Learn about Mineral Wool Rigid Board Insulation

Board insulation made of mineral wool fibers, literally melted and spun fibers of rock, pressed together into a rigid board. The rock is a combination of volcanic basalt and recycled slag, a product of the steel and copper industry. Mineral wool boards are designed to be installed as exterior sheathing on walls, or on the interior side of basement walls. The boards have enough strength to support themselves and allow for cladding and finishing fasteners to go through them.

Used as added sheathing on walls, to add insulation thickness to the exterior. Strapping and siding can be installed over it. Also good for insulating the interior of basement walls.

Mineral wool rigid boards can cut your energy bill dramatically by reducing heat transfer through your walls and foundation. This insulation is durable, highly fire resistant, not damaged by occasional water, and provides good sound dampening. Mineral wool requires more energy to produce than fibreglass, but is very durable and can be a more sustainable choice in the long run.

In 1840, Edward Parry started making mineral wool from the slag waste at a steel mill in Wales, by blowing a jet of steam on the molten slag as it poured out of the mill. He was trying to find something more useful to make with all this slag, and it worked only too well. It produced great huge drifts of mineral wool that blew all over the steel yard in the wind and got in everyone's way, making Eddie not the most popular fellow in the yard. Luckily for him, they eventually figured out how to make it into insulation!