Spray Foam Insulation R Value Vs Fiberglass

Open cell foam is soft and spongy impermeable to air but permeable to moisture and according to the doe has an r value per inch ranging from r 3 6 to r 4 3.

Spray foam insulation r value vs fiberglass.

Fiberglass insulation is less than half the price of rigid foam insulation when calculated by r value per square foot. R value is a measurement of thermal resistance and measures the ability of heat to transfer from one side of an object to another. For example insulating a 10 square foot wall area to r 15 costs about 3 40 to 4 00 with fiberglass insulation while a comparable r value for rigid foam costs roughly 10. 1 additionally spray foam insulation has a high cost of entry with required training and equipment.

The r value of spray foam insulation is approximately 6 per inch so those using spray foam as their insulator will need about 6 3 inches of thickness to reach r 38. For instance a 5 5 inch wall cavity can be filled with 2 inches of foam and an r 13 fiberglass batt as a cost effective system that seals the walls with an r 25 insulation system exceeding u s. Spray foam insulation vs fiberglass r value is about equal for open cell insulation and about double for closed cell insulation per one inch layer. Compare spray foam vs fiberglass insulation costs summary.

Once applied closed cell foams become rigid and have an r value range from r 6 to r 7. Considering diy blown fiberglass insulation vs spray foam both require care to get the thickness right. The common denominator among varieties of insulation is the r value. As a benchmark one inch of solid wood has an r value of 1.

If you are dealing with a residential home then most likely you will be attempting to reach an r value of 38 meaning with the r value of spray foam being about 6 per. Home homeowners how spray foam saves money spray foam vs. Available spray foam types include cementitious phenolic polyisocyanurate polyiso and. The r value is a measurement of how resistant the product is to heat flow the higher the r value the more heat will be prevented from transitioning through the insulation.

The installed cost for r13 of spray foam insulation has been shown to be nearly 3 4 times as much for the same r value as fiberglass. A spray foam rig can cost upwards of 70 000. Average cost of spray foam vs fiberglass insulation one board foot 12 x 12 x 1 of open cell foam insulation averages 0 45 to 0 80 cents the same amount of closed cell insulation costs between 1 and 2 a square foot of fiberglass costs between 1 30 and 3 50 on average. Traditional insulation comparison compare spray foam to traditional types of insulation icynene spray foam expands 100 times its original size to fills cracks and crevices stopping air leaks.