Fire Resistance

Stainless Steel Fire Testing

By Catherine Houska, Consultant to IMOA

Fire resistance, containment, and prevention are important aspects of building and
structure design. The ability of a loaded structural material to retain its strength can
provide additional valuable time for building evacuation. The metals used for
architecture exhibit significant differences in strength retention at elevated temperatures
after even brief exposure to high temperatures.
Copper and aluminum start to experience strength reductions at fairly low temperatures.
Aluminum alloys begin to show a reduction in strength at temperatures above 212F
(100C).(1) At 400F (204C), the tensile strength of copper has decreased about 25% and
6061-T6 aluminum has decreased by about 60%. (2)
Under continuous loading, carbon steel is usually limited to a maximum temperature of
700F (370C). (3, 4) By the time steel reaches 930F (500C), it has lost about 30% of its
tensile strength. Unprotected weathering steel loses about half of its tensile strength
above 1000F (538C).(5) Both carbon and weathering steel are normally encased in
insulating materials to limit temperature increase during fires. Types 316, 304, and 430
stainless steel can withstand short exposure times up to 1600F (870C).
Five industry associations and metals producers sponsored fire and radiation resistance
testing of structural materials: galvanized carbon steel, fiberglass-reinforced plastic
(FRP), aluminum, and molybdenum-containing Type 316 stainless steel.(6) The tests
used commercially available 33-foot long (10-m) cable ladders uniformly loaded to
simulate the weight of electrical cables. The FRP and aluminum ladders failed both tests
within seconds. A copy of this report, Stainless Steel for Durability, Fire-Resistance, and
Safety (10042), can be downloaded from the Nickel Institute website.
In this 5-minute test for fire resistance, the metals were exposed to direct flames at 10001050C (1832-1922F). The results are summarized in Table 1. The galvanized mild steel
passed the five-minute exposure requirement and reached 642C (1188F). The Type 316
stainless steel cable ladder passed the 5-minute test. The test time was extended to 45
minutes and it reached 705C (1300F). The deflection of the galvanized steel after five
minutes was 166.5 mm (6.6 inches). The testing for the Type 316 stainless steel ladder
was extended for 45 minutes, because there was additional gas in the canisters. At the end
of the extended test, the deflection of the Type 316 stainless steel was only 80.5 mm (3.2
inches).
Table 1: Five minute fire resistance testing
Metal Tested Test Result
Comments
Stainless Steel Passed
Passed 5-minute test. The test was extended for 45

Galvanized
Steel
Aluminum
Fiberglass

Passed
26 sec.
0 sec.

minutes until the gas ran out. The deflection was only
80.5 mm (3.2 inches) after 45 minutes.
Passed 5 minute test with 166.5 mm (6.6 inches)
deflection, some molten zinc observed
Molten aluminum was visible as it collapsed
Collapsed

The radiation testing simulated heating by radiation rather than with direct flame and the
results are summarized in Table 2. The test was continued until the ladder temperature
stabilized or structural failure occurred. The galvanized steel ladder reached a stable
temperature of 552C (1026F) in two hours. The stainless steel reached temperature
stability at 556C (1033F) in three hours. The deflection of the stainless steel after three
hours was about one-third that of the galvanized steel ladder after two hours.

View a video clip of the fire resistance and fire radiation testing programs:

Small (.mpg file, 30 MB)

Large (.mpg file, 81 MB)

Video: Extracted from a Nickel Institute video

Table 2: Two-hour radiant heat testing

Metal
Result
Comments
Stainless steel 3 hrs.
Passed 2-hour test. Testing extended for 3 hours. The
deflection after 3 hours was 1/3 less than galvanized steel
deflection after 2 hours
Galvanized
Passed
Passed 2 hour test some molten zinc observed
steel
Aluminum
Failed in 12 Total failure
min.
Fiberglass
Failed in 6
Total failure
min.

Darchem Engineering also determined the length of time necessary for heat to be
conducted through walls. The experiment was designed to determine how much heat is
transferred through insulated cavity walls when structural sections extend through them.
The results for stainless steel and aluminum cable ladders are shown in Table 3. The hot
side was exposed to flame temperatures of 1,000 - 1,050 C (1832 - 1922 F). The
aluminum ladder collapsed due to melting after only 1:08 minutes but the test was
continued on the remaining end pieces until the cold side stabilized after 37 minutes. The
aluminum legs extending through the wall to the cold side were 134 and 152 C (273 and
306 F). There was no deformation of the stainless steel ladder during this test, and after
90 miutes the cold side legs stabilized at 80 and 58 C (136 and 176 F). This result is not
unexpected given the metals' significant difference in thermal conductivity.

Metal
Stainless
steel

Table 3: Conduction through walls test

Result
Comments
Stabilized 90 No ladder deformation during test. Cold side legs stabilized
minutes
at 80 and 58 C (136 and 176 F).

Total collapse by melting after 1:08 minutes. Test continued

Stabilized 37
Aluminum
on protruding sections. Cold side legs stabilized at 134
minutes
and 152 C (273 and 306 F)
Testing has repeatedly shown that stainless steel retains its stiffness better than carbon
steel at elevated temperatures. Furthermore, molybdenum-containing Type 316 stainless
steel retains its stiffness better than Type 304 stainless steel. Figure 1 shows the stiffness
retention behavior of stainless and carbon steels at elevated temperatures.(7) By 800C
(1472F), carbon steel has a stiffness retention level of about 10 percent, while stainless
steel retains approximately 60 percent. This higher level of retained stiffness can make it
possible to avoid fire insulation. Although the densities of these metals are similar, there
are thermal expansion differences that need to be considered during design (Table 4).
Continued research and innovations in stainless steel structural design will allow
designers and engineers to create even more compelling structures that capitalize on the
fire resistance of bare metal to express details as sculptural design elements.

Figure 1. Relative stiffness retention at elevated temperature

Type

A 36/ A 992/ A 500

316
2205

Table 4: Physical Properties

Density
Thermal Expansion
20 to 100 C (68 to 212 F)
g/cm3 oz/in3
(10-6/ C)
(10-6/ F)
7.7
8.0
7.8

4.5
4.6
4.5

12
16.5
13

6.6
9.2
7.2

Additional Resources:
Design Manual for Structural Stainless Steel, Third Edition (Building Series, Volume
11), Euro Inox
Fire Resistance Rating and Testing of Stainless Steels, British Steel Association
Stainless Steel in Fire: Summary Final Report, and associated work packages, Steel
Construction Institute
Software for designing cold formed structural stainless steel sections (including design
for fire resistance), Steel Construction Institute
Yrjl, P. and Synjkangas, J., New Design Tools for Structural Hollow Sections of
Stainless Steel, Proceedings of the 6th European Stainless Steel Conference Science and
Market, Helsinki, Finland, June 10-13, 2008, Euro Inox, Luxembourg (2009)

Baddoo, N.R. and Burgan, B.A., A Fire Engineer's Approach to the Design of Stainless
Steel Structural Systems, Proceedings of the 6th European Stainless Steel Conference
Science and Market, Helsinki, Finland, June 10-13, 2008, Euro Inox, Luxembourg (2009)