How to compare rock wool and fiberglass insulation home. Thermafiber safb sound attenuation fire blankets are mineral wool batts designed to provide acoustical control and fire protection in many different ul firerated wall and floorceiling assemblies. Johns manville mineral wool batt insulation with sound barrier 15. This articles intent is to present a scientific examination of the benefits of using each.
It is used as a coverboard to provide a suitable substrate for membranes as well as additional thermal resistance. Stc ratings are determined in a laboratory under controlled conditions. The short answer is opencell foams perform about the same, acoustically, as fiberglass and mineral wool. Fiberglass will not burn, but it may melt if temperatures go above 212f. Fiberglass 2 thick panels have an stc of 44 and an nrc of 0. Cellulose insulation comes in three types and is used exclusively for attics and wall cavities. There are a lot of good things you can say about mineral fiber tiles, but longevity just isnt one of them. Fiberglass insulation costs 25 to 50 percent less than mineral wool. Apr 08, 2014 thanks gregory for the excellent article which should help dispel common misconceptions about mineral wool vs fiberglass. Comparing the facts no matter what the building challenge. For this reason, mineral or rock wool insulation is not better than lowdensity. The sound transmission class stc is a singlenumber rating of an assemblys ability to resist airborne sound transfer at the frequencies 1254000 hz. Thermafiber ultrabatt mineral wool is designed to provide thermafiber ultrabatt mineral wool is designed to provide excellent thermal insulation in residential and light commercial building.
In general, a higher stc rating blocks more noise from transmitting. Fiberglass insulation is used in walls, floors, and ceilings to control the movement of heat, cold, and sound. Stc is a method of rating airborne sound transmission performance of a wall or fl oor assembly. Rockwool afb is a lightweight, batt insulation specifically.
Mineral wool vs fiber glasscomparative tests conducted at nationally recognized acoustical laboratories have shown that increasing the density of the insulation while maintaining a constant thickness does not have a significant effect on the stc rating of the construction. Sound absorbent by nature, fiberglass and stone wool insulation significantly reduce sound transmission in wall, ceiling, floor, and hvac assemblies. Slag, a steel manufacturing byproduct, is mixed with the liquidhot basalt, and the resulting. Thermafiber safbs provided stc ratings of up to 4 points higher than glass. Sound reducing capabilities have always been there in those products. The tests prove that thermafiber safbs are the best performance value for. The specific type of rock used to make rockwool insulation is basalt, a volcanic rock that melts at approximately 3,000 degrees fahrenheit. Since cavity insulation works as a sound absorber, this makes perfect sense. Because t hermafiber sound attenuation fire blankets are manufactured from slag, a byproduct of iron ore reduction, the mineral. Johns manville sound and fire block reduces unwanted noise from traveling through a home, and helps delay the spread of fire between interior floors.
Typically, glass fiber batts have equivalent or better stc acoustical performance than nominal equivalent thickness, and higher density, mineral fiber rockwool insulation. Best blocking stc 50 plenum barrier share research conducted by rockfon and ngc testing services 1 shows that a lightweight plenum barrier made of stone wool insulation or gypsum board positioned vertically above the wall, blocking the plenum, can provide an stccac 50 level of blocking when combined with a stone wool ceiling system. Mineral wool originated in germany in 1871 and was one of the first insulation materials to be commercially produced. Rockwool safensound is a stone wool insulation product for use in interior wall partitions of residential wood and steel stud construction. The doe reports the density of fiberglass insulation at 0. I tend to prefer mineral wool, but ill let you decide for yourself. Properties of different building insulation products. Ecobatt glass mineral wool insulation with ecose technology takes that standard to a whole new level. Even when the stc value is identical for both mineral wool and glass.
Certainteed insulations breadth of commercial insulation products gives you the best solution for any location, building, budget and customer. The stone wool insulation is slightly more expensive, but i did find safensound on sale for less than fiberglass. In general, a higher stc rating blocks more noise from transmitting through a partition. Mineral wool is a great solution for the firebreaks required at the top of stud walls, and for the linear breaks required every 10 along a basement wall. Listed in the gypsum association fire resistance design manual. Mar 24, 2017 now that you have a basic understanding of fiberglass and mineral wool, lets take a look at the differences between these two popular types of insulation. Johns manville mineral wool batt insulation with sound. Characteristics of mineral wool, slag wool also commonly referred to as rock wool used for building insulation. Additionally, this noncombustible insulation is highly durable and environmentally sustainable. What makes mineral wool a better soundproofing material. Fiberglass is made of silica sand that has been melted and spun into glass wool.
Even then, differences of 12 points stc can occur for. The use of any insulation can increase the partition assembly stc rating by four to 10 points, depending on the design and size i. It is based on rapidly renewable, biobased material. They are completely different materials, and after. Acoustical insulation density and its role in acoustical. Mar 30, 2016 both fiberglass and stone wool insulation have merit, promote fire protection and sustainability, and offer value to architects, contractors, and property owners alike. This test was conducted with the involvement of fire department officials to compare the fireresistance of roxul stone wool insulation with conventional fiberglass insulation. Stc ratings also increase with thicker acoustical insulation.
Jul 17, 2017 insulation acts as a shock absorber on that spring, reducing the amount of sound energy that can take that path. Mineral wool insulation comes in dense, unfaced batts that are pressed into place. Apr 17, 20 stc ratings are indicated for the system, not components of a system. Table of insulation values and properties for various insulation materials. Doubling the mass of a wall assembly does not double the stc rating. What is the difference between rockwool and owens corning. As we would imagine, materials that are good sound absorbers work well for this purpose, and that is where fiberglass and mineral wool come into the picture. F while also providing sound control and energy conservation. The righthand column shows the results of acoustical tests done on.
Rockwool international was founded in 1909 and today operates worldwide with more than 8,500. If you are trying to decide if mineral wool or fiberglass is the better insulation material for your home, then let me take a moment to tell you a little about the differences between the two. Ecose technology is a revolutionary more sustainable binder that contains no phenol, formaldehyde, acrylics or artificial colors. Now that you have a basic understanding of fiberglass and mineral wool, lets take a look at the differences between these two popular types of insulation. List of current suppliers of rock wool or mineral wool insulation product. Roxul monoboard roxul monoboard is a highdensity, mineral wool commercial insulation board for low slope roof applications. It can be purchased in different sound absorption capabilities, some for low frequency and some for high frequency. Choosing fiberglass or stone wool for fire and acoustics. Best soundproofing insulation for noise reduction better. Fiberglass and mineral fiber insulations were originally designed to insulate and had perhaps an unintended benefit of also keeping sound from bouncing back into a room or vibrating through. Due to its components, mineral wool goes by many names, including mineral fiber, rock wool, slag wool, and stone wool insulation.
Roxul vs fiberglass insulation for soundproofing better. Usg mineral wool red wing, mn usg premium mineral wool is suitable for a variety of applications including ceiling tiles, insulation, asphalt, cementitious reinforcement, friction products, fire protection systems, adhesives and fillers. Thanks gregory for the excellent article which should help dispel common misconceptions about mineral wool vs fiberglass. Slag wool is more commonly used, and accounts for about 80% of the mineral wool industry. It is especially useful when superior fire resistance and acoustical performance are required. While both fiberglass and rock wool can help block noise, rock wools greater density and weight make it a slightly better sound blocker than fiberglass. An empty framed wall steel studs and a layer of gypsum wallboard on each side has an stc of approximately 35. Roxul insulation acoustical fire batts a global leader roxul inc.
Properties of old or antique mineral wool as well as modern mineral wool compared with different building insulation products. Having stated that, the use of any fiberglass insulation can increase the partition assembly stc rating 410 points and we have isles full of product that will accomplish a higher rating. Insulation and sound ratings stc ratings inside prsco. Nov 19, 2018 mineral wool insulation or rockwool typically costs more per inch than fiberglass insulation. What would have the most impact on sound transmission through the walls, the use of mass loaded vinyl attached to the metal studs before the insulation is installed or the installation of. It is also inorganic and mold resistant and is made of 70 percent recycled material. Roxul and fiberglass have similar acoustic properties when compared to similar products. Owens corning has a mineral wool product called thermafiber that resists fire and temperatures in excess of 2,000. I tend to prefer mineral wool, but ill let you decide for. Insulation types fiberglass, mineral wool, spray foam. Studies have shown that mineral wool insulated rooms provide a 54% increase in overall. Different sizes available to fi t specifi c applications.
In the following commercial wall systems, rockwool afb delivers excellent fire resistance ratings and sound transmission class stc. This type of mineral wool product is a lower cost product that is also soft and flexible. Sound transmission class stc values dont take into account lower. Our company receives calls on a daily basis from people frantically looking for acoustic mineral fiber tiles to match those they are replacing due to water damage. Based on 912 16 gauge steel joists and 3 mineral wool batt. Ive been promised the data to back this up, but i was told that an independent study of the stc sound transmission class of fiberglass vs. Photo guide to identification of different building insulation materials. Fiberglass comes in batts, rolls or loosefill forms and is commonly used throughout a house in sidewalls, attics, floors, crawl spaces, cathedral ceilings, and basements. Fiberglass insulation made from glass cullet and other raw materials which are melted and spun into fibers that resemble the texture of wool. What would have the most impact on sound transmission through the walls, the use of mass loaded vinyl attached to the metal studs before the insulation is installed or the installation of fiberglass or mineral wool insulation in the wall cavities. They work well in walls and as panels to absorb sound, reverberation, and echo. The semirigid batts are more dense than traditional batts or rolls and are quick and easy to install. Thermafiber safb sound attenuation fire blanket owens. Mar 30, 2016 sound absorbent by nature, fiberglass and stone wool insulation significantly reduce sound transmission in wall, ceiling, floor, and hvac assemblies.
Its also interesting to note that owencorning is moving into mineral wool insulation manufacture too. Mineral wool insulation comes in dense, unfaced batts that are pressed into. Both insulation materials are effective solutions for the insulation of tanks and offer unique advantages and disadvantages. Elements measures sound transmission class stc, the acoustical isolation. Mineral wool insulation has superior sounddeadening properties. Our advanced manufacturing technology ensures consistent product quality, with highfiber density and low shot content for excellent performance. Mineral wool stc s a ct sat mineral wool stc typical sound barrier assemblies stc 42. Fiberglass insulation performs basically the same as mineral wool when it comes to soundproofing. Jan 15, 2018 mineral wool is composed of 70% of recycled content, as compared to fiberglass insulation which is composed of only 30% of recycled content.
This article provides a table of insulation values and properties for various insulation materials useful in procedures to measure or calculate heat loss in a building, defines thermal terms like btu and calorie, provides measures of heat transmission in materials, building insulation design data, and heat loss in a building. Characteristics of mineral wool, rock wool, slag wool used for building insulation. The result of slag, granite and other minerals spun at high temperatures, usg mineral wool. Thermafiber ultrabatt mineral wool insulation is designed to provide excellent thermal insulation, fire resistance and noise control in residential and commercial construction. Fiber glass and mineral wool insulation provide a wide range of versatile products for a variety of different applications including wall, attic, and pipe insulation applications. Rockwool comfortboard 80 is a rigid mineral wool insulation sheathing board that is noncombustible, waterrepellent, fireresistant and sound absorbent. Ecotouch quietzone pink fiberglas acoustic insulation. Mineral fiber ceiling tiles acoustic mineral fiber tiles.
Johns manville mineral wool batts are made of inorganic fibers derived from basalt, a volcanic rock and are enhanced with glass fibers. Acoustical insulation density and its role in acoustical performance by james shriver, director of technical services, therma. Determining the final selection is often based on cost, temperature range or meeting a certain specification. Mineral wool is composed of 70% of recycled content, as compared to fiberglass insulation which is composed of only 30% of recycled content. Owens corning issued the first north american epd for fiberglass insulation in november 2012 followed by the first north american extruded polystyrene xps foam insulation epd in november 20. Of all the different types of insulation, mineral wool and fiberglass are probably the most similar since they both come in batts that are trimmed to fit inside stud bays, but that is really where the similarities end. Mineral wool 2 thick panels have an stc between 45 and 52, and an nrc range from 0. Insulation materials rvalues, rates of heat loss or gain, flame spread, toxicity, durability what insulation r values should be used in a building insulation. Because theyre airpermeable, sound waves can easily penetrate. Epds of all core building products wer e certified and issued by ul environment by the end of 2015. It is intended as a quick screening tool to compare different wall or fl oor assemblies. We have 312 metal studs and intend on using quiet rock. The sound transmission class stc, impact insulation class iic, ceiling attenuation class cac and field sound transmission class fstc are listed.