What Are the Fire Hazards and Precautions Associated with Color-Coated Steel Panels?

 Color-coated steel panels offer numerous advantages: they are economical, cost-effective, easy to install, and the ideal choice for temporary housing construction. However, there have been numerous news reports about color-coated steel panel buildings recently, and most of them are negative. In fact, color-coated steel panel buildings are a new concept in eco-friendly and economical housing. They feature a framework made of light-gauge H-beams and channel steel, with sandwich panels as wall materials. These structures are assembled using standard modular systems, and components are connected via bolts or welding. They are widely used in industrial plants, workshops, warehouses, and temporary housing. In reality, the market is currently flooded with substandard color-coated steel panels that catch fire easily—especially foam-core color-coated steel panels. So today, we’d like to share with you the fire hazards and fire prevention issues associated with foam-core color-coated steel panels.

Foam-Core Panels

1. Fire Hazards of Foam-Core Color-Coated Steel Panels

(a) Accumulation of high-temperature, dense smoke makes firefighting extremely difficult.　Colored steel panel structures are relatively enclosed. When polymer core materials such as polyurethane foam or polystyrene foam burn, they produce large amounts of high-temperature, dense smoke, causing the building to fill with smoke and accumulate significant heat in a short period of time, which poses extreme difficulties for firefighting efforts.

(2) Poor fire resistance, leading to a high risk of large-scale collapse. Color-coated steel is a non-combustible material at room temperature, but when exposed to flames, its strength rapidly declines. This is particularly true in large-span structures; when a fire occurs, color-coated steel components are highly susceptible to warping and deformation due to high temperatures, which can lead to widespread structural collapse.

(3) Large-scale structures are prone to three-dimensional fires. Due to their high strength, light weight, and ease of construction, color-coated steel buildings are typically large in scale. In the event of a fire, large amounts of smoke and heat spread upward through various ducts and passageways, easily creating a three-dimensional fire scenario.

(4) High risk of casualties. During a fire, the flammable polymer materials—such as foam—filled within the color-coated steel panels produce toxic and harmful gases or impurities due to incomplete combustion, leading to a gradual increase in the threat to occupants.

(5) The wires and cables used in color-coated steel buildings are often counterfeit or substandard products that age easily. Since these wires and cables are embedded within the sandwich panels, aged wires and cables can easily ignite the core material inside the panels.

Color-Coated Steel Buildings

2. Fire Safety Precautions

(1) During use, keep heat sources and open flames away from color-coated steel panels, maintaining a safe distance.

(2) If a kitchen is to be installed inside a color-coated steel panel building, a thermal insulation layer must be provided.

(3) Wires and cables should not pass through the color-coated steel panels; if this is necessary, protective conduits must be used. Outlets and switch boxes should be made of galvanized metal and installed in a surface-mounted manner.

(4) Simple fire extinguishing equipment should be provided both indoors and outdoors. Where conditions permit, fire alarms should be installed to facilitate rapid evacuation.

(5) The Fire Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security requires that in densely populated venues such as daycare centers, kindergartens, nursing homes, welfare institutions, boarding schools, and hospitals, the use of color-coated steel panels that fall below Class A requirements is strictly prohibited. For densely populated venues constructed with color-coated steel panels that fail to meet Class A requirements, they shall not pass fire design reviews, acceptance inspections, or random spot checks for record-filing. For public gathering places constructed with color-coated steel panels that fail to meet Class A requirements, they shall not pass pre-operation fire safety inspections. Any densely populated venue constructed with color-coated steel panels that fails to meet Class A requirements, as discovered during inspections, shall be temporarily sealed off and ordered to change its intended use; if such a change is not feasible, the structure must be demolished.

Therefore, when purchasing color-coated steel panels, we must pay close attention to product quality and avoid buying foam-core color-coated steel panels, as they pose a significant threat to personal safety and property in the event of a fire. Furthermore, when residing in buildings constructed with color-coated steel panels, we must implement proper fire safety measures and exercise caution regarding electrical wiring installation.

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