The 3 Types of Rigid Foam Board Insulation - Rmax

Understanding the different types of rigid foam insulation is critical. In fact, choosing one option over the other means selecting an option with better or worse efficiency and, therefore, more or less costs each month.

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Want to know how to tell the differences between the three types?

Here’s what you need to know:

What is Rigid Foam Board Insulation?

Rigid foam board insulation is just like it sounds. Some insulation is loose or does not provide structure such as fiberglass batting, mineral wool, and cellulose insulation. 

Unlike these types, rigid foam board insulation comes in a slab format and is self-supporting. These boards or slabs of insulation will not sag over time and can typically be cut and shaped as needed. When the edges and butt joints of rigid foam board insulation are sealed properly, the insulation layer can often act as a weather barrier too. Rigid foam insulation is typically more resistant to pests and moisture than loose forms of insulation.

The 3 Types of Rigid Foam Board Insulation

Within the category of rigid foam board insulation, a few types are the most popular:

Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Insulation

Expanded Polystyrene, commonly known as EPS, is a type of lightweight, cost-effective foam board insulation. Made from expanded beads of polystyrene, EPS is widely appreciated for its simplicity and efficiency in installation due to its lightness and easy-to-cut nature.

Despite its popularity, EPS is not without drawbacks. Its primary disadvantage is a lower R-value per inch, meaning it doesn’t insulate as well per unit of thickness as other types of insulation. With a lower R-value, thicker sheets of insulation material are needed to achieve the same level of insulation. Additionally, EPS tends to absorb moisture if not properly protected, which can lead to a reduction in its insulative properties and a risk of material degradation over time. This absorption issue also brings into question its durability, as EPS can be easily damaged or degraded by environmental factors, which makes it less ideal for applications that require long-term robustness.

Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) Insulation

Extruded Polystyrene, or XPS, offers a step up in performance from EPS, particularly in terms of moisture resistance and insulative value. XPS is manufactured through a process that melts and expands polystyrene into a foam board, which is then extruded to form a dense, durable structure

This process creates a product that boasts a higher R-value per inch than EPS, to provide more effective insulation with less material. The closed-cell structure of XPS also makes it highly resistant to moisture penetration, which is a significant advantage in environments where moisture is prevalent.

However, XPS is not without its drawbacks either. It is generally more expensive than EPS, which can be a barrier for budget-conscious projects. Furthermore, the gases used in the XPS manufacturing process have a higher global warming potential, which contributes to environmental concerns. These factors make XPS less attractive from a sustainability perspective, despite its superior performance attributes.

Polyisocyanurate (Polyiso) Insulation

Polyisocyanurate, better known as Polyiso, represents the pinnacle of rigid foam board insulation in terms of thermal performance. Polyiso is renowned for having the highest R-value per inch of all the rigid foam board options, which translates to excellent thermal efficiency that can significantly reduce heating and cooling costs. This high R-value means less material is needed to achieve the same level of insulation compared to EPS and XPS.

Beyond its superior insulative properties, Polyiso is also moisture resistant and offers improved fire resistance compared to EPS and XPS. Instead of melting and releasing toxic gases when exposed to fire like EPS and XPS do, Polyiso chars and hardens which slows the spread of the fire. Despite these advantages, Polyiso can sometimes be more expensive than the other options, which might deter some buyers who do not understand all of the  benefits of Polyiso.

Rmax Polyiso Solution

The advantages of Polyiso, particularly those offered by Rmax, are compelling. 

Rmax Polyiso products enhance the already substantial benefits of standard Polyiso by addressing and mitigating common concerns, such as the performance in cold weather. 

Not to mention, Rmax’s products are designed to deliver maximum thermal efficiency, enhanced durability, and overall cost-effectiveness. Therefore, Rmax’s Polyiso is the superior choice for insulation in a wide range of building applications.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Extruded Foam Board.

When it Comes to Rigid Foam, Choose Polyiso

Choosing the right type of rigid foam insulation involves weighing various factors including cost, environmental impact, and insulation needs. 

While EPS and XPS offer certain benefits, Polyiso—particularly Rmax Polyiso— has emerged as the best option for most applications due to its high R-value, moisture resistance, and eco-friendly attributes. 

By selecting Rmax Polyiso, builders and homeowners can ensure optimal insulation performance and sustainability for their project. 

To learn more about Rmax Polyiso, reach out to their team of experts today!

XPS foam board, or extruded polystyrene foam board, is one of the common insulation boards. Extruded polystyrene boards are widely used in the construction industry. Because of their perfect closed-cell structure, XPS foam boards are outstanding in terms of insulation, water absorption, compressive strength, life expectancy and other performance.

However, there are many types of extruded foam boards in the market and countless manufacturers engaged in the R&D of extruded polystyrene boards, which makes it very difficult for buyers to choose. So in this article, we will talk about important factors to consider when selecting high-quality XPS foam boards.

Color&Smell

Generally speaking, there are many kinds of colors of extruded foam boards on the market, such as black, white, and blue. But the color actually doesn't affect the quality of XPS foam board, as long as it does not turn grey, black or dark.

In addition, we can break the polystyrene foam board and smell the odour, high-quality XPS foam board is basically odourless after breaking, while poor quality one will be affected by raw materials and other additives, producing a pungent plastic smell.

Foam Cell

The main use of extruded polystyrene foam board is energy saving and heat preservation, which is mainly due to its continuous and uniform closed cell structure on the surface.

When you observe the board, you will find that there are many foam cells on it, which are for better concentration of heat, to absorb the heat from the air evenly and distribute it evenly. So the more uniform these foam cells are, the better the quality of the extruded board will be.

Compressive Strength

Since extruded foam boards are often used for floor heating insulation, basement maintenance, road base insulation, airport floor insulation, etc., the compressive strength should not be neglected. Usually, XPS foam board for floor heating requires a compressive strength of 200KPA or more. Therefore, when buying an extruded plastic board, you must make a clear inquiry from the foam board supplier, and then select according to your needs.

Besides, we can also use our fingers to press gently to test its compressive effect. Under normal circumstances, the press marks of high-quality extruded panels are basically invisible to the naked eye, but inferior extruded panels have obvious dents when pressed, so you need to be more careful when selecting.

Raw Material

High-quality XPS foam boards are made of polystyrene resin as the raw material, and it is important for buyers to note whether the product is made of this material when selecting it. Many people will tend to choose a lower-priced product, but that kind of extruded foam board is usually of poor quality and is likely to be made of used boards.

The extruded foam board made of polystyrene resin not only has uniform and dense foam cells and outstanding insulation effect, but also has a long life span of up to 50 years or more.

Feininger is a professional XPS foam board manufacturer. Our products adopt world-class production lines and are manufactured in strict accordance with the ISO system. Feininger XPS foam boards have superior thermal insulation, good moisture resistance and high compression resistance.

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