Thermacork Research and Suitability Testing

As one of the oldest insulation products in North America, there is a wealth of testing behind Thermacork. The application research continues today with the 2018 release of comparative testing and the creation of a WUFI material file now included in the North American issue of Fraunhofer's hydrothermal modeling software WUFI.  Further studies are still underway on the suitability and performance of Thermacork Facade panels used as the final building facade in climate zone 4C.

WUFI 

It's now possible to model your proposed applications in WUFI. Both standard and facade grade Thermacork are now included in the Materials Data Base of the North American version of WUFI. The models were created by contract with RDH Building Science by RDH Team members, Chris Schumacher and Dr. John Straube. To download the Thermacork XML Files, go to WUFI support downloads here.  You can find the product downloads in the product list at the bottom of the page here, or just click the links here: 25mm Standard Grade XML File  50mm Standard Grade XML File, 50mm Facade Grade XML File.

North American material property Test Data

There has been extensive international testing on the material properties of Thermacork. However, the international nature of the independent lab tests can be challenging for professionals needing to validate the test data by North American standards. The recent investigation by RDH also yielded a comparative study between the existing library of international lab tests with identical lab tests performed to the USA and Canadian standards. The lab results of the material property testing is available below. Comments in the conclusion of the final report confirm equivalent findings between the European and North America tests.

Facade application testing underway.

Suitability testing of using Thermacork Facade Panels as a final facade is underway on a  home in Olympia, Washington.  The application monitoring began in 2015 and continues. The principle area of investigation is the performance and durability of both the panels and wall assembly in wet climates. Initial findings in extreme rain events show the exterior of the cork panel wetting while the interior layers at sheathing and cavity remain stable at less than 12% moisture content. See a snippet of an extreme rain event below.