CSI Section 07 21 13: Board Insulation

Rigid board insulation is manufactured using glass fibers, mineral wool, or rigid foam and is a critical component of many energy-efficient buildings. Rigid board insulation provides a high R-value and can be applied across the surface of walls, roofs, or foundations to reduce thermal bridging through framing and other structural components.

Polyisocyanurate (polyiso) foam board typically has foil facing and has a somewhat higher R-value than expanded polystyrene (EPS) or extruded polystyrene (XPS). Polyiso boards, today, are made with non-ozone-depleting blowing agents, usually hydrocarbons. Mineral wool board is a versatile insulation made from molten slag (a waste product of steel production) or natural rock (such as basalt or diabase), held together with a phenol formaldehyde binder. Mineral wool has a higher density than fiberglass, is more resistant to fire, and is better at blocking sound.

Foam board insulations are all petroleum-derived and require a blowing agent to create the foaming action. Most XPS in North America is still blown with ozone-depleting HCFC-142b, though European manufacturers converted to non-ozone-depleting blowing agents several years ago and North American manufacturers are on-track complete the conversion by the mandated deadline of January 2010. XPS and EPS are manufactured using a number of hazardous chemicals, including benzene and the brominated flame retardant HBCD—which is a persistent, bioaccumulative toxin. Because of the health and environmental concerns surrounding these materials, GreenSpec does not list rigid polystyrene insulation. However, energy efficiency should be the primary focus of any building, so builders should use XPS or EPS when those are the only options available locally. Alternatives to rigid foam include spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation and redesigning building walls to minimize thermal bridging so that cellulose or other fiber insulation products can be used. Note that board insulation products vary widely in terms of more than just their resistance to conductive heat loss; permeability, moisture resistance, insect resistance, and end-use are equally important.

Products listed here have at least one of the following attributes: post- and/or pre-consumer recycled-content, reduced off-gassing, and blowing agents with little or no ozone-depleting potential.

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ACFoam Atlas Roofing Corp. Thermax Dow Chemical Co., Building Solutions Mineral Wool Board Insulation Fibrex Insulations Inc. Mineral Wool Drainage Board Fibrex Insulations Inc. MinWool Curtainwall Insulation IIG Corporate Headquarters	ACFoam Atlas Roofing Corp.
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