Textile Thermal and Acoustic Insulation

Textile insulation products for buildings include glass wool, mineral wool, and bio-based fibre batts providing thermal resistance (R-value) and acoustic absorption. Glass wool batts (density 10–48 kg/m³, thermal conductivity λ = 0.032–0.044 W/m·K, ISO 10456) achieve R-2.5 to R-6.5 per 100 mm thickness for wall, floor, and roof insulation. Rock mineral wool (density 30–200 kg/m³, λ = 0.033–0.040 W/m·K) provides superior fire performance (A1 Euroclass, melting point >1,000°C) and acoustic absorption coefficient α = 0.7–0.95 at 500–2,000 Hz (ISO 354) for party wall and floor applications. Recycled PET fibre insulation batts (density 20–40 kg/m³, 85–100% recycled content, λ = 0.038–0.044 W/m·K) are manufactured from post-consumer PET bottles (25–30 bottles per m² of 100 mm batt) offering improved handling safety (no skin irritation) and equivalent thermal performance to glass wool at 20–40% premium cost. Hemp and sheep wool insulation batts (density 20–40 kg/m³, λ = 0.038–0.042 W/m·K) offer hygroscopic buffering (moisture absorption 15–30% by weight without loss of thermal performance) for breathable wall constructions. Aerogel blanket insulation (fumed silica matrix, density 150–200 kg/m³, λ = 0.014–0.018 W/m·K) provides 2–3× better thermal performance than conventional insulation for retrofit of constrained thickness applications. Global building insulation textile market exceeds $3.8 billion.