There are three types of cavity wall insulation materials used in the UK. The most popular and widely used is mineral wool insulation, commonly known as rockwool, with versions available from various manufacturers including white wool and yellow wool.

The next most commonly used type of cavity wall insulation material are polystyrene beads which are bonded together with an adhesive to prevent them escaping during home improvements, for example when windows and doors are removed, exposing the insulation material within the cavity.

The third type of insulation use in cavity walls is foam - either polyurethane  or urea formaldehyde foam insulation, although this is much less commonly used than either mineral wool or polystyrene beads.

Each type of insulation is injected through small holes drilled through the outer brickwork of the house. More information on the installation procedure can be found in our "How is cavity wall insulation installed?" guide.

If you are interested in having cavity wall insulation fitted in your home then please contact us on 020 8133 0851 or email us to arrange a free survey.

Rockwool Cavity Wall Insulation Material

Mineral wool insulation such as rockwool is the most commonly used type of insulation for domestic properties. It is manufactured from an igneous rock which is heated and spun to produce a fibre material. This is blown into the cavity, filling the gap between the inner and outer walls of the building completely.

The material does not absorb water and does not allow any rain driven moisture which gets through the outer leaf of the wall to reach the inner leaf of the building. It can be used in brick-brick or brick-block constructions. A minimum cavity width of 50mm is required for this material to be installed.

Installations of mineral wool material are quality assured by the British Board of Agrément (BBA) through regular inspections of  installers work. They are also backed by the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency (CIGA) which guarantees the work for 25 years, though the product is designed to last for the lifetime of the building.

Manufacturers of this type of insulation include Rockwool, Knauf Insulation and Instafibre.

Expanded polystyrene beads (EPS beads) are also used as cavity wall insulation. These are pumped into the wall cavity, mixed with an adhesive which bonds the beads together to prevent them spilling out of the wall. This type of insulation can be used in narrower cavities than mineral wool insulation and can also be used in some stone built properties.

Urea formaldehyde foam was widely used for cavity wall insulation, and had the advantage of requiring smaller sized holes to be drilled in the brickwork. However it is less widely used today. Polyurethane foam is now used as both a cavity insulation material and wall stabilisation material where the wall ties have failed, as an alternative to wall tie replacement. However, where work is carried out purely for thermal insulation purposes either mineral wool or polystyrene beads would normally be used.

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