Abstract: Compositions of matter are provided by the invention herein which compositions may be in liquid or solid forms depending upon their projected uses, all of which provide fire retardancy in said uses which generally involve shaped articles such as coatings or moldings. The fire retardancy objective is accomplished by locking water into or available to the shaped article by the provision of an inorganic salt hydrate, such as aluminum sulfate hydrate or ferrous sulfate hydrate and by providing also a hydraulic cement, such as Portland cement. The powdered mixture of the salt hydrate and cement may also preferentially contain an alumina silica material which preferably is in fibrous form having fibers in it that have lengths of about 0.25 to about 2.0 inch. Also present in said powder may be an iron oxide and a manganese oxide, such as ferric oxide and manganous oxide, respectively. In certain instances graphite is incorporated into the mixtures, as in the case when epoxy polymers are used.