What Happens When Leather Is Exposed to Fire?
Leather’s fire resistance quality is rooted in the structure of its fibers during the tanning process. Genuine leather comprises dense, intertwined fibers that are much less flammable than the fake fibers found in faux leather. When exposed to direct flames, leather tends to char instead of burning. This clearly shows that a fire may darken, stiffen, or even it may lead to crack leather, but it won’t burn it. Due to its fire-resistant quality, leather has been considered a popular choice for protective gear in industries. The leather gear faces high temperatures, such as firefighting and aviation. If you think about ‘Is leather heat-resistant?’ or ‘Is leather flammable?’, you will find your queries and reactions when leather is exposed to fire.
Does Heat Damage Leather
Yes, the heat of the fire and high temperatures damage leather, although it can't burn leather. In fact, high temperatures can dry out the natural oils in leather. This leads to decreased moisturization, which causes it to shrink and crack over time. This kind of damage, though not as severe as burning. But it can affect the quality and design of leather products. For instance, leaving real leather jackets or bags in direct sunlight for too long can cause the material to become dry and stiff. The heat may also cause the leather to lose its rich color. Furthermore, it destroys its natural durability and diminishes its appearance and feel.
The Reason Behind Not Burning Down Leather
Is leather flammable? No, it’s not flammable, and it never burns in fire. The reason leather does not burn quickly is due to the natural composition of its fibers. Genuine leather comes from strong animal hides. These are much denser than the plastic-based fibers found in fake leather. These dense fibers prevent oxygen from fueling a flame. That’s why it is harder for leather to ignite. Instead of catching fire, leather will typically char and blacken when exposed to flames. This quality makes leather ideal for products that need to deal with heat and fire. Such as, it is ideal for the production of gloves, boots, and even certain types of furniture.
Can Leather Melt in The Sun
The moisture in the leather’s natural oils slowly decreases due to the heat of sunlight. Later, this causes it to dry and stiffen. Then, it leads to cracks, but real leather will not melt when exposed to the sun.
Sometimes, your leather products have some dust or paint that provides space to melt your leather products. So, always clean paint from leather as well as use soft dumb cloths to remove dust from the surface of your leather products. Besides that, the heat of sunlight takes a while for real leather to show signs of damage from flames unless it is at really high heat. Mostly, leather just suffers from aesthetic destruction. Due to these reasons, firefighters use leather as protective equipment to save themselves from fire.
Does Fake Leather Melt in The Sun
In stark contrast to real leather, fake leather that is manufactured from fake products like PVC or polyurethane is far more vulnerable to heat. High temperatures normally make fake leather deteriorate even more rapidly if it is directly exposed to flames or other extreme temperatures.
The reason is that faux leather is made of plastics, which have the disadvantages of being highly flammable and easily deformed. That’s why you have experienced differences while wearing a faux vs a real leather jacket. Hence, the process behind melted leather also produces toxic substances, thus making faux leather a hazardous material in highly hot-temperature areas.
Leather Burning Process
When leather is exposed to a flame, it goes through its specific burning process. Rather than catching fire and turning into flames immediately, the material chars gradually. It means that leather will darken and harden without transforming into ash at once. Another thing about burning leather is that it does smell somewhat like burnt hair, probably because of organic origins. It loses its flexibility and strength as it chars but still does not melt or give off the dangerous fumes associated with burning synthetics. This slow-burning process has led leather to gain such a good reputation in the industries concerned.
The High Temperature that Burns the Real Leather
Leather is a very fire-resistant material, but this doesn’t mean that it won’t melt if exposed to heat. However, once the fire reaches about 392 degrees Celsius, leather will burn depending on the kind of tanning method used. If the temperature is lower than the mentioned degrees, then it only gets blackened, becomes rigid, and stinks. This slow process of charring rather than burning makes leather safe for use in products that are always exposed to heat. Nevertheless, once it comes into contact with heat and reaches a certain degree, its ignitability starts to become apparent, but only at a much higher degree of heat and constant heat exposure.
