Insulated Concrete Forming Systems
What are ICF's 
Advantage for Builder
Advantages for Homeowner
| Nudura® is the new-generation Integrated Building Technology that is vastly superior to traditional stick framing methods. With Nudura®, you can save time and money and get a stronger, more comfortable and more energy-efficient home. Nudura® is a large block system. 96" X 18" with folding ties in place. | Perma-Form® is a complete forming system. Perma- Form® is a pre-fab wall forming system that includes corners in 6", 8", 10" and 12" wall thichnesses. Perma-Form® arrives at the job site as fully assembled panels ready for final slide together assembly. Panel size up to 96" X 48 |
Greater Comfort & Lower Energy Bills.
ICF Advantages For the Homeowner.
Easy to Live With. Easy To Love.
Energy savings and comfort are built into every ICF system. ICFs start with a high R-value. Four inches of ASTM C 578 polystyrene foam insulation, combined with a five inch concrete wall - a typical ICF system - are rated above R-17 at 75 degree mean test temperature. Other insulating form configurations and materials also exhibit high R-values.
But that's not all! Air infiltration in an ICF Home is minimal due to the continuous air barriers provided by the foam insulation and the concrete. Likewise, there are no convection currents within wall cavities.
The concrete walls of an ICF home have high thermal mass, which buffers the interior of a home from the extremes of outdoor temperature during every 24-hour cycle. This reduces both peak and total heating and cooling loads.
This combination of high R-values, low air infiltration, and high thermal mass is believed to account for the amazing 25% to 50% energy savings of ICF versus wood or steel-framed homes.
Peace & Quiet
New ICF homeowners almost always remark on how unbelievably quiet their new house is, compared with their old stick-built home. They expect the new-found comfort and energy efficiency, but the peace and quiet - the protection from outside noise - never fails to surprise and delight them.
In sound transmission tests, ICF walls allowed less than one-third as much sound to pass through, as do ordinary frame walls filled with fiberglass. With double-glazed windows in ICF walls and beefed-up roof insulation, you will rarely hear street noises or airport traffic.
Solid & Lasting Security
The high-mass walls of an ICF home not only give it a remarkably solid feel, but they also make it safer for the family. And make it a remarkably solid and secure investment, too. Concrete homes have a proven track record of withstanding the ravages of hurricanes, tornadoes and fires, when all the stick-built houses around them are in ruins.
In firewall tests, ICFs stood exposure to intense flame without structural failure longer than did common frame walls. The polystyrene foam used in most ICF forms is treated so it will not support combustion. Also, tests show that its tendency to transmit an outside flame source is less than that of most wood products. [Many insurance carriers are now offering a discount on a homeowner's policy for an ICF home.]
Less Repair & Maintenance
With ICF homes, the equation is simple. No Rot = Less Repair and Maintenance. Neither polystyrene nor concrete will ever rot or rust. Concrete can even be exposed to the elements for centuries with few ill effects. Reinforcing steel, buried deep inside and protected by concrete's alkalinity, does not corrode.
A Healthier Home & Environment
Building with ICFs is healthier for the environment in a number of ways: by minimizing the umber of different building products involved in construction, by reducing the amount of waste generated on the construction site, and by lowering energy requirements for heating and cooling.
ICF homes provide a healthy indoor environment, too. Nothing held within or ordinarily emitted by an ICF wall is toxic. The measurement of the air contents of actual ICF houses shows an almost complete absence of any emissions.
ICF Advantages For the
Builder.
Construction Made Simple.
Fast To Learn & Easy to Use
Although it looks new and different, anyone with construction experience can quickly get up to speed with ICFs. An ideal crew has a mix of concrete placement and carpentry experience. Once the crew has some practice, each ICF-built home requires less skilled labor and less total labor than a wood-framed home. And ICFs are very lightweight, so crews stay fresh through the day.
Likewise, ICFs present no problem for the sub-contractors who come after the walls are poured. Since holes, chases and rectangles are easily cut into ICFs with a knife or saw; installation of mechanical systems is a snap. The fastening of drywall and lap siding is just as fast and easy. And mid-course corrections, such as moving an opening, are no big deal - just saw it out and re-form. It's not more difficult to make changes to an ICF wall - it's just different.
Versatile System - Flexible Designs
ICF homes can be designed in any style, and will accept any traditional exterior finish including vinyl or wood siding, stucco or brick. Because custom angles and curves are easily created, it's simple to build in bows, bays and radiuses. And ICF systems accommodate any of today's most popular design features, such as tall walls, large openings, long floor spans, and cathedral ceilings.
Internationally proven & Code-Accepted
Originally developed in Europe (where concrete home building is standard) ICF systems have been used successfully around the world for more than 30 years. Thousands of ICF homes have been built in recent years throughout the United States and Canada. They have proven successful in every region and climate, from Orlando to Calgary. ICF systems are accepted by all the major model codes in the U.S., and by the R-200 program in Canada.
Cost Competitive
Over the last ten years, concrete prices have been remarkably stable. Recent price increases in other materials have generated interest in concrete building systems as never before. Labor savings and readily available materials make ICFs, feature for feature, one of the most cost competitive wall systems in U.S. and Canadian housing markets.
What are ICF,s
Insulating Concrete Forms are basically forms for poured concrete walls. Unlike traditional concrete wall construction which utilizes steel or aluminum forming panels that are removed after the concrete is poured, ICF formwork stays in place to become a permanent part of an insulated wall assembly. The lightweight forms, made of foam insulation, are either pre-formed interlocking blocks or separate panels with plastic ties. The left-in-place formwork not only provides a continuous insulation and sound barrier, but also a backing for drywall on the inside, and stucco, lap siding or brick on the outside.
Types of Insulating Concrete Forms
Although all ICFs are identical in principle, the various brands differ widely in the details of their shapes, cavities and component parts.
Block systems have the smallest individual units, ranging from 8" x 1'4" (height X length) to 1'4" x 4'. A typical ICF block is 10" in overall width, with a 6" cavity for the concrete. The units are factory-molded with special interlocking edges that allow them to fit together much like plastic children's blocks.
Panel systems have the largest units, ranging from roughly 1' x 8' to 4' x 12’. Their foam edges are flat, and interconnection requires attachment of a separate connector or "tie." Panels are assembled into units before setting in place - either on-site or by the local distributor prior to delivery.
Plank systems are similar to panel systems, but generally use smaller faces of foam, ranging in height from 8" to 12"and in width from 4' to 8’. The major difference between planks and panels is assembly. The foam planks are outfitted with ties as part of the setting sequence, rather than being pre-assembled into units.
Within these broad categories of ICFs, individual brands vary in their cavity design. "Flat wall" systems yield a continuous thickness of concrete, like a conventional poured wall. "Grid wall" systems have a waffle pattern where the concrete is thicker at some points than others. "Post and beam" systems have widely spaced horizontal and vertical columns of concrete, which is completely encapsulated in foam. Whatever the differences among ICF brands, all major ICF systems are engineer-designed, code-accepted, and field-proven.
Applications of Insulating Concrete Forms
Single-Family Homes - Since the increases in price and decline in quality of North American lumber in the early 1990's, the use of ICFs in the U.S. housing market has skyrocketed. In fact, according to data collected by the Portland Cement Association, it has become the fastest growing alternative to wood frame for above-grade perimeter wall construction. The number of single-family homes built from footing to eaves with ICFs has been approximately doubling each year. In 1997, about 8,000 to 10,000 above-grade ICF homes were built in the U.S. About one-third of all ICFs sold are used in above-grade residential construction.
Multi-Family Homes: - Townhouses and condominiums represent a rising and significant application for ICFs. Due to the necessity for increased firewall protection and sound deadening between units in these structures, above-grade ICF walls are becoming an increasingly popular and cost-effective option for builders and developers
Residential Basements - In cold climates, energy experts tell us up to 40% of a home's heat loss is through the ground. ICFs create the perfect basement walls for locking out winter, and keeping more warm, heated air inside. ICFs have been used for decades in foundations and basements throughout North America. Currently, about one-third of all ICFs sold are used in residential basements.
Commercial Buildings - About another third of all ICFs are used in commercial construction, both for foundations and for above-grade walls. In addition to lowering the ongoing operating costs of the building due to the increase in energy efficiency, using ICFs for the entire structure can significantly decrease the construction cycle time, speeding up a project by weeks or even months. Commercial uses of ICFs - for hotels and motels, retail and professional buildings, warehouses, schools and churches, theaters, and others - are a rapidly growing application.
Where have ICF homes been built?
ICF homes have been built all across the U.S, in every region, and virtually every state. ICF homes are prized in the Northeast and Upper Midwest for their energy efficiency and comfortable indoor climate. Along the hurricane-plagued Eastern Seaboard and Gulf Coast, ICF homes are similarly valued for their durability and resistance to storms. In the Southwest, ICF homes keep their occupants much cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. On the West Coast, ICF homes provide safety from earthquakes and fires.
In the provinces of Canada, the growth rate of ICF homes has exceeded even that of the United States. Spurred by government programs to encourage the construction of more energy efficient housing, more Canadian builders already know what their U.S counterparts are just now discovering: It is often less expensive to build with ICFs from footing to eaves than it is to build a stick frame house to the same insulation standard.
How to select an ICF system
Just as every brand of automobile performs the same basic function - getting you from Point A to Point B - so does every brand of ICF. And the answer to "What is the best ICF system" is like to the answer to "What is the best car?" Just as you wouldn't buy a new car without thoroughly understanding your own needs and thoroughly researching what is available, the same holds true for choosing a brand of ICF. What is the best system? Only you can really make that judgment, based on your individual needs.
The ICFA Member List has links to the websites of all of our Primary Members - these are the largest and most respected manufacturers/marketers of ICFs in North America. These companies will send you literature on their systems, as well as tell you if they currently have distribution and technical service in your area.
If you want some up-front guidance in your research, the ICFA and the Portland Cement Association have a number of excellent ICF brochures, books and videos, which are listed on our Publications page. These materials can take you through everything from generally comparing ICF brands to answering detailed engineering and technical questions. They are also indispensable reference tools for the building professional.
How to find an ICF contractor or builder
The ICFA Member List is a good way to locate an experienced ICF contractor. Some of the companies on the Contractor/Distributor portion of our list also act as a general contractor. However, if they do not, they can put you in touch with experienced local ICF builders and architects.
Another great source of local information is your state or provincial-level ready mixed concrete association. They would usually know where ICF homes are being built, and who the experienced ICF builders and contractors are in your area.