Quick link: What is styrofoam? Wall applications Flooring applications

What is styrofoam™?

Styrofoam™ has been manufactured by Dow for more than 50 years. The process of extruding foamed polystyrene results in a material with uniformly small, sealed cells, a fashioned ‘skin’ and an unrivalled set of properties which make it the choice of speciﬁers in a wide range of demanding insulation applications.

Don’t be Confused

There is not a coffee cup in the world made from Styrofoam™. These common disposable items are typically white in colour and are made of expanded polystyrene beads or “popcorn board”. They do not provide the insulating value, compressive strength or moisture resistance properties of Styrofoam™ products. In order to protect the Dow trademarked name Styrofoam™, such other materials should be referred to by the generic term “foam”.

Styrofoam™ is available in a number of different grades designed to meet the performance requirements of speciﬁc applications.

Beneﬁts of Dow Styrofoam™:

WORKABILITY: Styrofoam™ is easily worked with normal hand or power tools.
HYGIENE: Styrofoam™ boards have low susceptibility to rot, mould or fungal growth. They are clean, odourless and free from irritating dust.
HIGH COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH: In load-bearing applications, the closed cell structure gives the foam great rigidity and makes it highly resistant to compression.
VERY LOW WATER ABSORPTION: Styrofoam™ has natural resistance to rain, snow, frost and water vapour which makes it an exceptionally stable material, retaining its initial insulation performance and physical integrity in exposed conditions over the very long term. It was this unusual property that made possible the inverted warm roof concept, pioneered by Dow.