Thermafiber® SAFB™ Formaldehyde-Free, the first of its kind in North America

There is a growing, unmet need in the commercial and institutional building market for a truly sustainable, specifiable, formaldehyde-free mineral wool product line. We’ve recognized an opportunity to answer market demand with formaldehyde-free Thermafiber® mineral wool insulation solutions and create product innovations that further green building standards.

According to the DODGE Data & Analytics World Green Building Trends 2016, the global green building sector continues to double every three years, with survey respondents from 70 countries reporting 60 percent of their projects will be green by 2018.

What was needed for the solution:

• Demand from the architectural community to provide a formaldehyde-free mineral wool insulation product to further green building.
• Since the acquisition of Thermafiber, Inc., Owens Corning has continued to invest in production capabilities and product innovation to be a leader in the mineral wool insulation industry.
• Product innovation opportunities have expanded with the opening of our new state-of-the-art Thermafiber® mineral wool manufacturing facility in Joplin, Missouri.
• The Owens Corning Thermafiber brand: Thermafiber® mineral wool insulation is the #1 most specified commercial mineral wool brand.

How it was solved:

Thermafiber® SAFB™ (Sound Attenuation Fire Blankets) mineral wool insulation was introduced in 1960 to provide acoustical control, thermal performance, and fire protection in many different UL® fire-rated wall and floor-ceiling assemblies. Thermafiber® SAFB™ mineral wool batts are non-combustible, moisture-resistant, non-corrosive, non-deteriorating, mildew-resistant and vermin-resistant and can be installed in both steel and wood framed construction. As a result, it has been installed in many high-profile buildings including the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, U.A.E.

With continued growth in the global green building sector, Owens Corning announced the first formaldehyde-free mineral wool insulation in North America, Thermafiber® SAFB™ FF earlier this year.The new formaldehyde-free version of Thermafiber® SAFB™ represents a breakthrough for architects, specifiers and contractors interested in achieving green building standards. The introduction of the first formaldehyde-free mineral wool solution reflects Owens Corning’s continuous investment into building science expertise, technical resources and product innovation.

Thermafiber® SAFB™ FF, available for specification and order today, is UL® Environment validated Formaldehyde-Free, GREENGUARD Gold certified, carries a Declare label and is Living Building Challenge compliant. It is engineered to meet high thermal, fire, and acoustical performance standards, and it continues to lead the industry with a minimum of 70 percent recycled content, as verified by ICC-ES. Thermafiber® SAFB™ FF is available for specification and order today.

Thermafiber® UltraBatt™ FF will quickly follow in a series of formaldehyde-free Thermafiber® mineral wool insulation solutions unveiled by Owens Corning. Thermafiber® UltraBatt™ FF is available for specification now.

The new formaldehyde-free Thermafiber® light density products are especially appropriate for applications in education, healthcare, and other institutions committed to indoor air quality.