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The industrial insulation database

Every industrial insulation type — with the numbers, not the brochure

12 materials with temperature-dependent λ, 6 system formats, 6 jacketing options, computed heat-loss tables for every material × temperature, honest comparisons, and a selector that picks for your service. Every figure computed to ASTM C680 — the same method as our free calculator.

Pick my insulation →Browse the data tables
One number to set the stakes

What a bare pipe actually costs

DN100 pipe, 250 °C, still air: 826 W per metre, continuously. Over a year that is ≈6,969 kWh of fuel, €348 and 1.3 t CO2 — per metre. 50 mm of stone wool cuts it to 112 W/m (86% less) with a 37 °C surface. Everything on this site is that calculation, repeated honestly for every material and temperature.

Materialλ W/m·KLoss W/mSurfaceSaving €/m·yrt CO2/m·yr
Stone wool (mineral wool)0.05211237 °C€3481.3
Glass wool0.05010636 °C€3511.3
Ceramic fibre (RCF / AES blanket)0.06012739 °C€3411.2
Aerogel blanket0.0276129 °C€3731.4
Calcium silicate0.06713941 °C€3351.2
Expanded perlite0.07014542 °C€3321.2
Cellular glass0.05812238 °C€3431.3
Microporous (fumed-silica) panels0.0235027 °C€3781.4
E-glass needle mat0.05010636 °C€3511.3
Silica needle mat / fabric0.05511737 °C€3461.3

DN100 pipe at 250 °C, 50 mm insulation, per metre of pipe; bare loss 826 W/m. λ at mean temperature; € and CO2 per metre·year at €0.05/kWh, 8000 h, 82% efficiency. Method: ASTM C680 simplified (h=10).

Materials

12 insulation materials, measured

Stone wool (mineral wool)
to 640 °C · λ 0.036–0.121 W/m·K · wired mats
Glass wool
to 450 °C · λ 0.033–0.074 W/m·K · pipe sections
Ceramic fibre (RCF / AES blanket)
to 1200 °C · λ 0.060–0.220 W/m·K · blanket
Aerogel blanket
to 650 °C · λ 0.020–0.055 W/m·K · 5/10 mm flexible blankets (Pyrogel-type)
Calcium silicate
to 650 °C · λ 0.055–0.104 W/m·K · rigid pre-formed sections and blocks
Expanded perlite
to 650 °C · λ 0.060–0.092 W/m·K · rigid sections and blocks (often silicate-bonded)
Cellular glass
to 430 °C · λ 0.038–0.068 W/m·K · rigid blocks and sections (FOAMGLAS-type)
Microporous (fumed-silica) panels
to 1000 °C · λ 0.022–0.040 W/m·K · rigid panels
Elastomeric foam (FEF)
to 150 °C · λ 0.034–0.040 W/m·K · flexible tubes and sheets (Armaflex-type)
PIR / PUR rigid foam
to 140 °C · λ 0.023–0.028 W/m·K · pre-formed sections
E-glass needle mat
to 550 °C · λ 0.045–0.095 W/m·K · needled fibreglass mat — the standard CORE of removable insulation covers
Silica needle mat / fabric
to 1000 °C · λ 0.055–0.110 W/m·K · needle mat and woven fabric — high-temperature removable covers
Systems & formats

How insulation actually arrives on site

Removable insulation covers (jackets)
Engineered fabric covers — insulation core (needle mat / silica mat / stone wool) sewn inside a coated-fabric skin, clos…
Wired mats & lagging mattresses
Stone-wool wired mat (galvanized or stainless mesh stitched both sides) wrapped on site and clad with metal — the classi…
Pre-formed pipe sections
Half-shell sections (stone wool, glass wool, calcium silicate, PIR for cold) sized to standard pipe ODs, snapped on and …
Boards & slabs
Rigid boards (stone wool, calcium silicate, cellular glass, microporous, PIR) for flat and large-radius surfaces.…
Insulation bags & pillows
Loose-filled fabric pillows stuffed with fibre — the budget cousin of engineered covers: no pattern, just a bag wired ar…
Cold & cryogenic systems
Below-ambient insulation is a different sport: the enemy is water vapour driving INTO the cold surface. Closed-cell mate…
By service temperature

Start from your operating temperature

Up to 100 °C
hot water, condensate, LP steam traces
100–250 °C
saturated steam (4–40 bar), thermal oil, most process heat
250–400 °C
HP steam, hot-oil heaters, exhaust lines
400–600 °C
superheated steam, turbine casings, engine exhausts
Above 600 °C
furnaces, kilns, gas-turbine exhausts, catalytic units
Tools & deep dives

Compare, compute, decide

Head-to-head comparisons
Aerogel vs calcium silicate, removable vs fixed, aluminium vs stainless jacket — with computed numbers, not adjectives.
Heat-loss data tables
Material × temperature datasheets: W/m, surface temp, €/yr across DN50–DN300 and 30–100 mm.
Insulation selector
Temperature + environment + access needs → ranked shortlist with reasons.
Jacketing guide
Aluminium, stainless, GRP, coated fabrics — including how jacket emissivity changes your surface temperature.
Thermal insulation — the pillar
Physics, all material families, computed savings — the definition page.
Energy savings, computed
Per line, per valve, per plant (the 2–5% finding) — with stated assumptions.
🆚 Inzonex vs conventional
The checkable differences — patent, ≤45 °C, tiered cores, public tools.
Q&A
CUI, wet mineral wool, economic thickness, standards — the questions engineers actually ask.
Standards
ASTM C680, C547, C1695, EN 14303, CINI — what each one actually governs.
Heat-loss calculator
Your geometry, your temperatures — free, ASTM C680, no login.
Carbon Cost Hub
What the saved tonnes are worth at the live EU ETS price.
FAQ

Questions on this topic

What types of industrial insulation are there?
Three layers of choice: the MATERIAL (stone wool, glass wool, ceramic fibre, aerogel, calcium silicate, perlite, cellular glass, microporous, elastomeric, PIR, needle mat, silica textiles), the SYSTEM it arrives as (removable covers, wired mats, pre-formed pipe sections, boards, bags, cold systems), and the JACKETING that protects it (aluminium, stainless, galvanized, GRP, coated fabrics). This hub documents all three with measured properties and computed heat-loss numbers.
What is the best insulation for high-temperature pipes?
Up to ~640 °C, high-density stone wool (wired mat) is the cost-performance default; 550–1000 °C moves to silica textiles and microporous panels; above that, ceramic fibre. For components needing maintenance access at any temperature, the material sits inside a removable cover. A DN100 steam pipe at 250 °C loses 826 W per metre bare — 50 mm of stone wool cuts that to 112 W/m (≈€348/m·yr saved).
What is the difference between removable and fixed insulation?
Fixed lagging (mat + metal cladding) is cheapest per m2 on surfaces that never open. Removable covers cost more upfront but survive maintenance: fixed lagging on a valve gets cut off at the first service and rarely returns — which is why surveys keep finding the same bare components year after year. Rule of thumb: if it gets opened, it needs a removable cover.
How much does industrial insulation save?
Per metre of bare DN100 pipe at 250 °C: ≈6,969 kWh of fuel, €348 and 1.3 t CO2 per year (at €0.05/kWh, 8000 h). Across a plant, surveys typically find 2–5% of total fuel use in bare components — payback under 2 years. Run your own numbers in the free calculator.