Replies

1. 
   Riversong | Nov 11, 2009 08:42pm | #1

   MATERIAL EE EE EE EE
   MJ/kg BTU/lb BTU/cf per R-sf

   Cellulose - dense packed 1.8 752 2257 49

   Mineral Wool - loose fill 14.6 6277 9415 245

   Mineral Wool - batts 14.6 6277 15692 311

   Mineral Wool - drain board 14.6 6277 50216 973

   Fiberglass – batts 30.3 13027 13027 345

   Polyisocyanurate - rigid board 69.8 30009 60018 715

   Polyurethane – sprayed 74.0 31815 63630 899

   Icynene – sprayed 41.9 18000 9000 208

   XPS - rigid board 117.0 50302 90543 1509

   EPS - rigid board 117.0 50302 50302 1075

2. 
   Riversong | Nov 11, 2009 08:52pm | #2

   Yup, I had a feeling the above chart would lose its formatting. If you can make sense of the data, the first number is Mj/kg, the second, BTU/lb, the third BTU/cf, and the fourth is BTU per square foot of R-1 (to compare the insulation types adjusted for R-value).

   There's tons of data on the web. Try Googling. Or if you need specific data, feel free to ask as I've got it all on my hard drive.

   Perm ratings are relatively consistent, since there are ASTM standards (ASTM E-96) for testing, but be sure you're comparing either dry-cup or wet-cup. There are actually 6 different testing methods covered under that one standard.

   But embodied energy numbers are approximations, dependent upon geographic location, industrial production method, and other variables and assumptions. Be sure you're comparing EE per unit weight or EE per unit volume or EE per R-value equivalent. And much of the data is in metric units of Mj/kg or Mj/m3.

3. GBA Editor
   Martin Holladay | Nov 12, 2009 03:46am | #3

   Conrad,
   Here's a link to a useful table from our friends at Building Science Corporation. The table includes vapor permeability data.
   "Building Materials Property Table."

4. 
   Riversong | Nov 12, 2009 09:19am | #4

   The BSC materials property table is one of the more useful available on the web, but be aware of some non-standard data that can be potentially misleading.

   For instance, while the table is labled "material properties", the perm numbers for wood and vinyl lap siding, which are in quotes, are for as-built assemblies not materials. Sources give perm values for a 3/4" wood board of anywhere from 0.3 to 4.1, while BSC offers "35 perms" for wood lap siding and "70 perms" for vinyl lap siding, when vinyl itself has a perm of 0.05/in (perhaps 0.1 for the siding material).

   The table also lists the water absorption of icynene as 0% because plastic doesn't absorb water, but tests conducted by the National Research Council of Canada, according to ASTM D2842-69 (water absorption of rigid cellular plastics) showed 34% by volume because of its open-cell structure. This is one of the examples of a non-hygroscopic material being formed into a hygroscopic matrix (like EPS).

5. 
   Ed Welch | Nov 12, 2009 11:41am | #5

   Thanks guys.....