CSI Section 03 11 19: Insulating Concrete Forming

Insulating concrete forms (ICFs) provide a labor-efficient means of making insulated poured-concrete walls, floors, and roof decks. ICFs are permanent forms—they aren’t disassembled after the concrete has cured. Most of these products are made from expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam produced with a non-ozone-depleting blowing agent; several are made from a composite of wood waste or EPS beads and portland cement. To protect against potential damage from wood-boring insects, some EPS foam used in ICFs contains borates, which are benign to humans and the environment; EPS is made with constituents that can have a significant negative impact on health and the environment, however, including benzene and the brominated fire retardant HBCD, a persistent, bioaccumulative toxin.

Despite concerns with EPS, GreenSpec lists these products because of their other performance and environmental attributes, such as high R-values and reduced portland cement use compared to conventionally formed concrete walls. Be aware that the R-values claimed by ICF manufacturers are not always arrived at in a consistent manner and may be misleading. For comparison purposes, “steady-state” R-values should be used when that information is available. Mass-enhanced or “effective” R-values are only relevant in certain climates or under certain conditions, but they’re often listed in product literature in a way that fails to distinguish them clearly from steady-state R-values.

(See also 06 12 13 - Cementitious Reinforced Panels, 31 60 00 - Special Foundations and Load-Bearing Elements, 04 22 20 - Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Masonry Units.)

ARTICLES

PRODUCTS

TF System Vertical ICF ACH Foam Technologies, LLC - Colorado Division PolySteel Forms American PolySteel, LLC Amvic ICF Building System Amvic Building System Arxx Walls & Foundations Arxx Corporation R-Control ICF System Big Sky Insulations, Inc.	PolySteel Forms American PolySteel, LLC
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