防火涂料又称阻燃涂料，涂覆于可燃性基材表面，具有改变材料表面燃烧特性，阻滞火灾迅速蔓延或在火灾时能形成隔热层使底材与热源隔离等功能；或涂覆于建筑构件上，用以提高构件的耐火极限的特种涂料。其一般还同时具有保护及装饰功能。
防火涂料According to基料组成、分散介质、保护对象、防火机理等不同而有不同的分类方法。
按基料分类可分为无机防火涂料和有机防火涂料。
按分散介质分类可分为水性防火涂料和溶剂型防火涂料。无机防火涂料和乳胶防火涂料一般用水作分散介质。有机防火涂料一般用有机溶剂作溶剂或分散介质。
According to保护对象不同，防火涂料可分为钢结构防火涂料、预应力混凝土防火涂料和饰面型防火涂料。饰面型防火涂料可涂覆在木材、石膏板材、电缆表面，是一种多用途防火涂料。预应力混凝土防火涂料主要用于预应力混凝土楼板、钢结构上。钢结构防火涂料分为厚涂型、薄涂型和超薄型防火涂料。
防火涂料依其防火原理分膨胀型防火涂料、非膨胀型防火涂料两大类。
When the intumescent fire retardant coating is heated in a fire, the surface coating will melt, foam, and bulge to form a spongy insulation layer, and release non-combustible gas, which is filled in the spongy insulation layer. The thickness of this expanded sponge-like heat insulation layer is often ten times, dozens of times, or even hundreds of times the thickness of the original coating. The heat insulation effect remarkable and the heat insulation performance is excellent, but the appearance decoration is slightly poor. When the non-intumescent fire retardant coating is heated a glass glaze will be formed, which will cover the surface of the material and play the role of isolating air and heat, making the base material not easy to burn. This glaze is added in the formula A certain amount of borides, silicates, phosphides , antimonides, and halides are formed by sintering when exposed to fire. This kind of glaze is relatively thin and has poor fireproof effect. The glassy glaze has limited thermal insulation performance and is easily damaged in high temperature. However, the non-intumescent fire retardant coating has good decorative properties, easy coloring, good water resistance, corrosion resistance and hardness.
The main purpose of fire retardant coatings is to gain valuable time for fire extinguishing and escape, and to reduce losses caused by fire. Fire retardant coatings are applied to combustible substrates such as wood to prevent the substrate from burning, and applied to non-combustible substrates such as steel (540°C loses its structural support function) and concrete structures can prolong the time for structural damage in the event of .
In all kinds of buildings, vehicles, ships, airplanes, spaceships, electrical appliances, cable paper, etc., fire retardant coatings are an effective, convenient and low-cost fire prevention measure.