The recent unfortunate fire events overseas involving building insulation have raised concerns in Australia about the impact of fire on insulation. Foamex Group customers, for instance, have enquired about the effect of fire on EXPOL underfloor insulation.

EXPOL underfloor insulation has a fire retardant component built into every panel. When the panels are exposed to a small flame source, they will shrink away from the naked flame. When the flame is completely removed or extinguished, so will EXPOL underfloor insulation. EXPOL does not add fuel to fire.

An established supplier of polystyrene for insulation material to the building and construction industry for over 30 years, Foamex fully warrants their product to have a fire retardant additive polymerised into the raw material formulation.

Given that some local EPS manufacturers choose not to build this important safety feature into their products since it adds to the cost of manufacturing, it’s important for specifiers and customers to ask this question before making a purchasing decision.

All expanded polystyrene (EPS) building products supplied by Foamex have this fire retardant component built into the core of every bead, providing the assurance that any EXPOL branded product has the fire retardant self-extinguishing property as standard.

Consisting mainly of stabilised air, polystyrene is a natural insulator against temperature, making it an ideal insulation material. EXPOL underfloor insulation keeps the heat in and stops the cold drafts that come up through the floorboards in winter.