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What was the UFFI Concern?
Should you Buy a UFFI-Insulated Home?
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This article provides simple visual and tactile methods that anyone can use to reliably tell the difference among several common types of foam building insulation products: UFFI - urea formaldehyde foam building insulation, Icynene® foam building insulation, and latex foam building insulation. All three of these insulations are applied as foams that cure to a finished product. Solid slab and pre-shaped cut styrofoam and other insulating board products are described separately at Insulation Material Identification Guide.
© Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.
How to Make a Sure Distinction Among UFFI Foam, Icynene® Foam, and Latex Foam Insulating Products in Buildings
Besides the details we outlined just above, it's easy to make a reliable distinction among urea formaldehyde foam insulation, Icynene® foam building insulation, and latex spray foam building insulation products using our simple finger probe test.
If the foam insulation product you find is quite firm it is probably a newer product such as icynene spray foam insulation. But beware: another soft foam insulation product is latex foam spray insulation sold in small spray canisters at building supply houses. It's easy to tell the difference. The latex foam spray and icynene foam spray products are not crumbly.\
Visual and Tactile Characteristics of UFFI Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation
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Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation expands to ooze out of openings in building cavities where it was inserted. (So do other expanding foam products such as Icynene® and Latex foams.) When cured it forms a rather dull matte finish that may become gray with dust or dirt either with age or by movement through a dusty building cavity during its installation. The color of the "skin" of cured UFFI is usually a darker gold color than the interior of the product. You can see the brownish gold color if the UFFI in our photo (left). |
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UFFI foam insulation is very crumbly and soft. It is very easy to break off a section of this foam with your hand using almost no pressure at all - the foam is very fragile. (Photo above left)
UFFI foam insulation will compress and usually disintegrate into a fine powder if you compress it, even by pressing on it with just a finger, and you'll see that UFFI leaves a dusty residue on your finger if you crush it. (Photo above right). Because any fine dust particles can be a respiratory irritant, even when the particles are not themselves toxic, we recommend that you wear a respirator when performing this test.
(To avoid making a mess we conducted these tests inside of a disposable cardboard box.)
We discuss the identification and properties of UFFI insulation in buildings in detail at Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation UFFI where we also explain the history of public fear of health hazards that were thought to be associated with this product. The insulating or "R-value" properties of UFFI are at INSULATION R-Values & Properties.
Visual and Tactile Characteristics of Icynene® Foam Insulation
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Icynene foam insulation is a foam spray insulation product in contemporary use (2008). Our photo (left) shows cured Icynene foam insulation oozing out of wall cavities in an attic. Here is another photo of Icynene foam insulation. When cured it forms a rather hard shiny surface or "skin". You can depress this foam but some force will be needed and it is elastic. While dust can settle on and dirty this insulating material, its hard shiny surface picks up and holds less dust and debris than UFFI. Icynene foam insulation is quite durable and while you can tear off a chunk of Icynene foam from a larger piece using your bare hand, it requires some strength and the torn pieces remain generally intact. (See photos just below). |
 
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Icynene foam insulation is elastic. If you compress a sample with your finger, as we show in these two photos (above), it will remain intact and will expand pretty much back to its original shape when you remove your finger.
We discuss the properties of Icynene® foam spray insulation at Icynene Foam Spray Insulation.
The insulating or "R-value" properties of Icynene foam are at INSULATION R-Values & Properties.
We discuss the reduced risk of mold where Icynene® is in crawl spaces at Mold risk in Icynene Foam Insulation.
Visual and Tactile Characteristics of Latex Foam Spray Insulation
Latex foam insulation is not really elastic. If you press down on latex foam insulation spray product after it has cured, it will compress and remain pretty much squashed into the smaller volume you've made.
Latex spray foam insulation is also whiter in color than the golden yellow of UFFI or Icynene and its finished surface is a dull matte not very shiny.
Like Icynene, latex foam insulation is not fragile but you can tear off a section from a larger chunk of cured latex foam insulation with your bare hand.
We have not found latex foam insulation used for complete building insulation retrofit, but it is often used by consumers to seal small building air leaks.
[Photos coming]
ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN BUILDINGS
INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT
Insulation Material Identification Guide
Asbestos-Free Insulation Materials
Balsam Wool Batt Insulation
Cotton Insulating Batts
Cellulose loose fill insulation
Concrete insulation, light-weight
Fiberglass Insulation
Foam Board Insulation
Foam Insulation Types - Visual Id
Homasote & Other Insulating Board
Icynene Foam Spray Insulation
Insects & Foam Insulation
Mineral Wool - Rock Wool Insulation
Mold in Fiberglass Insulation
Mold in Foam Insulation
Paper Duct Insulation
Perlite Insulation
POLYISOCYANURATE FOAM INSULATION
POLYSTYRENE FOAM INSULATION
RADIANT BARRIERS
RIGID FOAM USE INDOORS
Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation UFFI
URETHANE FOAM Deterioration, Outgassing
Vermiculite Insulation
HEAT LOSS CALCULATIONS
INSULATION LOCATION for BASEMENTS
INSULATION LOCATION for CAPES, CRAWLSPACES
INSULATION for GREENHOUSE or SOLARIUM
INSULATION MATERIAL IDENTIFICATION GUIDE
INSULATION R-Values & Properties
ASBESTOS: Photo Guide to Materials / Products
Mold Growth Resistance of Foam Insulation
Table of Properties of Insulating Materials
ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN BUILDINGS
Asbestos Risk Assessment
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Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.
ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN BUILDINGS
INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT
Insulation Material Identification Guide
Asbestos-Free Insulation Materials
Balsam Wool Batt Insulation
Cotton Insulating Batts
Cellulose loose fill insulation
Concrete insulation, light-weight
Fiberglass Insulation
Foam Board Insulation
Foam Insulation Types - Visual Id
Homasote & Other Insulating Board
Icynene Foam Spray Insulation
Insects & Foam Insulation
Mineral Wool - Rock Wool Insulation
Mold in Fiberglass Insulation
Mold in Foam Insulation
Paper Duct Insulation
Perlite Insulation
POLYISOCYANURATE FOAM INSULATION
POLYSTYRENE FOAM INSULATION
RADIANT BARRIERS
RIGID FOAM USE INDOORS
Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation UFFI
URETHANE FOAM Deterioration, Outgassing
Vermiculite Insulation
HEAT LOSS CALCULATIONS
INSULATION LOCATION for BASEMENTS
INSULATION LOCATION for CAPES, CRAWLSPACES
INSULATION for GREENHOUSE or SOLARIUM
INSULATION MATERIAL IDENTIFICATION GUIDE
INSULATION R-Values & Properties
ASBESTOS: Photo Guide to Materials / Products
Mold Growth Resistance of Foam Insulation
Table of Properties of Insulating Materials
ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN BUILDINGS
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More expert information on Asbestos Identification, Recognition, & Testing
ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS - INSPECT, TEST, REMEDY
IDENTIFICATION of ASBESTOS in BUILDINGS
INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT
Insulation Material Identification Guide
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More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs
- Asbestos: How to find and recognize asbestos in Buildings - visual inspection methods, list of common asbestos-containing materials
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- Asbestos Information Links: Asbestos Detection, Testing, Recognition, Hazards, Field Photos, and Information Sources, including health-related links such as legal services and information about mesothelioma and other cancers.
- Asbestos Identification and Testing References
- Asbestos Identification, Walter C.McCrone, McCrone Research Institute, Chicago, IL.1987 ISBN 0-904962-11-3. Dr. McCrone literally "wrote the book" on asbestos identification procedures which formed the basis for current work by asbestos identification laboratories.
- Stanton, .F., et al., National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 506: 143-151
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