Insulation materials run the gamut from bulky fiber materials such as fiberglass, rock and slag wool, cellulose, and natural fibers to rigid foam boards to sleek foils. Bulky materials resist conductive and -- to a lesser degree -- convective heat flow in a building cavity. Rigid foam boards trap air or another gas to resist heat flow. Highly reflective foils in radiant barriers and reflective insulation systems reflect radiant heat away from living spaces, making them particularly useful in cooling climates. Other less common materials such as cementious and phenolic foams and vermiculite and perlite are also available.

Polystyrene--a colorless, transparent thermoplastic--is commonly used to make foam board or beadboard insulation, concrete block insulation, and a type of loose-fill insulation consisting of small beads of polystyrene.

Molded expanded polystyrene (MEPS), commonly used for foam board insulation, is also available as small foam beads. These beads can be used as a pouring insulation for concrete blocks or other hollow wall cavities, but they are extremely lightweight, take a static electric charge very easily, and are notoriously difficult to control.

Other polystyrene insulation materials similar to MEPS are expanded polystyrene (EPS) and extruded polystyrene (XPS). EPS and XPS are both made from polystyrene, but EPS is composed of small plastic beads that are fused together and XPS begins as a molten material that is pressed out of a form into sheets. XPS is most commonly used as foam board insulation. EPS is commonly produced in blocks. Both MEPS and XPS are often used as the insulation for structural insulating panels (SIPs) and insulating concrete forms (ICFs). Over time, the R-value of XPS insulation can drop as some of the low-conductivity gas escapes and air replaces it--a phenomenon is known as thermal drift or ageing. 

The thermal resistance or R-value of polystyrene foam board depends on its density. Polystyrene loose-fill or bead insulation typically has a lower R-value compared to the foam board.

Last Update: 2019-5-7