Melted rock or glass spun into A1 batts — the default non-combustible insulation of codes.
Also called: rock wool · stone wool · glass wool
Mineral wool is one of 32 materials in this atlas, grouped under thermal: history, structure, measured properties, process routes, uses, safety and market — not a product catalogue.
Scores compare Mineral wool with the rest of the atlas on strength, heat, fire behaviour, insulation, workability and circularity. They are editorial, not certificates.
Seven chapters follow. Fire and insulation claims name test families (Euroclass, ASTM E84, ISO 5660, KS F) rather than inventing a single safety number.
Deep introduction
Mineral wool (Ca-Mg-Al silicates / soda-lime glass fibres) is a family of grades whose density 20–150 kg/m³ products, heat band softens ~1000 °C class (stone), and fire letter A1.
Mineral wool is sold as grades, not as a single substance. Chemistry Ca-Mg-Al silicates / soda-lime glass fibres, density 20–150 kg/m³ products, heat band softens ~1000 °C class (stone).
This atlas treats Mineral wool as a system: mill route, coatings, tests and the cavity it sits in.
Conductivity note: λ ~0.032–0.040 W/m·K typical batts. Insulation score 86/100 is relative to 32 entries — metals lose, VIPs and aerogels win.
Fire letter in editorial use: A1. Do not equate A1 with “safe in a blaze” or E with “illegal”. Assemblies decide.
Origin: Slag wool 19th c.; glass wool 1930s, US / Germany / Denmark. The process chapter follows feedstock → conversion → forming → finish → install.
Uses span buildings to defence / safety. Pairings matter: polyurethane-foam.
Producers below are landmarks, not an endorsement ranking. Prices are bands, not live quotes.
Circularity mark 58/100. Ask which scrap, which certificate, which year.
United States · 1938–
Owens-Corning Pink is a reference point in the public image of Mineral wool.
Denmark · 1937–
ROCKWOOL is a reference point in the public image of Mineral wool.
Germany · 1970s–
Knauf Insulation is a reference point in the public image of Mineral wool.
Europe · 1970s–
Cavity batt is a reference point in the public image of Mineral wool.
UK / EU · 2010s
High-rise rainscreen is a reference point in the public image of Mineral wool.
Global · 1950s–
Pipe section is a reference point in the public image of Mineral wool.
Global · 1960s–
Acoustic ceiling is a reference point in the public image of Mineral wool.
United States · 19th c.
Slag wool heritage is a reference point in the public image of Mineral wool.
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Same family or rival physics — pick a duel.
Closest neighbours on the six atlas axes — strength, heat, fire, insulation, workability and circularity.
Spun refractory fibres for 1000–1400 °C — kiln linings, gaskets, and a respirable-fibre caution that AES grades try to ease.
Overall 62 🧯Paints that swell into insulating char — the thin-film way to give steel an R-rating without bulky boards.
Overall 58 ☁️A nanoscale silica sponge — among the lowest solid λ values, fragile unless blanketed, and A1 when purely inorganic.
Overall 60 🫧Si–O backbone elastomers and resins — bakeware, medical tubing, façade sealants and a kinder high-temp story than carbon chains.
Overall 55The low-λ organic foam of fridges and buildings — excellent insulation, a fire design problem unless PIR and coverings are honest.
Overall 46 📦A sealed vacuum sandwich — λ around 0.004–0.008 W/m·K until the envelope leaks.
Overall 44 🕯️Latent-heat packets that flatten temperature swings — not a substitute for λ insulation, a complement.
Overall 36