With an increase in the number of wildfires since the late 1990s, it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re using fire rated materials when building or renovating a home. Rhino Shield recognized the issue early on and has taken steps over the last 25 years to ensure its high-performance products are as safe as they possibly can be.

AmCoat’s Mike Moore, Director of Products and Applications, said they continually improve their product and that as recently as last year, Rhino Shield has been working update its formula to make its fire resilience better than ever.

“Because we paint a lot of residences with wood siding, safety is paramount,” said Moore. “And has become more important in the last 30 years with the uptick of wildfires. Throughout its history, Rhino Shield has always had a focus on having the best fire-rated architectural coating possible. And last year we upgraded the fire rating performance and Rhino Shield tested at a 5 — in the highest Class A performers.”

To break that down, ASTM-E84 is the standard test for the surface burning characteristics of building products. It measures the flame spread index. In the burn chamber the flame spread must be less than 25 with a range of 1 to 200. To be Class A, the material tested must score between 0 and 25. Rhino Shield scored a 5, in the top quintile.

“When we tested the recently upgraded coating, we were able to delay ignition significantly,” said Moore. “In fact, it took 70 percent longer for ignition to happen then before the upgrade.”

But what about smoke? That’s what causes the majority of injuries and fatalities in house fires? ASTM-E84 also measures smoke using a Smoke Developed Index with a range of 0 to 45.  The Rhino Shield coating scored a 0 — no smoke was developed.

But real-world fires are what test materials, and in 2022 a home in North Carolina caught fire which became fully involved. The home next to that home had been coated with Rhino Shield. When the local fire department examined the area, they were astonished the fire did not spread to the adjacent home. When they learned that the home was protected with Rhino Shield, they told the homeowner they certain that’s what saved their home.

“The Spruce Pine fire department told us that considering the heat of the fire, they were impressed the adjacent building did not ignite,” said Moore. “When they found out the home was coated in Rhino Shield and looked into its ceramic and heat rejecting properties, they were convinced Rhino Shield helped save that home.”