Different Raw Materials and Production Process

The rock wool is inorganic fiber made by high-temperature melting and fibering of natural rocks, such as basalt, gabbro,
dolomite, iron ore, bauxite, etc. After processed, the fiber can be made into sheet, pipe, blanket, tape, and other products.
Glass wool uses quartz sand, feldspar, sodium silicate, and boric acid as the main raw materials. These materials are mixed with
other auxiliary materials added according to a certain proportion. The mixed materials are sent to the glass furnace for full
melting. The melt liquid flows from the leakage board into the centrifuge. The centrifuge running at a high speed spins the melt
glass into glass trickle. Under the action of high-temperature high-speed flame, the glass trickle is further stretched into fiber.
After adding thermosetting resin and heating, various shapes or specifications of board, blanket, and pipe can be obtained. In
addition, aluminum foil or PVC film can be applied to the surface of the glass wool board and blanket.
2. Different Properties
Glass wool has smaller unit weight, smaller shot content, lower thermal conductivity, larger fiber toughness, and longer useful
life than the rock wool. However, the maximum operating temperature of rock wool is around 600 while the glass wool is only
about 260.
3. Different Uses
Glass wool is generally used for the heat insulation of parts with the temperature less than 200, such as the general buildings
or low-temperature piping. Rock wool is mostly used for thermal insulation of high-temperature, around 450, thermal piping
or power equipment.
Glasswool or Rockwool

Glasswool (Fiberglass)
Glass wool is made from a mixture of natural and recycled glass (recycled bottles, car windscreens and window panes) which is
melted at 1,450 C, where the glass that is produced is converted into fibers. It is typically produced in a method similar to making,
forced through a fine mesh by and cooling on contact with the air. The cohesion and mechanical strength of the product is obtained
by the presence of a that cements the fibers together. Ideally, a drop of binder is placed at each fiber intersection. This fiber mat
is then heated to around 200 C to resin to give it strength and stability. The final stage involves cutting the wool and packing it in
rolls or panels (referred to as slabs or batts). Contrary to popular belief that mineral wool properties are defined solely by density,
different fibre diameters, lengths, binder contents, additives, cutting and packaging can give a diverse product range.

Rockwool (Stone wool, Slag wool)

Stonewool is made from volcanic rock (dolomite, diabase and basalt), which is not a recycled material, but is an abundant resource.
Slag wool is made from the recycled waste product of a blast furnace. Stonewool gives a higher quality and performing product
than Slag wool, even though the two are often referred to as Rockwool. Like glass wool, the volcanic rock is heated to about
1,500C, which causes it to melt. The liquid volcanic rock is then spun at high speeds to produce rock fibres, which is then bound
together with the same resin used in glass mineral wool and small amounts of oil to reduce dust, creating the mineral wool.

These three mineral wool materials have similar properties.

1. They are all A1 non-combustible and will not burn in a building fire.
2. Thermally, they work on the principal of trapping air in small cells which cannot effectively transfer heat by natural convection.
Convection involves a larger bulk flow of gas driven by buoyancy and temperature differences, and it does not work well in
small cells where there is little density difference to drive it. The same principle used in mineral wool is used in other man-
made insulators such as wet suit neoprene foam fabrics, and fabrics such as Gore-Tex and polar fleece. The air-trapping
property is also the insulation principle used in nature in down feathers, and insulating hair such as natural wool and even the
hair on ones head.
3. Acoustically, they provide excellent noise reduction by forming the spring in mass-spring-mass partition systems acting like
the suspension system in your car and, due to the fiberous nature of the wool, higher frequency noise is also defused by
reflecting sound waves in a variety of directions and consequently minimizing the sound either directly transmitted or reflected.
In effect, this is the principal applied by having egg boxes on the walls of amateur recording studios.

Why not ask the people who make both? There has been much debate over the merits of rock mineral wool compared to glass
mineral wool insulation. In the developing part of the world, there is also a lot of mis-information around the two materials. The
simple answer is that the best material is dependent on the application and specific performance requirements. As a major
manufacturer of both glass and rock mineral wool insulation solutions, Knauf Insulation is able to offer impartial advice. Trust in
the experience and expertise of Knauf Insulation to guide you towards the most appropriate solution.

Comparative Performance
Thermal Performance (Glass)
Where thermal performance is the primary requirement of the insulation material, then glass mineral wool offers a much more
versatile and cost effective range at lower weights. Glass wool can achieve best lambda values of 0.31 as oppose to 0.35 for
Rockwool, more than 10% more thermally efficient. This means that the material can be 10% thinner for a like for like
performance. More importantly, it can achieve this performance at less than half the weight. For example, Knauf Insulation in the
UAE is capable of a 0.32 lambda product at 36kg density, compared to a best rock performance of 0.35 at c. 80-100kg density.
Although kg by kg, glass is more expensive, for an equivalent thermal performance, glass is the most cost effective solution.
Therefore, glass has become the preferred insulation in the developed world for facade cladding, cavity, steel structures, HVAC
and above ceiling insulation.

Acoustic Performance (Glass other than where compressive strength is required)

In acoustic applications there is negligible difference between rock and glass wool in terms of optimal performance other than
glass wool typically achieves the same db reduction with less than half the mass. A deciding factor can sometimes be the secondary
feature of a product. For example, glass wool can also give far higher thermal performances, which may also help to retain heat in
certain zones when partitioning between rooms in domestic housing. Glass wool is also often considered easier to handle due to
its weight and longer, less itchy and dusty, fibers. For this reason, acoustic glass roll products now dominate the partition wall
sector. Where there can be direct contact with the material after installation, such as internal wall linings, compressive strength
can be a key deciding factor. Although both materials have similar compressive strengths at the same density, rock is cheaper on
a kg to kg basis. For this reason, rock mineral wool can lend itself to be the most competitive solution.

Compressive Strength (Rock)

Compressive strength is required where a construction may be put under high weight loading. Not only can rock be made up to
200kg in density (compared to glass at c.110kg), it can also give a more cost effective performance where compressive strength is
the primary requirement. The typical application where compressive strength is required is flat roof.

Fire Protection (Rock)

A common misconception in the market is that Glass burns and Rock doesnt. This is not correct! Both products are A1 non-
combustible and will not burn or contribute to a building fire.It is also a common misconception that all Rock mineral wool will
stop fire. The simple fact is that a high density mineral wool product (120kg m3) is required to stop fire. At these densities, rock
mineral wool is the most cost effective solution and provides excellent fire protection to prevent structural collapse in the event of
a fire and to allow human occupants to safely exit the building. However, like glass mineral wool, low density rock mineral wool
insulation will not burn, but will also not stop flames from penetrating between the fibres. In short, for fire protection between
floors in the facade of a building and for major steel supports, high density Rock mineral wool is the ideal solution.

High Temperature Applications (Rock)

Maximum service temperature is a measure indicating the maximum continous temperature at which an insulation material can
operate without any loss in thermal insulation performance. A common misunderstanding is that this is the maximum temperature
before the product burns. This is not the case, all mineral wool is A1 non-combustible. However, rock mineral wool is able to
tolerate higher temperatures without any loss to its insulation properties than glass mineral wool. Typically, glass mineral wool
can operate up to 400C (typically 230C without modification) whereas rock can operate up to 700C. For this reason, in high
temperature process plants, rock mineral wool is the most commonly found insulation type.

Recovery from Packaged Compression (Glass)

The fibre characteristics of glasswool facilitate the high compression of product without affecting recovery to the required
thickness after unpacking, resulting in high transport and storage efficiencies (e.g. 4385m2 of 100mm FactoryClad product on a
HGV, 277% more than the rock wool equivalent). The characteristics of rock wool do not allow the product to be highly
compressed in packaging, resulting in comparatively inefficient transportation and storage (e.g. 1584m2 of 100mm roll product
on a HGV).

Water Resistance (Glass or Rock are good)

It is a common misconception that glass or rock mineral wool fibres are damaged by water. This is not the case. However, water
can occupy the cells between the fibres, replacing the insulating pockets of air and thus stopping the material from performing its
thermal insulating requirements. The lighter the density, the easier it is for the water to penetrate. Dont be fooled by
demonstrations of one material against the other where different densities are being used with different coatings. Importantly, the
water resistance of mineral wool (Glass and Rock) can be engineered to meet the conditions of their application. For instance, in
Knaufs factory clad, facade and cavity wall products, silicon is added as a water repellent stopping water from penetrating the air
pockets whilst insitu in the application.
In conclusion, is glass wool better than rock wool? It depends on your area of business and the application you require. But with
advice from Knauf Insulation, you can be assured that you will always use the most appropriate insulation for the job.