Types of Building Insulation Material
Building insulation materials come in various types, each designed with specific purposes, manufacturing processes, and material compositions. While all insulation materials offer valuable benefits, both directly and indirectly, selecting the right one tailored to your building’s unique needs ensures optimal energy efficiency, comfort, and long-term performance.
Fiberglass
Fibreglass is the most commonly used insulation material for building. This material is made up of recycled glass by efficiently weaving the fine stands of glass into an insulation sheet. Fibreglass is mainly known for reducing the heat transfer between the surface. This insulation material carries a R-value ranging from R-2.9 to R-3.8 per inch.
Cellulose
Moving toward eco-friendly thermal insulation building materials, cellulose tops the list. This material contains no oxygen and thus the chances of fire damage are minimized. Cellulose insulating material has R-values from R-3.1 to R-3.7. Cellulose insulation is either damp-sprayed or installed dry behind the netting.
Mineral Wool
Mineral wool can be defined under two insulation material categories viz. rock wool and slag wool. Rock wool is made up of basalt and slag wool is made up of slag from steel mills. The core competency is that mineral wool is naturally non-flammable and thus requires no additives to be fire resistant.
Polyurethane Foam
With an R-value of R-6.3 per inch, this is a great heat-resistant thermal insulation material. This insulation is used heavily by people looking for a combined solution to reduce heat and sound interference. Polyurethane foam contains non-chlorofluorocarbon gasa that helps to eliminate any risk to the ozone layer.
Polystyrene
Polystyrene is a great choice for heat resistance. However, due to its flammable properties, it needs to be coated with a fireproofing chemical. The insulation material can be cut into blocks, which makes it an excellent alternative for insulating walls. Polystyrene insulation material has an R-value of R-5.5.
Cementitious Foam Insulation Material
This insulation material is a cement-baed foam which is also popular as sprayed foam or foamed-in-placed insulation. Aircrete is one of the most popular foam insulation materials which contains magnesium silicate. Cementitious Foam Insulation Material is nontoxic, nonflammable, made from minerals, and costs the same as polyurethane foam.