Benefits of the STIFERITE exterior insulation system

The STIFERITE thermal insulation consists of polyiso foam, a particular type of rigid polyurethane foam developed by the STIFERITE laboratories in order to best meet performance and operational market requirements.

The STIFERITE production range includes panels with different characteristics and types of coatings which have been developed to meet specific application needs. It is important to note that only panels specifically designated as suitable for external insulation systems must be used for ETICS applications.

The best insulating performances

The main feature of the STIFERITE insulants is their low thermal conductivity which ensures obtaining a high performance insulation with reduced thickness.

Limiting the thickness and the weight of the insulating material leads to significant construction savings and helps to reduce the environmental impact of the intervention.

The figure compares the thickness necessary to obtain a Thermal Transmittance (U) of 0, 18 W / m2K for different insulating materials.

The thickness required to achieve this performance, using the most common insulating materials, is higher by a minimum of 25% to a maximum of 85% than that required by the STIFERITE insulating systems.

Other performances

In addition to the excellent insulating performance, other characteristics of the STIFERITE polyurethanes are particularly important in exterior insulation systems:

• Mechanical properties
  The STIFERITE insulating systems offer an excellent compressive strength performance, and perpendicular side tensile strength and tear resistance. This latter feature allows reducing the number of anchors needed to guarantee perfect fastening to the structure compared with alternative materials.
• Waterproofing

• Good water vapour permeability
• Light weight and workability
• Good fire performance
  Building structures insulated with STIFERITE panels offer the best reaction-to-fire performance which can be obtained by using organic insulators.
• Contribution to the sound insulation of the facade
  Laboratory tests have shown the good acoustic behaviour of building structures insulated with STIFERITE panels (for more see STIFERITE Technical Books "Acoustic Insulation: a new point of view")
• Environmental Sustainability
  Using lightweight, efficient and durable insulating materials helps to reduce the environmental impact of buildings. Both Life Cycle Assessment studies and product mapping are available for all STIFERITE products used within LEED certified projects. (For more information, see: "LCA and EPD - Considerations on the environmental impact of insulating materials for the construction industry® - LEED® Standard - Mapping of STIFERITE products")