It was a flammable transparent liquid with clear or straw color, and a kerosene-like smell.
Although it had a low flash point (0 °F (−18 °C)), a lit match dropped into JP-4 would not ignite the mixture.
[citation needed] JP-4 was a non-conductive liquid, prone to build up static electricity when being moved through pipes and tanks.
Beginning in the mid-1980s an antistatic agent was added to the fuel to lower the charge buildup and decrease the corresponding risk of fires.
[4] The desire for a less flammable, less hazardous fuel led the U.S. Air Force to phase out JP-4 in favor of JP-8; the transition for USAF operations in Great Britain was made in 1979, and the change was completed throughout the USAF by the end of 1995.