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Fire Retardant Properties

All approved building insulations must satisfy federal standards. Cellulose insulation must meet the fire and smoldering combustion requirements of the US Consumer Safety Protection Commission, as well as other standards set by the FTC, DOE, HUD, and the building codes.

All residential structures contain large amounts of wood and wood-based components. Wood, of course, is classified as a combustible material. However, a "non-combustible" building component does not necessarily out-perform a "combustible" in the event of a fire. For example, fiberglass batts often come with a paper/asphalt backing (now outlawed in Canada). But while the fiberglass must satisfy flammability standards — the paper backing is not required to meet the same flammability standard. The backing is highly flammable, with a flame-spread rating of over 1000. Cellulose insulation is the only wood-based building material that is always treated for fire retardancy. This makes cellulose insulation one of the safest materials used in home construction.

If a fire occurs, the dense structure of cellulose and its fire retardants slow its spread through the building by blocking flames and hot gases and restricting the availability of oxygen in insulated walls and ceilings. Scientists at the National Research Council Canada report that "cellulose in the wall cavity provided an increase in the fire resistance performance of 22% to 55%." Fire roars right through fiber glass. The NRCC study showed that "the fire resistance of an assembly with glass fibre insulation was slightly lower than that of a noninsulated assembly." Tests at Omega Point Laboratories indicated that cellulose in a wall increased fire resistance 26% to 77%, as compared with an uninsulated wall. Several fire demonstrations have been conducted in which cellulose-insulated structures have remained virtually intact while uninsulated and fiber glass insulated structures burned to the ground.

The fire-retardant treatment in T·A·P fights fire 3 ways: 1. it gives off water vapor to cool the temperature below ignition level 2. it depletes the oxygen needed to maintain combustion 3. it promotes char to block the flame from spreading.

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