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Borates for fire safety in plastics and polymers

:: Monday, March 2, 2026 :: Posted By Emmanuel Laval
Borates for fire safety in plastics and polymers
Polymers, plastics, and composite materials are virtually everywhere in building construction. From wiring and plumbing fixtures to wall panels, siding, roofing, and decking, polymers provide versatile and durable construction materials.

Safer wood starts with borate flame retardants

:: Tuesday, January 27, 2026 :: Posted By Emmanuel Laval
Safer wood starts with borate flame retardants
Recent building fires have renewed attention on fire safety in modern construction. See how borate flame retardants improve fire performance in wood products used across residential and commercial buildings.

Firebrake ZB: A cost-effective ATO alternative

:: Friday, November 1, 2024 :: Posted By Emmanuel Laval
Firebrake ZB: A cost-effective ATO alternative
Facing high costs with antimony oxide? Discover how Firebrake ZB reduces reliance on ATO while delivering superior fire retardancy.

Protecting wood construction with borates

:: Thursday, September 12, 2024 :: Posted By Emmanuel Laval
Protecting wood construction with borates
Housing is one of the fundamental needs for people everywhere. As the world’s population grows, we need more housing with a greater variety of options. This demand presents challenges not only for the pace of building but also for building materials.

Keeping drivers safe: Boron in airbags

:: Friday, July 5, 2024 :: Posted By Evan Stevens
Keeping drivers safe: Boron in airbags
Discover how boron improves driver safety by initiating the inflation of airbags designed to cushion a collision’s force.

Decarbonize with borate-treated cellulose insulation

:: Friday, March 8, 2024 :: Posted By Emmanuel Laval
Decarbonize with borate-treated cellulose insulation

Cellulose insulation helps construction companies lower both their embodied and operational carbon footprint. See how refined borates improve the safety and durability of cellulose insulation.

Combatting combustion: Borates in cellulose insulation

:: Tuesday, April 18, 2023 :: Posted By Emmanuel Laval
Combatting combustion: Borates in cellulose insulation

Treating cellulose insulation with borates ensures excellent fire-retardant performance. Learn how borates became widely adopted and why finding the right product, concentration, and partner matters.

Boron-Based Flame Retardants: Enabling Everyday Safety

:: Thursday, November 3, 2022 :: Posted By Emmanuel Laval
Boron-Based Flame Retardants: Enabling Everyday Safety
Fifty years ago, U.S. Borax introduced a multifunctional, zinc borate, flame retardant we called Firebrake. Learn how we improved the fire safety of essential materials that surround us every day.

Meet the Maestro of Polymer Fire Retardancy

:: Wednesday, July 6, 2022 :: Posted By Emmanuel Laval
Meet the Maestro of Polymer Fire Retardancy
U.S. Borax celebrates the exceptional career of Kelvin Shen. For 50 years, Kelvin has been the go-to expert for polymer manufacturers looking for the right fire-retardant additive—and insights to help them balance fire retardancy cost, efficacy, and compliance in their products.

Zinc Borates for Fire Retardancy, Safety, and Performance

:: Tuesday, June 1, 2021 :: Posted By Emmanuel Laval
Zinc Borates for Fire Retardancy, Safety, and Performance
Polymer producers face a range of challenges as they strive to find a balance of safety, sustainability, and quality in their products. Firebrake products offer a multifunctional solution.s that our team members make every day.
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U.S. Borax, part of Rio Tinto, is a global leader in the supply and science of borates—naturally-occurring minerals containing boron and other elements. We are 1,000 people serving our customers with more than 1,200 delivery locations globally. We supply around 30% of the world’s need for refined borates from our world-class mine in Boron, California, about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

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