Structural Steel Protection
Structural Steel Protection
At Prospect Fire we provide fire protection cladding systems for structural steel — engineered board encasements that shield columns, beams and other load-bearing steelwork from the effects of fire. With many years of experience installing passive fire protection across commercial, residential and high-rise projects, our trained team delivers cost-effective solutions to architects and main contractors at every stage of construction, installed to the highest standards.
Fire Protection Cladding for Steel
Maintaining the structural integrity of a building during a fire is critical — protecting escape routes, preserving compartmentation, and preventing collapse of the structure itself. Structural steel is one of the most widely used construction materials thanks to its strength and well-documented performance, but heat affects all materials. Unprotected steel begins to lose its load-bearing capacity once it reaches around 550°C, at which point roughly 40% of its room-temperature strength has gone.
Cladding the steel with fire-rated boards provides a robust, non-reactive method of insulating the structure and delaying the point at which it reaches that critical temperature. Unlike reactive systems, board protection works the moment it is fixed — no curing, no drying time, and the finished encasement is dimensionally consistent from day one.
How Steel Cladding Works
Fire protection boards are mechanically fixed around the steel section to form a complete box encasement. The boards — typically calcium silicate or gypsum-based — are tested to BS 476 Part 21 and EN 13381-4 for the protection of structural steel members. The board insulates the steel from the heat of a fire, slowing the rate at which the section heats up and extending the time before it reaches its critical temperature.
Cladding systems can be specified to deliver 30, 60, 90 or 120 minutes of fire resistance depending on the section factor (Hp/A) of the steel and the wider design requirements. Because the system is dry-fixed there is no overspray, no wet trades on site, and follow-on works such as plasterboard, decoration and service penetrations can be planned around the encasement cleanly.
At Prospect Fire we install fire protection cladding using systems from leading UK manufacturers, all tested and certified to current British and European standards.
When Cladding is the Right Choice
Cladding is typically specified where steelwork is concealed within walls, ceilings or risers, where a clean finished face is required for follow-on trades, or where site conditions make spray application impractical. It is also commonly used in refurbishment, allowing existing steel to be upgraded without the access constraints and mess of wet systems.
Services Included
- Fire protection cladding to structural steel
- Fire stopping for walls and floors
- Cavity barriers to ceiling voids
- Timber fire protection
- Intumescent fire protection for wood and timber