Nitinol is one of 32 materials in this atlas, grouped under advanced: history, structure, measured properties, process routes, uses, safety and market — not a product catalogue.
Scores compare Nitinol 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: Nitinol
Nitinol (NiTi (~50/50 at.%)) is a family of grades whose density ~6.45 g/cm³, heat band ~1310 °C, and fire letter A1 metal.
What “the material” actually is
Nitinol is sold as grades, not as a single substance. Chemistry NiTi (~50/50 at.%), density ~6.45 g/cm³, heat band ~1310 °C.
This atlas treats Nitinol as a system: mill route, coatings, tests and the cavity it sits in.
Heat, fire and insulation
Conductivity note: ~10–18 W/m·K. Insulation score 12/100 is relative to 32 entries — metals lose, VIPs and aerogels win.
Fire letter in editorial use: A1 metal. Do not equate A1 with “safe in a blaze” or E with “illegal”. Assemblies decide.
How it is made and used
Origin: NOL 1959 Buehler, United States. The process chapter follows feedstock → conversion → forming → finish → install.
Uses span buildings to defence / safety. Pairings matter: titanium.
Market and circularity
Producers below are landmarks, not an endorsement ranking. Prices are bands, not live quotes.
Circularity mark 36/100. Ask which scrap, which certificate, which year.
Related atlas
Around Nitinol
Related atlas entries, a short glossary, and three threads that keep Nitinol honest.
See also
✈️TitaniumThe medical metal without the phase trick.
Decision walkthrough on Nitinol: fire 78, insulation 12, and one fact already on file — not a code stamp.
Read the fire-performance mark — Fire on this hub is 78/100 — teaching comparison among atlas materials.
Read the insulation mark — Insulation is 12/100 — heat-flow story, not the same question as flame.
Sit one published fact beside them — Quick fact on file: Af: tunable transformation.
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 Nitinol, fire 78 and insulation 12 answer different jobs; Af: tunable transformation grounds one real detail.
Editorial atlas marks. Not a code certificate or product approval.
Thermal mark or safety fact first?
Second lab decision on Nitinol: heat-resistance 50 beside published thermal fact Conductivity — literacy, not a code stamp.
Read the heat-resistance mark — Heat resistance on this hub is 50/100 — 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 Nitinol, heat 50 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 Nitinol non-combustible?
Declared reaction class in this atlas: A1 metal. Assemblies still need resistance tests.
Does Nitinol insulate?
Thermal mark 12/100 versus the atlas. Conductivity note: ~10–18 W/m·K.
What is the density band?
~6.45 g/cm³
How is it made?
Origin story: NOL 1959 Buehler (United States).
Can it be recycled?
Circularity mark 36/100 — editorial, route-specific.
Typical melting or failure heat?
~1310 °C
What should it be paired with?
titanium: The medical metal without the phase trick.
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
NOL bar
United States · 1959
NOL bar is a reference point in the public image of Nitinol.
Orthodontic wire
Global · 1970s–
Orthodontic wire is a reference point in the public image of Nitinol.
Self-expanding stent
Global · 1990s–
Self-expanding stent is a reference point in the public image of Nitinol.
4
Cryofit coupling
United States · 1970s
Cryofit coupling is a reference point in the public image of Nitinol.
Eyeglass frames
Japan / US · 1980s–
Eyeglass frames is a reference point in the public image of Nitinol.
Guidewire
Global · 1990s–
Guidewire is a reference point in the public image of Nitinol.
7
Robotics spring
Labs · 2010s–
Robotics spring is a reference point in the public image of Nitinol.
Af DSC curve
Global · lab
Af DSC curve is a reference point in the public image of Nitinol.
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