1937
Otto Bayer
Diisocyanate + diol → polyurethane at IG Farben / Bayer.
Polyurethane foam did not arrive as a finished commodity. Otto Bayer 1937; fridge foam 1950s around Germany still explains who makes it and which tests it sits in.
Ten dated points, five eras and three milestones below are the spine — not a complete industrial history.
Where it began
Otto Bayer 1937; fridge foam 1950sGermany
Timeline
1937Otto Bayer
Diisocyanate + diol → polyurethane at IG Farben / Bayer.
1954Flexible foam furniture
Comfort market first.
1950s–60sRigid fridge foam
Replaced cork and glass wool in appliances.
1970sSpray foam roofs
US commercial roofs.
1987Montreal Protocol
CFC blowers began to exit.
1990sPIR vs PUR
Isocyanurate index for better fire indices.
2000sHFC blowers
Climate GWP problem replaced ozone problem.
2010sHFO / pentane
Lower-GWP blowing agents.
2017+Grenfell context
Insulation combustibility became a public brief — chemistry and system both.
2020sHFO shortages / pentane
Formulators juggle λ, fire and climate.
The eras
1950s–60s
Rigid fridge foam
Replaced cork and glass wool in appliances.
1987
Montreal Protocol
CFC blowers began to exit.
2000s
HFC blowers
Climate GWP problem replaced ozone problem.
2017+
Grenfell context
Insulation combustibility became a public brief — chemistry and system both.
Milestones
Spray foam roofs
1970sUS commercial roofs.
HFC blowers
2000sClimate GWP problem replaced ozone problem.
HFO shortages / pentane
2020sFormulators juggle λ, fire and climate.
Knowing this timeline is how to read a mill certificate without treating Polyurethane foam as timeless.
Keep exploring
More in Thermal
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A sealed vacuum sandwich — λ around 0.004–0.008 W/m·K until the envelope leaks.
Overall 44 🕯️Phase-change material
Latent-heat packets that flatten temperature swings — not a substitute for λ insulation, a complement.
Overall 36