1937
Otto Bayer
Diisocyanate + diol → polyurethane at IG Farben / Bayer.
Milestones in order. This is history, not a weekly activity grid.
- Otto Bayer
- Flexible foam furniture
- Rigid fridge foam
- Spray foam roofs
- Montreal Protocol
- PIR vs PUR
- HFC blowers
- HFO / pentane
- Grenfell context
- HFO shortages / pentane
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Strength20
Heat resistance36
Fire performance28
Insulation88
Workability74
Circularity32
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Quick answers
Is Polyurethane foam non-combustible?
Declared reaction class in this atlas: typically E–B with facers; not A1. Assemblies still need resistance tests.
Does Polyurethane foam insulate?
Thermal mark 88/100 versus the atlas. Conductivity note: λ ~0.022–0.028 W/m·K (aged PIR boards, bands).
What is the density band?
30–60 kg/m³ rigid boards
How is it made?
Origin story: Otto Bayer 1937; fridge foam 1950s (Germany).
Can it be recycled?
Circularity mark 32/100 — editorial, route-specific.
Typical melting or failure heat?
pyrolyses; does not melt cleanly
heat 36 · fire 28
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
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Mineral wool
Melted rock or glass spun into A1 batts — the default non-combustible insulation of codes.
Overall 69 📦Vacuum insulated panel
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