatment of the textile during washing using a salt solution.
‘Fire-resistant’ means that a structure or material withstands fire for a certain period of time, thereby preventing the fire from spreading. This term is mainly used in relation to rooms and structures.
Permanent flame-retardant polyester fibre
When it comes to textiles, we therefore always talk about ‘fire-retardant’, or more accurately, ‘flame-retardant’. In practice, flame-retardant is often seen as part of fire-retardant, but the emphasis here is on flame behaviour. Our flame-retardant sheets, fitted sheets, blankets, pillows, duvets, medical duvets, anti-tear pillows, anti-tear sheets and anti-tear shirts comply with the applicable standards and are suitable for intensive washing in the laundry. They are made from a permanently flame-retardant polyester fibre, with the advantage that the flame-retardant effect is retained even after many washes. This is in contrast to treatment with a salt solution, which must be repeated with every wash.
Would you like to know more about flame-retardant textiles?
Flame-retardant textiles are used in places where people live, work or sleep, and where fire safety is crucial. Are you looking for flame-retardant textiles? If so, please get in touch to find out what HeboVanDijk can offer you.
