By Daryl Michel
As the Strategic Client Manager here at Lion Safety, I help our customers find the right safety gear to keep their people safe. When discussing fabric choices for FRAS and Arc Protection, this is one of the most common questions I get asked. Maybe you want to know why there is such a difference in price or which fabric offers better value. Maybe you’re wondering whether inherent offers more protection than treated. Maybe you’re just a curious soul, who fell down the technical fabric rabbit hole and has, consequently, found yourself on this post. Regardless, welcome; you’re about to learn how inherent FR fabric is different from treated FR fabric, and why people choose one or the other.
A quick key:
FR – flame retardant/ flame resistant
AS – anti-static
The main difference is about how the fabric is flame retardant. But which fabric will keep my staff safest? Which fabric will be the best value? The best way to navigate these questions is to look at;
a) the properties of the fabric (or composition)
b) the cost
c) the industry you work in
By the end of this article, you will:
Treated fabrics are often made of cotton, polyester, nylon mix, plus an anti-static element. But these fabrics should burn easily right? While they would ordinarily burst into flames quite quickly, treated fabrics undergo a (you guessed it), chemical treating process that changes their properties. Once treated, when coming into contact with flame or spark, the fibres self-extinguish to protect the wearer.
Treated fabrics must undergo strict testing to ensure they are safe for consumers. ISO standards determine how many washes a garment can endure and be verified safe. A common wash limit is 50 washes, meaning that the garment is verified fire retardant for up to 50 washes, but not beyond that point.
Treated FR fabrics are great options for lots of reasons, and the most popular is cost.
That’s right, treated FR fabric garments usually cost less than inherent ones.
For example, an orange coverall that is treated (C/BS3100OR – ProGARM 3100), would have a price of £89 (if buying more than 5, there will be a discount). For comparison, its inherent counterpart (C/BS6100OR – ProGARM 6100) would cost £220 (as above, if buying more than 5, there will be a discount).
Why? Because treated FR fabrics undergo a process after they are woven that gives them flame-resistant properties. Treating the garment after it is made means that manufacturers can use readily available and relatively inexpensive fabric (like cotton). This keeps the overall cost of the garment down.
This can make treated FR fabrics an easier go-to option for people who have constrictive budgets, and those looking to supply PPE for shorter contract lengths.
Treated garments are more economical for clients under specific requirements, such as:
While there is no ‘ideal’ industry for treated or even inherent fabrics, there are industries that are more likely to want an expendable option.
The industries that I see consistently purchasing treated garments over inherent ones are:
It is always good to remember that the quality of treated garments is less suitable for long term use. Ensuring compliance becomes complicated when using treated garments, as you can’t determine how many times the garment has been washed.
The biggest pro of working with treated FR fabric is that it’s budget-friendly.
The biggest con, which, depending on your project, may outweigh the pro, is that it has a much smaller lifetime than inherent FR fabrics.
Inherent FR fabrics are made with synthetic fibres, such as aramid, mod-acrylic and FR viscose. These are “intrinsically flame retardant”, which means that they don’t ignite in our regular atmospheric conditions. Unlike treated FR fabrics, no amount of washing will alter those properties. Frequent laundering of these products won’t result in loss of flame retardancy.
While treated fabrics hold the edge on price, inherent fabrics make up for this in durability.
Inherent fabrics cost more, but have more flame retardant integrity and could last for years. Because of this, it is good to weigh up cost versus use.
For example, consider an inherent garment that costs £50 and you will wear it every day for a 2-year project, versus a treated garment that costs £25 that you will need to replace every 3 months. In this scenario, you would need to replace the treated garment 4 times in a year and 8 times over the project, bringing the cost for that piece of kit alone to £200. So, why pay for 8 of the same item when you could have a piece of kit last the entirety of a project at a quarter of the price?
Of course, the maths here is for example purposes only, but you get the point.
While the initial cost of an inherent garment is more expensive, it can be more cost-effective if you are on a longer-term project, or if the wash limit on a treated garment dictates that the garment has a shorter life cycle than the project does.
The industries I see that are more inclined to purchase an inherent FR fabric garment are:
From experience, I’ve found that people in these industries go for inherent fabrics for two reasons:
Similar to treated fabrics, there isn’t necessarily an industry that inherent FR fabric garments are made to be targeted for, it depends a lot more on budget, project type and length, and, ultimately, how important a priority durability, comfort and value are to key decision-makers in your company.
Inherent FR fabric can be a great investment that will last a long time. Because of this, it is often better value for money for clients that require frequent use of FR PPE.
The biggest con of inherent FR fabric products is that they are more expensive, which means that some clients can have a harder time convincing procurement teams or decision-makers to invest in this type of product.
This is another question I get asked a lot, and the points explored above still apply here.
A great example of this is, as above, the FRAS coverall by ProGARM (3100). This product is made with treated fabrics. As part of the certification process, it is washed 100 times and then tested to ensure compliance. The coverall is verified to last up to 100 washes. This is a big step forward in treated garments because it provides more flexibility when looking at the most economically viable products.
Even with the 3100 coverall lasting for more washes, there’s still a challenge around ensuring compliance when you are unaware (or unable to monitor) how many times it has been washed.
Again, this comes down to your personal preference, project length, and frequency of use of the garment. If you have regular staff needing the same PPE permanently, it is much better value to work with inherent fabric, as you don’t have to replace it as often.
If you are on a shorter project or have short staff contracts, treated may be a better fit for budgets, project length and frequency of use.
Ah, the million-dollar question that I’ll answer with some questions for you to ask yourself:
Here’s a more in-depth look at what you need to consider:
Typically, inherent garments are made with better quality fabrics which means you’ve got more options around durability. With treated fabrics, there are fewer options in terms of flexibilities around weight, the strength of the fabric and whether or not it’s rip-stop.
If you want extra functionality for the above, you will have to look towards an inherent garment because manufacturers know the benefits that a better-made garment can offer. Therefore, they don’t tend to make this type of garment out of treated fabric, as it wouldn’t be cost-effective for a garment that may be treated as disposable.
Typically in this environment, the garments are going to experience damage and heavy wear and tear. Therefore, it’s normal to opt for a treated fabric because of the cost benefits. However, there are manufacturers (such as Alsico) who offer very high specification garments made from inherent fabrics for working with molten metals and alloys. These garments are typically used in foundries and metal construction.
In this industry, workers are looking for comfort and ergonomics and companies are looking for better cost in use. Therefore, they choose inherent fabrics as the cost in use per day is typically less.
Important considerations for this industry would include; how long workers are likely to be on the job:
In any industry, even if staff turnover is high, investing for the employee’s sake is a positive step. Our clients often find that higher-quality garments make their employees feel more valued, and in turn, they stay longer.
At a fundamental level, the difference between them is clear: they are, at their very fibres, different. Because of this, their composition is different, which means that how they work to protect the wearer is different. Despite all of those differences, they both have great qualities:
Which is better for you? As determined above, there is no right answer to this, there are just better and worse fits for your staff.
If you’ve opted to use treated garments, it’s important to ensure you have a process for monitoring the lifespan of the garment through the number of washes. Finally, if you are unsure, always check the labels of the garment, check the manufacturer’s specification and ask for help.
As we established above, it’s very important to give this debate sufficient consideration before purchasing. It can seem daunting, but don’t worry – you’re already familiar with the types of fabrics, now you just need to find which is best for you. This might involve some internal discussions around cost and use, but these conversations will be worth it when it comes to buying because you will be more informed before you press ‘buy’.
But, if you’re ready to take things to the next level, or if you want to discuss buying options, here’s what you can do: