What are the typical types of residential thermal insulation materials? 

The following types of insulation are common:

• Rock Wool - blanket form and most common before 1950.
• Fiberglas - most common since 1950; more resilient than rock wool.
• Cellulose - made from scrap paper products.
• Perlite - A loose material usually used to fill voids; inorganic, noncombustible and moisture and insect resistant.
• Vermiculite - Naturally occurring mica like material that expands by heating; used as loose fill; organic, noncombustible and resists decay and insects.
• Polystyrene Form - Usually in pellet form or as bead-board; inorganic polymer that is combustible but decay, moisture, and insect resistant.
• Polyurethane & Polylsocyanaurate Foam - Usually in rigid board form; formable and subject to dimensional changes due to curing and aging.
• Formaldehyde Foam - Inorganic foam pumped into wall cavities most common as a retrofit on older homes.

Dr. Ronn Phillips, Arch.D., and Bobbi Hauptmann
Environmental Design, College of Human Environmental Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia