The Advanced Insulation Materials Ltd Knowledge Hub is your one-stop resource centre for all things thermal insulation. Here you’ll find our comprehensive Guide to Pipe Insulation, detailed technical data sheets, best-practice installation guides and a wide range of industry insights—all curated to support contractors, specifiers and merchants.

Whether you’re looking to optimise energy efficiency, comply with UK building regulations or explore sustainable insulation strategies, our Knowledge Hub brings together practical tools and expert advice to help you achieve your project goals with confidence. Dive in and discover how you can elevate your insulation solutions today.

Key Terms

General Insulation Terms

• Thermal Conductivity (λ-value): Indicates how well a material conducts heat—lower values mean better insulation.
• Closed-Cell Foam: Rigid foam with sealed air pockets offering strong thermal and moisture resistance.
• Mineral Wool: An open fibre material made of either rock or glass fibre – each has it’s particular benefits.
• U-value: Measures how much heat passes through a material—the lower the value, the better the insulation. Commonly used in UK regulations to assess thermal performance of walls, roofs, and windows.
• R-value: Measures how well a material resists heat flow—the higher the value, the better the insulation. More common in US specs but relevant globally, especially for product comparisons.
• They're inversely related: R-value = 1 ÷ U-value (assuming consistent units).
• μ-value (Mu Factor): A measure of a material’s resistance to water vapour diffusion, expressed as a ratio compared to air. Air has a μ-value of 1, so a material with a μ-value of 10 is ten times more resistant to vapour movement than air. It’s unitless and used to assess breathability—lower values mean more vapour-permeable, higher values mean more vapour-resistant.

HVAC Insulation

• Lagging: Insulation wrapping for pipes and ducts to reduce heat loss and prevent condensation.
• Wall: This is just the thickness of insulation that you will have on both sides of the pipe
• Bore: This is the hole that your pipe fits into
• Duct Wrap: Flexible insulation blanket for air ducts to improve energy efficiency and reduce noise.

Passive Fire Protection

• Intumescent Coating: Fire-reactive paint that expands under heat to form a protective char layer.
• Fire Resistance Rating (FRR): Time-based rating (e.g. 30, 60, 90 mins) for how long a system can resist fire.
• Compartmentation: Dividing a building into fire-rated zones to control fire spread.
• Firestop Sealant: Sealant used to restore fire resistance by filling gaps around services like pipes and cables.
• Non-combustible Material: Material that won’t ignite or contribute to fire growth, as defined by building regulations.

Loft Insulation

• Mineral Wool: Loft insulation offering thermal, acoustic, and fire protection.
• Roll Insulation: Blanket-style product, typically laid between joists for quick loft coverage.
• Rafter Insulation: Boards fitted between or below rafters to insulate pitched roofs.
• Vapour Control Layer (VCL): Membrane that blocks moisture ingress, protecting insulation from condensation.

Acoustic Insulation

• Sound Absorption Coefficient: Indicates how effectively a material absorbs sound; values range from 0 (none) to 1 (full absorption).
• Decibel (dB) Reduction: Shows how much noise is blocked or absorbed by the insulation system.
• Resilient Layer: Flexible material inserted in floors or walls to reduce impact sound.
• Mass-Loaded Vinyl (MLV): Dense sheet used in walls/floors to block airborne sound.
• Flanking Transmission: Unwanted sound that travels around insulation barriers via structural paths or gaps.

Guides

Complete Guide To Pipe Insulation

Nitrile Rubber Pipe Insulation

Polyethylene Pipe Lagging

Knauf Technical Product Overvie w

Supaphen Technical Product Overview

Acoustic Insulation Technical Overview

Data Sheets

Videos