A facile design for value-added recycling of metallurgical solid waste is urgent for developing safe and sustainable human settlements. Therefore, novel DOPO/flake graphite (FG) co-doped silica fume-based geopolymer coatings for flame-retarding plywood were prepared to seek a halogen-free and low-carbon Si-C-P fireproof method. The results show that appropriate DOPO (1 wt%) constitutes an enhanced flame retardancy, evidenced by the reduced peak of heat release rate (decreases from 153.48 to 96.94 kW m À2 ) and the rising flame retardancy index (climbs from 1.00 to 2.32). Meanwhile, its pyrolysis is identified as the three-level chemical reaction model (F3), the hydrogen bond crosslinking between the P O C and HO Si O results in a rising E α at 1000-731 C (increases from 163.60 to 198.83 kJ mol À1 ). Finally, the synergistically flame-retardant mechanism consists of water volatilization at 100 C, the as-formed porous carbonaceous layer at about 200 C, transformations of DOPO at 300-500 C, the formed DOPO derivatives at 500-700 C, and the decomposition of DOPO derivatives (condensed phase barrier) above 700 C, respectively. The yielded residues generate a 56% formaldehyde adsorption rate. It proposes a halogen-free and low-carbon strategy for designing Si-C-P hybrid flame-retarding coatings, indicating an ecological direction for the value-added utilization of metallurgical solid waste.