ls(suchasconcrete,gypsumetc.),ortocalculatethetemperatureresponseofinsulatedsteelmembers,thermalconductivityofthema—terialsshouldbedetermined.Thermalconductivityoffireproofmaterialsaretemperature-dependent,thusapplyingconstantvaluesofthermalconductivityofthematerials,whicharemeasuredatambienttempera~ture,tocalculatethetemperatureofinsulatedsteelmemberinfireconditionmightyieldgreaterrors.Butinpracticeeffectiveconstantthermalconductivityi.e.equivalentthermalcoductivityoffireproofmaterialsisfavorablyreceived.Theconceptofequivalentthermalconductivitywasintroduced.Thispaperalsopro—parisonbetweentheoreticalandexperimentalresultsshowthatthemethodisvalidandconvenientfordeterminingthetemperatureofinsulatedsteelmembersinfire.Keywords:fireproofcoating;steelmember;thermalconductivity;thermalresistance