adhesion of a charred layer to the surface of constructions and materials is one of the main components of fire protective efficiency of intumescent charring compositions, especially for metal surfaces. The paper overviews literature sources concerning the investigation of adhesive-cohesive properties of charred layers. It is shown that there are no easily performable methods for assessment of these properties. The laboratory device based on the «back strike» method has been developed. Adhesive-cohesive properties of charred layers modified with carbon additives were assessed using «back strike» method and pushing method. It is shown that these methods provide equal results.