Fire Retarder

Hi Keerthi--According to the Reference Guide for LEED BD&C NC 2009, page 483, the only levels listed are 650 g/L for clear fire retardant coatings (really high!) and 350 g/L for pigmented. However, the footnote states that the fire retardant coating category was eliminated 1/1/07 and "subsumed by the coating category for which it was formulated." The list, about which there has been significant discussion here on LEED User, does not seem to have a category specific to this application. The exterior fire proofing limit is 350 g/L so that may be a safe bet. Another interpretation would be that it would now fall into the category of high temperature industrial maintenance coatings, which lists 420 g/L as the limit. In any case, like Mara, I would spec the lowest VOC content possible. I'd be interested in others' interpretations on this. Marian

I know of at least one certified project (v2.1) that interpreted intumescent paint as fireproofing, not as paint. (Masterspec puts in in that section, for what it's worth.) This doesn't seem true to the intent of the credit, though. I would probably consider this as "anti-corrosive" paint. Even though that's not the primary function of the paint, it by definition would be anti-corrosive since it's applied to steel. At 250 g/L, this is the most conservative approach. There are products out there that will meet this threshold... but also many that are much higher.

For fire retardant coatings, we use the limits on page 483 of the 2009 BD+C reference guide: 650 for clear and 350 for pigmented. Even though it has been subsumed by SDAQMD it is the closest option. However I agree with Mara and Marian that using the most conservative is the safest option since it is least likely to raise a red flag with reviewers.