Which has better fire resistance, glass wool or rock wool?

Fire resistance is one of the crucial considerations in the selection of building insulation materials. As a professional rock wool manufacturer, we are well aware of the subtle differences between different materials and their impact on the final use effect. Today, we will delve into the performance of glass wool and rock wool free wall insulation in terms of fire resistance, and conduct a detailed analysis from the aspects of raw materials, production processes, and specific application scenarios.

Analysis of raw materials and production processes

Glass wool is mainly made by melting and drawing natural minerals such as quartz sand and limestone. The production process involves heating these raw materials to extremely high temperatures, pulling them into fibers, and then curing them to form sheets or coils. Although glass wool has good thermal insulation properties, its fiber structure is prone to softening at high temperatures, leading to a decrease in overall strength and resulting in the collapse phenomenon observed in the above tests. This is because the main component of glass wool - silicate - undergoes phase transition under high temperature conditions, causing the material to lose its original physical form and strength.

In contrast, rock wool is made by centrifuging basalt and other minerals melted at high temperatures. This special production process endows rock wool with higher fire resistance. Rock wool can not only maintain structural stability under extreme high temperatures, but also effectively prevent flame spread. This is due to the complex fiber network formed internally, which can block heat transfer and provide additional mechanical support. More importantly, the chemical composition of rock wool ensures its stability by preventing significant physical changes at high temperatures.

Specific analysis of fire resistance performance

fire resistance rating