INSULATED CONCRETE FORMS
Master Distributor
We provide valuable resources for your ICF project, including ICF sales with personal attention and service, years of proven experience, and a wide variety of ICF accessories. We can either build your project or provide materials and training to builders.
What are Insulated Concrete Forms?
Insulated concrete forms (ICFs) are hollow foam blocks which are stacked into the shape of the exterior walls of a building, reinforced with steel rebar, and then filled with concrete. Insulated concrete forms combine one of the finest insulating materials, Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), with one of the strongest structural building materials, steel reinforced concrete. The result is a wall system of unmatched comfort, energy efficiency, strength and noise reduction.
Why ICF?
Energy Efficient
Insulated concrete forms (ICF) combine close celled expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation with the terrific performance of concrete’s thermal mass to give you 30-70% savings in your heating and air conditioning costs. Covered EPS does not settle or deteriorate, resulting in significant, consistent long-term savings and exceptional comfort.
Versatile
An ICF house can look just like a traditional home if you want. Or,
because of the innate flexibility of the foam material, you can have unique footprints, arches, angles and curves as part of your design at a lower construction cost than with traditional building methods. Using 4’x16” molded blocks, 45 or 90 degree corners, brick ledge forms, and taper blocks, ICFs can be used to build virtually any home plan, using any finish - brick, stucco, siding, and more.
Environmentally Friendly
ICF significantly reduces the need for wood products, and instead use sand and gravel, the world’s most prevalent building materials. ICF walls utilize materials more efficiently, greatly reducing land filling. ICFs contain no HCFC, formaldehyde, asbestos, or fiberglass, and no harmful CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) are used in their manufacture, nor is there any degree of "off-gassing."
Superior Insulation
Expanded polystyrene is the premium insulation choice for your long-term comfort and savings. There are no airborne glass fibers to breathe, and no insulation settlement to be concerned about. With ICF, fluctuations in room temperatures will become a thing of the past and consequently you will experience overall comfort like never before.
Air-Tight Building Envelope
Airtight building envelopes reduce heating and cooling costs, and also provide superior indoor air quality. Energy efficient air exchangers can be programmed to introduce filtered fresh air so that dust, pollens and pollution stay outside.
Hurricane and Tornado Resistant
ICF provides the stability of concrete making it less likely to be damaged by tornados or strong winds. The photo to the left (taken by FEMA) shows a neighborhood shortly after it was hit by Hurricane Katrina. The only home still standing was constructed with ICF.
Fire-Resistant
Walls built with ICF have a three-hour plus fire rating due to the raw material bead with flame- retardant agents.
Sound-Resistant
Concrete filled insulated concrete forms provide exceptional sound attenuation. ICF walls achieve an STC rating of 50 plus which basically makes outside noise inaudible inside.
Solid Concrete
ICF structures built from footing to rafter have a full height reinforced insulated concrete wall. It puts an end to uncomfortable winter drafts and huge areas of heat loss or gain from electrical boxes.
Mold-Free Concrete and Foam
Unlike a wood frame building which once infiltrated by moisture will mold and mildew, ICF construction virtually eliminates this problem.
