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Could you explain how wood is stronger than steel in a fire? I would have thought steel's high melting point make it impervious to fires, whereas wood, as you

by jonahx 11y ago

Could you explain how wood is stronger than steel in a fire? I would have thought steel's high melting point make it impervious to fires, whereas wood, as you say, burns...

alricb 11y ago
At high temperatures, steel loses strength long before melting. By 600 C (~1100 F), steel has lost half of its strength.
- jonahx 11y ago
  But isn't wood turned to ash at 1100F?
  - alricb 11y ago
    Not if it's being kept relatively cool by a layer of carbonized wood (but you need a pretty thick piece of wood for that to happen; naked 2x4s burn like kindling).