The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of addition of nanoclay to urea formaldehyde resin on the fire retardant properties of particle boards of Chinaberry (Melia azedarach). Three different clay loadings such as 1%, 2% and 3% were used for the preparation of the particle boards. The boards were prepared at specific pressure of 17.5 kg/cm 2 and temperature 110C. Test samples were cut from the produced boards and tested for flammability, flame penetration and rate of burning. The

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... addition of 1% nanoclay provided significant improvement in all three aspects. The addition of 1% nanoclay delayed the ignition of the particle boards up to 13 minutes in comparison to control particle boards. In flame penetration and rate of burning, this loading level provided retardation by 1 minute and 1.3 times respectively compared to controls.