Inflamability

Inflamability is the property of a material that describes how easily it can ignite and sustain combustion. It is closely related to flammability and ignitability, and in practice the terms are often used interchangeably. The word is sometimes encountered as inflammability or inflammability, but many safety texts prefer flammability to avoid confusion with medical inflammation. The spelling inflamability is less common and may still contribute to misunderstanding, especially since some readers misinterpret prefixes like in- as a negation.

Factors influencing inflamability include chemical composition, volatility, and temperature. Substances with high vapor pressure and low flash points can form ignitable vapors at modest temperatures. For gases and vapors, the flammability range (the concentration of fuel in air between the lower and upper flammable limits) determines ignition potential. For liquids, the flash point—the lowest temperature at which vapors can ignite in air—serves as a key indicator; substances with low flash points are considered highly inflamable. Autoignition temperature, the temperature at which a material will ignite without an external flame, is another important measure.

Safety and regulation: Fire-safety standards classify materials as flammable or non-flammable, with subcategories for liquids, gases, and solids. Labeling and handling guidelines emphasize keeping ignition sources away, proper storage, ventilation, and segregation of incompatible substances to reduce ignition risk.

See also: flammability, ignitability, fire hazard, safety labeling.