Prior to 1994, China lacked a unified product standard for fire‑protective coatings for steel structures. Their fire‑resistance performance was verified according to the test methods specified in GB/T 9978, while their physical and physicochemical properties were assessed based on each manufacturer’s own data—data that varied considerably and was often not comparable. The absence of a unified standard precluded the establishment of market access criteria. In the early 1990s, with approval from the National Standards Administration, the Sichuan Fire Research Institute of the Ministry of Public Security convened relevant technical experts to initiate the development of a national standard for steel‑structure fire‑protective coatings. Through extensive surveys and extensive experimental validation, and by referencing the performance requirements of comparable foreign products, they completed the national standard—GB 14907–1994 “General Technical Specifications for Steel‑Structure Fire‑Protective Coatings”—in approximately two years.

Due to product‑development considerations, the 1994 edition of the standard classified coatings only into thick‑type and thin‑type intumescent fire‑protective coatings for steel structures. Subsequently, ultra‑thin intumescent fire‑protective coatings, owing to their superior decorative qualities, gained widespread use in airport terminals, sports venues, and other settings. To keep pace with advances in technology, China revised and issued the new national standard GB 14907‑2002, “Fire‑Protective Coatings for Steel Structures,” in 2002. Compared with the 1994 version, the key improvements include: changing the standard’s title from “General Technical Conditions” to a product‑specific name; adding a category for “ultra‑thin intumescent fire‑protective coatings”; distinguishing between indoor and outdoor applications and specifying corresponding test methods (incorporating the British BS 8424 test procedure); clearly defining the substrate materials for fire‑resistance testing (I36 and I40 I‑beams); stipulating a minimum substrate length of 4 meters and a prescribed method for calculating applied loads; and establishing a specific thickness threshold for each coating type—classified by thickness—and using this threshold to determine the fire‑resistance rating based on the minimum required fire‑resistance duration.

In recent years, both domestically and internationally, extensive research, construction, and application efforts have been devoted to fire‑protective coatings for steel structures, yielding numerous new advances. Nevertheless, many existing formulations still suffer from various drawbacks, such as inconvenient application and poor weather resistance and aging performance. As China’s construction sector continues to expand, large‑span and super‑tall buildings—ranging from public entertainment venues and sports stadiums to airport terminals, exhibition halls, television towers, commercial complexes, and massive industrial plants—are increasingly constructed with steel frames. A key design objective is to maintain aesthetic appeal; thus, the impact of steel‑structure coatings on the building’s exterior appearance should be minimized. Consequently, achieving high fire‑resistance limits while maintaining ultra‑thin coating thickness has become a major direction in the development of steel‑structure fire‑protective coatings. With the rapid growth of China’s industrial base, a surge of petrochemical enterprises has emerged across diverse regions, each characterized by markedly different climatic conditions. This necessitates fire‑protective coatings with superior weather resistance, capable of enduring prolonged outdoor exposure under a wide range of environmental stresses. Therefore, alongside meeting stringent fire‑resistance requirements, developing coatings that can reliably perform under the varied outdoor conditions found throughout China represents another critical area of advancement. Moreover, it is well known that without effective protective measures, steel structures not only face latent fire hazards but are also highly susceptible to corrosion. Steel and metal degradation imposes significant economic losses and undermines the conservation of natural resources and the environment, while posing serious risks to human safety. For these reasons, all steel structures must undergo thorough anti‑corrosion treatments to extend their service life. However, most existing fire‑protective coatings for steel fail to provide concurrent corrosion‑protection. Accordingly, taking into account China’s current stage of urbanization and economic development, societal needs, and the prevailing domestic and international technological landscape, and in alignment with national fire‑safety codes and regulations, further research into the corrosion‑resistance properties of steel‑structure fire‑protective coatings is essential. The goal is to achieve breakthrough progress, producing coatings that deliver excellent fire performance, outstanding weather and aging resistance, appealing aesthetics, ease of application, and robust acid–alkali resistance, while simultaneously offering comprehensive anti‑corrosion protection—coatings that are both versatile and highly effective. Such advancements would hold tremendous significance. As the petrochemical industry continues to grow, the number of open‑air steel structures—such as petrochemical facilities, oil‑and‑gas tank supports, and mining drilling rigs—is steadily increasing, driving a corresponding rise in demand for outdoor fire‑protective coatings. Yet, in outdoor or humid environments—particularly in the petrochemical sector, where hydrocarbon‑related fire hazards are prevalent—no truly effective outdoor fire‑protective coating has yet been developed. Therefore, researching and formulating an outdoor fire‑protective coating suitable for hydrocarbon‑fire‑prone settings, and creating a steel‑structure fire‑protective coating that can withstand the diverse outdoor conditions across China and resist hydrocarbon‑induced fires, constitutes a major frontier in this field. Such a breakthrough would represent a significant milestone in the study of steel‑structure fire‑protection technologies and a crucial task for advancing China’s capabilities in this area.

With the advancement of new technologies and the expansion of application areas, the limitations of the 2002 edition of the steel‑structure fire‑proof coating standard have gradually become apparent. These limitations include: the standard does not cover fire‑proof coatings for special applications; the substrates used in fire‑resistance tests are limited and lack uniformity; and the fire‑resistance rating assigns the same thickness requirement to coatings of the same type, categorized by thickness. In response, in recent years, the Sichuan Fire Research Institute of the Ministry of Public Security and the Fire Product Conformity Assessment Center of the Ministry of Public Security have taken the lead, collaborating with nearly ten large, influential fire‑proof coating manufacturers that hold significant market shares nationwide, to undertake a revision of the 2002 standard.

Over the course of more than two years of research, dozens of fire-resistance tests on structural components were conducted, yielding a substantial body of baseline data. Numerous consultation meetings and drafting workshops were held, culminating in the completion of the standard’s revision. The revised standard has been reviewed and approved by experts convened under the competent technical committee and is now being prepared for submission for approval; it is expected to be promulgated by the national standards administration within the year.

Compared with the 2002 edition, the main changes in the new standard include: the determination of fire‑resistance limits has been revised from relying solely on the deflection change of the fire‑test specimen to using both the deflection change and the specimen’s temperature rise; either criterion met constitutes the limit time. The substrate materials for fire‑test specimens have been updated from the original 40b and 36b hot‑rolled I‑beams to 36b hot‑rolled I‑beams and HN400×200 hot‑rolled H‑beams. The requirement for coating thickness in fire‑resistance testing has been eliminated, leaving only a time‑based criterion. The fire‑heating conditions for fire‑resistance tests have been expanded from the previous single category—building‑fiber fires—to include four additional categories: electrical fires, hydrocarbon fires, and petrochemical fires. In addition, the classification of coatings has been adjusted: the former practice of categorizing products by coating thickness has been replaced by a new system that classifies coatings according to their fire‑protection mechanisms and dispersing media—namely, intumescent versus non‑intumescent, and water‑based versus solvent‑based. Furthermore, the new standard redefines nine physicochemical performance tests for coatings—including water resistance, damp‑heat resistance, and corrosion resistance—by replacing the previous “additional fire‑resistance test” with an “insulation efficiency degradation” test, and also abolishes the earlier requirements regarding coating appearance and color.

In this revision, the “Standard for Fire‑Resistant Coatings for Steel Structures” has undergone substantial changes. Its content, performance criteria, and testing methods have been fully aligned with international standards, enhancing its practical applicability. The standard now features more scientifically sound and rational provisions regarding product quality assessment and application requirements, while also leaving room for continuous product improvement and fostering healthy competition. In particular, the comprehensive redefinition of the fire‑heating conditions used in fire‑resistance‑limit tests will effectively regulate the current market for steel‑structure fire‑resistant coatings.

Here, the editor of Henan Huiquan Industrial Co., Ltd. cheeky would like to inform you that steel structure fireproof coating is a specialized type of coating used to enhance the fire resistance rating (limit) of steel‑structured buildings and structures. Because it combines the common properties of ordinary paints with fire‑safety characteristics—issues that directly affect life and property safety in the event of a fire—it is classified as a dedicated fire‑protection product. Its production, sale, and application must comply with the relevant national regulations governing fire‑protection products.