The standard subslab insulation installation in North America generally involves some combination of rigid foam board (EPS, XPS,etc.) and crushed stone aggregate. This combination serves to insulate under slab while providing a drainage layer to keep moisture and water away from a building’s foundation. While the thermal insulation per inch of rigid foam board may be high, it comes at an even higher environmental cost. Filled with petrochemicals, rigid foam board has high embodied carbon from the onset of its life cycle, not to mention the required chemical agents to remain fire resistant. Crushed stone aggregates are also incredibly heavy and bulky, making transportation arduous at best. There must be a better way to do foam free sub slab insulation.

Foam glass gravel, also known as cellular glass insulation has the power to reduce the embodied carbon by eliminating both foam board and gravel from the sub slab insulation equation. Used in Europe for over twenty years, foam glass gravel is manufactured from recycled glass, requires no virgin materials, and no petrochemicals to manufacture. Foam glass gravel is thermally insulating and boasts high compressive strength so it is capable of replacing both the backfill gravel and rigid foam board used as sub slab insulators. This not only reduces the installation efforts needed to set up sub slab insulation, but it also simplifies purchasing and supply chain site logistics for a foam free sub slab installation. While a skilled professional is required for the cutting and installation of rigid foam board, foam glass gravel’s installation is a far simpler process that involves only a plate compactor once Glavel is in a foundation. For more information on installation, find our Installation Guide here.