Rock wool — made from molten basalt rock spun into fibers at 1,500°C — is non-combustible at its core, not through a fire-retardant additive that degrades over time.

Ceramic wool — an alumina-silica fiber spun from molten kaolin clay and alumina at temperatures exceeding 1,800°C — maintains its fibrous structure and insulating performance at continuous operating temperatures up to 1,430°C.

Choosing the right glass wool insulation for commercial buildings requires evaluating thermal conductivity, density, fire resistance, moisture resistance, thickness options, and application requirements.

Before diving into performance metrics, it is worth understanding what these materials are at the structural level — because the structural difference explains virtually every performance difference that follows.

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) and extruded polystyrene (XPS) are both made from the same raw materials; the difference lies in the production process, which results in different densities. As XPS has a higher cell density, it offers greater compressive strength and better moisture resistance. However, in many cases EPS is the better choice, whilst in others XPS should be considered.

Thermal insulation materials play an important role in improving energy efficiency, reducing heat loss, and maintaining stable temperatures in industrial and building applications.