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Fire Stopping Guide
Fire Collars & Pipe Collars: What They Are and How They Work
Fire collars are specialist passive fire protection products commonly used around suitable combustible pipes that pass through fire-resisting walls or floors. Intumescent material within the collar reacts to heat and can help close the opening created as a plastic pipe softens or burns away.
Use this guide as a practical introduction, then check the relevant tested system and manufacturer documentation before selecting or installing a product.
Use This Guide
Understand the principle first
Use this guide as a practical introduction, then check the relevant tested system and manufacturer documentation before selecting or installing a product.
Pipe Protection Guide
Quick Guide
Fire collars are specialist passive fire protection products commonly used around suitable combustible pipes that pass through fire-resisting walls or floors. Intumescent material within the collar reacts to heat and can help close the opening created as a plastic pipe softens or burns away.
Key Points
What You Need to Know
Plastic Pipes
Common application for intumescent pipe protection.
Correct Diameter
The collar must match the tested pipe size and arrangement.
Correct Substrate
Wall and floor constructions may have different requirements.
Secure Fixing
Mechanical fixing details form part of the system.
Key Principle
What Is a Fire Collar?
A fire collar typically consists of a metal casing containing intumescent material. It is installed around a combustible pipe at a fire-resisting wall or floor penetration in accordance with the tested system.
The required collar type, size and installation method depend on the pipe, construction and system evidence.
Practical Guidance
How Do Fire Collars Work?
When exposed to heat, the intumescent material expands. In an appropriate tested arrangement this expansion helps close the void that can form as combustible pipework deforms during a fire.
The effectiveness of the system depends on correct positioning, fixing and compatibility with the wall or floor construction.
Selection & Application
Fire Collars vs Pipe Wraps
Pipe wraps also contain intumescent material but are installed differently. Some wraps are placed within the construction or around the pipe inside an opening, while collars are generally mechanically fixed around the pipe at the face of the construction.
The two products should not be treated as interchangeable without supporting evidence.
Important Detail
Choosing the Correct Collar
Check pipe material, pipe diameter, wall or floor type, service insulation, penetration size and required performance before selecting a collar.
The tested system documentation should also confirm the fixing arrangement and whether protection is required on one or both sides of the construction.
Relevant Products
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Use the guide to understand the application, then browse the relevant Fire Protection Direct product categories.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
A fire collar is an intumescent device used in suitable tested systems around combustible pipes passing through fire-resisting walls or floors.
Intumescent material inside the collar expands when exposed to heat and can help close the opening created as combustible pipework deforms.
Both can use intumescent material, but their construction and installation methods differ. The correct product depends on the tested application.
Collar products are generally specified for defined pipe dimensions and systems. The manufacturer evidence should be checked for the actual pipe size.
Many collar systems require specified mechanical fixings. Installation should follow the system details and manufacturer instructions.
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