What Is Carbon-based Fiber?

The most basic building blocks of FR fabrics are fibers, and one of the most basic building blocks of life is carbon. Carbon is an inert material, very light and has excellent energy absorption properties. The high strength and low weight of carbon fiber make it ideal for applications where the finished product needs to be as light and strong as possible (1). Therefore, it only makes sense that carbon fibers will eventually be incorporated into flame-retardant fabrics.

Carbon-based fibers have proven to be ideal for secondary protective clothing. In 2003, tests at the University of Texas showed that carbon threads were 17 times stronger than spider silk, suggesting some potential applications that rely on high fiber strength-namely, protective clothing (2). Secondary protective clothing is designed for continuous wear where intermittent exposure to flame or radiant heat is possible. Primary protective clothing primarily refers to firefighters' out-going equipment in situations where substantial exposure to radiant heat and flames may occur.