Ignition Temperature
Definition
Minimum temperature at which a substance ignites spontaneously without an external flame or spark. For petrol about 280 degrees Celsius; for paper about 230 degrees Celsius.
- Definition
- Minimum temperature for spontaneous ignition without flame or spark
- Petrol
- About 280 degrees Celsius
- Paper
- About 230 degrees Celsius
- Distinguished from
- Flash point, the temperature at which vapour ignites with an external spark
Common questions
How does ignition temperature differ from flash point in fire investigation?+
Flash point is the lowest temperature at which a material's vapour will ignite when an external ignition source, such as a spark, is present. Ignition temperature is higher and refers to spontaneous ignition with no external flame or spark at all, so the two figures answer different questions about fire risk.
Why does knowing a material's ignition temperature matter for reconstructing a fire's origin?+
Comparing the ignition temperature of materials present at the scene against the heat output of a proposed ignition source, such as an electrical fault or a discarded cigarette, helps investigators judge whether that source was physically capable of starting the fire in the first place.
Related terms
- Backdraft
- A deflagration event triggered when air is suddenly admitted to a compartment where a fire has been oxygen-depleted but has continued to...
- Fire Point
- Slightly above flash point, the temperature at which sustained combustion begins after ignition.
- Fire Tetrahedron
- The model of sustained combustion requiring four concurrent elements: fuel, oxidiser, heat, and an uninhibited radical chain reaction. Replacing the older fire...
- Fire Triangle
- The three components needed for combustion: fuel, heat and oxygen. Remove any one and the fire stops.
- Flash Point
- Lowest temperature at which a liquid gives off enough vapour to form an ignitable mixture in air, but the vapour does not...
- Flashover
- The near-simultaneous ignition of all exposed combustible surfaces in a compartment, occurring when the upper gas layer reaches approximately 600°C and radiative...
- NFPA 921
- US National Fire Protection Association Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations. The internationally accepted methodology Indian fire investigators and SFSL fire divisions...
- V-Pattern
- A V-shaped area of heat and smoke damage on a vertical surface, produced by the upward cone of the fire plume; the...