Aramid is one of 32 materials in this atlas, grouped under textiles: history, structure, measured properties, process routes, uses, safety and market — not a product catalogue.
Scores compare Aramid with the rest of the atlas on strength, heat, fire behaviour, insulation, workability and circularity. They are editorial, not certificates.
Seven chapters follow. Fire and insulation claims name test families (Euroclass, ASTM E84, ISO 5660, KS F) rather than inventing a single safety number.
Deep introduction
Deep dive: Aramid
Aramid (PPTA (para) / meta-aramid cousin Nomex) is a family of grades whose density ~1.44 g/cm³, heat band does not melt; decomposes ~500 °C, and fire letter inherently FR vs commodity PA.
What “the material” actually is
Aramid is sold as grades, not as a single substance. Chemistry PPTA (para) / meta-aramid cousin Nomex, density ~1.44 g/cm³, heat band does not melt; decomposes ~500 °C.
This atlas treats Aramid as a system: mill route, coatings, tests and the cavity it sits in.
Heat, fire and insulation
Conductivity note: low radial; fibre anisotropic. Insulation score 36/100 is relative to 32 entries — metals lose, VIPs and aerogels win.
Fire letter in editorial use: inherently FR vs commodity PA. Do not equate A1 with “safe in a blaze” or E with “illegal”. Assemblies decide.
How it is made and used
Origin: DuPont 1965 Kwolek, United States. The process chapter follows feedstock → conversion → forming → finish → install.
Uses span buildings to defence / safety. Pairings matter: nomex.
Market and circularity
Producers below are landmarks, not an endorsement ranking. Prices are bands, not live quotes.
Circularity mark 38/100. Ask which scrap, which certificate, which year.
Related atlas
Around Aramid
Related atlas entries, a short glossary, and three threads that keep Aramid honest.
Decision walkthrough on Aramid: fire 80, insulation 36, and one fact already on file — not a code stamp.
Read the fire-performance mark — Fire on this hub is 80/100 — teaching comparison among atlas materials.
Read the insulation mark — Insulation is 36/100 — heat-flow story, not the same question as flame.
Sit one published fact beside them — Quick fact on file: Star: PPTA para-aramid.
Sustainability is not a fire skip — A high sustainability mark does not replace fire protection in a real assembly.
Not a building-code rating — Named tests, thickness and build-up still decide compliance — this page is literacy only.
On Aramid, fire 80 and insulation 36 answer different jobs; Star: PPTA para-aramid grounds one real detail.
Editorial atlas marks. Not a code certificate or product approval.
Thermal mark or safety fact first?
Second lab decision on Aramid: heat-resistance 82 beside published thermal fact Conductivity — literacy, not a code stamp.
Read the heat-resistance mark — Heat resistance on this hub is 82/100 — a thermal story, different from the fire/insulation pair.
Sit one thermal fact beside it — Properties chapter lists Conductivity among published thermal rows.
Heat resistance is not a fire skip — A high thermal mark does not replace named fire tests in a real assembly.
Still not a building-code rating — Thickness, build-up and named tests decide compliance — this page teaches axes only.
On Aramid, heat 82 and Conductivity are a second thermal/safety reading after fire vs insulation.
Editorial atlas marks. Not a code certificate or product approval.
Heat line to keep
A decision from printed marks. Not a building permit.
Frequently asked questions
Is Aramid non-combustible?
Declared reaction class in this atlas: inherently FR vs commodity PA. Assemblies still need resistance tests.
Does Aramid insulate?
Thermal mark 36/100 versus the atlas. Conductivity note: low radial; fibre anisotropic.
What is the density band?
~1.44 g/cm³
How is it made?
Origin story: DuPont 1965 Kwolek (United States).
Can it be recycled?
Circularity mark 38/100 — editorial, route-specific.
Typical melting or failure heat?
does not melt; decomposes ~500 °C
What should it be paired with?
nomex: The meta-aramid fire cousin.
Where is it specified?
Buildings, transport, energy and consumer goods — see the uses chapter.
Is the fire-performance score a building-code rating?
No. It is an editorial 0–100 teaching mark among materials in this atlas. A real wall or garment needs a named product test, thickness and assembly. This page is not a lab stamp.
When should I read insulation instead of fire?
Use the insulation pick when the question is heat flow — lining, loft, or a cold-bridge — and the fire pick when the question is how the same material behaves in flame. Both numbers already sit on this hub; they answer different jobs.
Does a high sustainability score mean I can skip fire protection?
No. Sustainability here is a relative atlas mark (growth, reuse, embodied story). Bamboo and timber can still char like wood. Fire protection stays a separate specification.
Why is bamboo missing in some languages?
A language URL is published only when the seven chapters are real prose in that language. Bamboo exists in English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Spanish. French, German, Portuguese and Russian stay withheld — earlier machine drafts leaked English, so those URLs are not opened.
Icons
Stephanie Kwolek
United States · 1965
Stephanie Kwolek is a reference point in the public image of Aramid.
Kevlar vest
United States · 1970s–
Kevlar vest is a reference point in the public image of Aramid.
3
Twaron
Netherlands / JP · 1978–
Twaron is a reference point in the public image of Aramid.
F1 fuel tank
Global · 1980s–
F1 fuel tank is a reference point in the public image of Aramid.
Sailing cables
Global · 1990s–
Sailing cables is a reference point in the public image of Aramid.
6
Hot-gas filter bag
Global · 1980s–
Hot-gas filter bag is a reference point in the public image of Aramid.
Brake pulp
Global · 1990s–
Brake pulp is a reference point in the public image of Aramid.
8
Helmet shell hybrid
Global · 2000s–
Helmet shell hybrid is a reference point in the public image of Aramid.
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