What are ICFs?
Insulated concrete forms (ICFs) are hollow foam blocks which are stacked into the shape of the exterior walls of a building, reinforced with steel rebar, and then filled with concrete.
Insulated concrete forms combine one of the finest insulating materials, Expanded Polystyrene Foam (EPS), with one of the strongest structural building materials, steel reinforced concrete. EPS foam is the same material you use every day in an ice chest or your refrigerator to keep it insulated.
How Are They Used?
ICF forms are stacked in the shape of the outside walls of your home or building. They are then braced, reinforced, and filled with concrete. The foam forms stay in place providing continuous insulation with nearly zero air infiltration through the walls for the lifetime of the structure.
- ICF walls can be any size; short, tall, slender or thick depending on design requirements and engineering.
- ICF walls can be any shape possible including curves (radius walls).
- ICFs can be combined with other materials to build nearly any design imaginable.
ICF Construction Advantages
The solid concrete mass wall requires a lot of energy to change temperature by itself. Furthermore, the concrete is insulated by the EPS foam on both sides keeping the heat and cold away from the concrete. This thermal mass keeps the inside environment stable and comfortable.
Thermal Mass
“Thermal mass is the ability of a material to absorb and store heat energy. A lot of heat energy is required to change the temperature of high-density materials like concrete.”
What Can Be Built With ICFs?
ICFs can be used to build projects of any size, scale or scope from tiny homes to large commercial structures. The result is a wall system of unmatched comfort, energy efficiency, strength, and noise reduction.
