Insulating Concrete Forms
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A Better Way To Build A Better Home
Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs) give you all the benefits that have made concrete the material of choice for home building worldwide: Solid, lasting construction that resists the ravages of fire, wind, and Father Time. But ICFs do plain concrete one better – or rather, two better – by giving you two built-in layers of foam insulation.
 
This gives an ICF home some sizable advantages over an ordinary stick-built home. Greater energy efficiency. More peace & quiet. More sheer day-to-day living comfort. All wrapped up in a solid, high-quality building package that gives an ICF home an utterly remarkable feel that really has to be experienced to be believed. As soon as you step inside, you can tell that an ICF home is not an ordinary house. It’s not just beautiful, comfortable and quiet. You can feel that it’s solid, built to last.
So just how expensive is it to get all these extraordinary benefits? The truth is you can get superior ICF technology for a lot less than you’d think. ICFs are so efficient to build with and easy to use, that the cost of building an ICF house is comparable to that of an ordinary 2x6 wood-framed house. But you get so much more home for your money.
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Insulating Concrete Forms In A Nutshell
 ICFs
are basically forms for poured concrete walls, that stay in place
as a permanent part of the wall assembly. The forms, made of foam
insulation or other insulating material, are either pre-formed
interlocking blocks or separate panels connected with plastic or
metal ties. The left-in-place forms not only provide a continuous
insulation and sound barrier, but also a backing for drywall on
the inside,
and stucco, lap siding or brick on the outside.
Within these two basic ICF types, individual systems can vary in
their design. "Flat" systems yield a continuous thickness of concrete, like
a conventionally poured wall. The wall produced by "grid" systems has a waffle
pattern where the concrete is thicker at some points than others. "Post and
beam" systems have just that – discrete horizontal and vertical columns of
concrete that are completely encapsulated in foam insulation. Whatever their
differences, all major ICF systems are engineer-designed, code-accepted and
field-proven.
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ICF Advantages For The Homeowner
Greater Comfort & Lower Energy Bills
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, combine with a five inch concrete wall a typical ICF system – are rated above R-17 at 75o 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-build 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-build houses around them are in ruins.
In fire wall 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 offer a premium reduction
on a home owner’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 number 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.
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ICF Advantages For The Builder
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 and 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-2000 program in Canada.
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-build 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.
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 the U.S. and Canadian housing markets.
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Related Publications on Insulating Concrete Forms
Books
Videos
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Partial List of Producers/Suppliers of Insulating Concrete Forms
A-One Form (by Tasler Inc.)
1804 Tasler Dr.
Webster City, IA 50595
(800) 482-7537 or (515) 832-5200 / Fax: (515) 832-2721
www.a-1form.com
AFM Corporation
24000 West Hwy. 7
Excelsior, MN 55331
(800) 255-0176 / Fax: (612) 474-2074
www.afmcorp-epsfoam.com
All Wall Company
5398 SW 61st Ave.
Davie, FL 33314
(954) 325-7578 / Fax: (503) 217-1904
www.allwallsystem.com
Amazon Forms One Inc.
19068 Marbach Lane
San Antonio, TX 78266
(866) 651-3322 / Fax: (210) 651-3238
www.amazongridwall.com
American ICF
Box 100
Waterton Park, AB T0K 2M0
Fax: (403) 859-2071
www.superformproducts.com
Amvic Building System Inc.
501 McNicoll Ave.
Toronto, ON M2H 2E2
(877) 470-9991 or (416) 410-5674 / Fax: (416) 759-7402
www.amvicsystem.com
Armopanel
B-57 Corstate Ave.
Concord, ON L4K 4Y2
(905) 738-0567 / Fax: (905) 738-0628
www.armopanel.com
Arxx Building System Inc.
800 Division St.
Cobourg, ON K9A 5V2
(800) 293-3210 / Fax: (905) 373-8301
www.arxxbuild.com
Benchmark Foam
3200 9th Ave. SE
Watertown, SD 57201
(605) 886-8084 / Fax: (605) 886-8099
www.benchmarkfoam.com
BuildBlock Building Systems
9701 N. Broadway Ext.
Oklahoma City, OK 73114
(866) 222-2575 or (405) 840-3386 / Fax: (405) 840-0625
www.buildblock.com
Cellox
1200 Industrial St.
Reedsburg, WI 53959
(866) 339-2569 / Fax: (608) 524-2362
www.celblox.com
Conform Pacific
1376 W. 8040 S.
#2
West Jordan, UT 84088
(800) 266-3676 / Fax: (801) 562-9053
www.smartblock.com
Consulwal
9 Churchill Dr.
Barrie, ON
L4N 8Z5
(705) 792-5755 / Fax: (705) 792-5760
www.consulwal.ca
DC International, Inc.
1800 Marie-Victorin
St-Bruno, QC
J3V 6B9
(450) 441-6402 / Fax: (450) 441-6414
www.dc-inter.com
Duraforme 2000 Inc. (KEPS)
186 Bld. Industriel
Suite 206
Saint Eustache, QC J7R 5C2
(450) 472-3560 / Fax: (450) 472-3561
www.keps.ca
Durisol Inc.
67 Frid St.
Hamilton, ON L8P 4M3
(905) 521-0999 / Fax: (905) 521-8658
www.durisolbuild.com
Efficient Wall Systems of Florida
2121 Whitfield Park Loop
Sarasota, FL 34243
(941) 727-5001 /
Fax: (941) 727-5336
www.e-wall.info
Energy Lock Inc.
4085 Prospector Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84121
(801) 942-4085 / Fax: (801) 942-4085
E-Z Block Systems, Inc.
1579 E. 3850 South
#5
St. George, UT 84790
(435) 668-2155
www.e-zblock.com
Fab-Form Inc.
6333 148th St. #212
Surrey, BC V3S 3C3
(888) 303-FAST (3278) or (604) 596-3278 / Fax: (604) 501-6090
www.fab-form.com
Fold-Form, LLC
P.O. Box 774
Sioux City, IA 51102
(800) 551-3313 or (712) 252-3704 / Fax: (712) 252-3259
www.foldform.com
Formtech International Corp.
180 Renfrew Drive, Suite 100
Markham, ON L3R 9Z2
(416) 410-6155 or (877) 848-6155
www.formtechsys.com
Fox Blocks
6110 Abbott Drive
Omaha, NE 68110
(877) 369-2562 / Fax: (402) 408-5099
www.foxblocks.com
Greenblock ICF
759 S. Federal Highway
Suite 213
Stuart, FL 34994
(800) 216-1820 or (772) 334-5551 / Fax: (772) 334-5554
www.greenblock.com
ICF Industries, Inc. (I.C.E. Block)
570 S. Dayton-Lakeview Rd.
New Carlisle, OH 45344
(877) 423-4800 / Fax: (937) 845-9837
www.iceblock.net
Insulated Concrete Forms by CAS, Inc.
15706 Palmira
Corpus Christi, TX 78418
(800) 961-1521 / Fax: (361) 949-8332
www.icfbycas.com
IntegraSpec
774 Baker Crescent, Unit 3
Kingston, ON K7M 6P6
(613) 634-1319 / Fax: (613) 634-2291
www.integraspec.com
Interblock LLC
P.O. Box 1123
Sheboygan, WI 53082
(866) 447-3334 / Fax:
www.interblockicf.com
K-X Industries, Inc.
P.O. Box 180
Windsor, SC 29856
(800) 491-7891 / Fax: (803) 642-6361
www.faswall.com
Lite-Form International
1950 W. 29th St.
South Sioux City, NE 68776
(800) 551-3313 / Fax: (402) 241-4435
www.liteform.com
Logix
Pelican Rapids, MN
(877) 823-0625 or (218) 863-1152 / Fax: (218) 863-1154
www.logixicf.com
Mikey Block
501 E. 27th St.
Tucson, AZ 85713
(520) 623-3023
www.mikeyblock.com
MillenniumBlok
4419 Centennial Blvd.
Suite 243
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
(770) 547-1215
www.millenniumblokicf.com
NuDura Corporation
80 Ellis Dr. Unit #1
Barrie, ON L4M 6E7
(866) 468-6299 or (705) 726-9499 / Fax: (705) 726-2110
www.nudura.com
Owens Corning
1 Owens Corning Parkway
Toledo, OH 43659
(800) GET-PINK
www.owenscorning.com
Perform Wall
5776 North Mesa
El Paso, TX 79901
(800) 761-8590
www.performwall.com
Perma-Form Components Inc.
2361 Dillon Rd.
P.O. Box 2356
Thomasville, GA 31799-2356
(800) 318-1750 or (229) 227-0333 / Fax: (912) 225-1201
www.perma-form.com
Plasti-Fab
3015 5th Ave. NE
Calgary, AB T2A 6T8
(888) 446-5377 or (403) 248-9306 / Fax: (403) 248-9325
www.plastifab.com
Polycrete
480 rue du Parc Industriel
Longueuil, QC J4H 3V6
(450) 670-7624 / Fax: (450) 670-0869
www.polycrete.com
Premere Forms, Inc.
5804 West 36th St.
Sioux Falls, SD 57106
(800) 455-3676 or (605) 271-1746 / Fax: (605) 271-3662
www.premereforms.com
Progressive Foam Building Systems, Inc.
1370 Trancas St. #161
Napa, CA 94558
(707) 251-9677 / Fax: (707) 251-9877
Quad-Lock Building System
7398 132nd St.
Surrey, BC V3W 4M7
(888) 711-5625 / Fax: (604) 590-8412
www.quadlock.com
R-Control Building Systems
126 New Pace Rd.
Newcomerstown, OH 43832
(800) 446-2188
www.r-control.com
Rastra Technologies, Inc.
7621 E. Gray Rd. A1
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
(480) 443 9211 / Fax: (480) 443 9228
www.rastra.com
Reddi-Form Inc.
10 Park Place
Suite 5B
Butler, NJ 07405
(973) 283-0055 or (800) 334-4303 / Fax: (973) 283-9505
www.reddiform.com
Reddi-Wall Inc.
1075 Rochester Rd.
Oakland, MI 48363
(586) 752-9161 / Fax: (586) 752-0333
www.reddi-wall.com
Reward Wall Systems, Inc.
9931 s 136th St. suite 100
Omaha, NE 68138
(800) 468-6344 / Fax: (402) 592-7969
www.rewardwalls.com
Royal Building Technologies
1 Royal Gate Blvd.
Woodbridge, ON L4L 8Z7
(877) 747-9255 or (905) 652-0001 / Fax: (905) 652-0002
www.rbsdirect.com
Southeast Walls, Inc.
235 West Dr.
Melbourne, FL 32904
(321) 725-9850 / Fax: (321) 724-9832
www.powerwallicf.com
Standard ICF
425 2nd Ave. SW
Oronoco, MN 55960-1304
(800) 424-WALL or (800) 925-FORM / Fax: (507) 367-2275
www.standardicf.net
Structured Builders
501 E. Plaza Circle
Suite F
Litchfield Park, AZ 85340
(888) 404-7878
Super Block Systems
16365 Falls Rd.
Monkton, MD 21111
(800) 830-8867 or (410) 771-4093 /
Fax: 410-771-4203
www.superblocks.com
Tech Block International, LLC
1315 E. Gibson Lane, B-2
Phoenix, AZ 85034
(602) 254-5414 / Fax: (602) 254-5494
www.techblock.com
TF System - The Vertical ICF, Inc.
3030 C Holmgren Way
Green Bay, WI 54304
(800) 360-4634 / Fax: (920) 983-9962
www.tfsystem.com
ThermaEZE
19548 Gunpowder Rd.
Millers, MD 21101
(800) 266-9963
www.thermaeze.com
Thermalite, Inc.
1973 Route 52
Hopewell Junction, NY 12533
(800) 500-4898 or (845) 896-4811 / Fax: (845) 896-2801
www.thermaliteforms.com
Thermalwall Building Systems
Route 895
Colpitts Settlement, NB E4J 1L9
(800) 521-2899 or (506) 372-4842 / Fax:
(506) 372-4676
www.thermalwall.com
Thermal Concept Builders & Distributors
W174 N9529 Devonwood Rd.
Menomonee Falls, WI 53051
(262) 250-1444
/ Fax: (262) 250-1476
www.thermalconcept.com
ThermoBlock
24820 N 16th Ave.
Suite 170B
Phoenix, AZ 85085
(877) 289-4237 or (602) 278-0525 /
Fax: (602) 278-0526
www.thermoblock.com
ThermoFormed Block Corp.
PO Box 2454
Ft. Collins, CO 80522
(800) 821-0855
/ Fax: (888) 840-3110
www.thermoformed.net
Therm-O-Wall
425 2nd Ave. SW
Oronoco, WI 56960
(507) 367-2183
/ Fax: (507) 367-2275
Tritex ICF Products
4111 S. 87th St.
Omaha, NE 68127
(877) 287-4839
www.tritexicf.com
Accessories for ICF Construction
CertainTeed (Form-A-Drain)
P.O. Box 860
750 East Swedesford Rd.
Valley Forge, PA 19482
(610) 341-7000 /
Fax: (610) 341-7777
www.form-a-drain.com
Energy Edge (insulated slab form)
7701 East Kellogg
Suite 722
Wichita, KS 67207
(316) 618-1983 / Fax: (316) 684-3984
www.energyedgeform.com
Energywise Structures (Moisture control and
HVAC sizing)
2105 Nugent Drive
Mansfield, TX 76063
(817) 477-1387 / Fax: (817) 473-2349
www.energywisestructures.com
Fastfoot Industries (stay-in-place footing forms)
(604) 596-3278
www.fastfoot.com
FossilCrete Inc. (exterior and interior finish)
3750 W. Indian School Road
Phoenix, AZ 85019
(877) FOSSIL-0 / Fax: (602) 636-6724
www.fossilcrete.com
ICF Connect (joist hangers for ICFs)
100 Marycroft Ave.
Unit 4
Woodbridge, ON L4L 5Y4
(866) 497-1576 or (905) 264-6067
www.icfconnect.com
Permacrete (exterior and interior finish)
1101 Menzler Rd.
Nashville, TN 37210
(800) 607-3762 / Fax: (615) 834-1622
www.permacrete.com
T.L. Marshall Company (hot knife)
1052 W. Alameda Ave.
#203
Burbank, CA 91506
(800) 856-1009
www.pro1hotknife.com
Vinyl Technologies (vinyl window and door bucks)
P.O. Box 84323-4238
Logan, UT 84323
(888) 578-2825 or (801) 752-8453 / Fax: (801) 750-6948
www.vbuck.com
Wind-Lock Corporation (ICF tools and accessories)
1055 Leisz's Bridge Road
Leesport, PA 19533
(800) 872-5625 / Fax: (800) 854-6614
www.wind-lock.com
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Insulating Concrete Form Association
The Insulating Concrete Form Association (ICFA) is an organization dedicated to expanding the use of insulating concrete forms through research, education, promotion, and public affairs work. Contact ICFA to get a complete listing of members including local distributors and contractors.
Insulating Concrete Form Association
1730 Dewes St.
Suite 2
Glenview, IL 60025
(888) 864-4232 or (847) 657-9730
Fax: (847) 657-9728
www.forms.org
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Disclaimer
Listing constitutes neither an endorsement nor recommendation by the Portland Cement Association (PCA). PCA disclaims any and all responsibility for the selection of firms listed, products they supply, and/or work performed by their products. This list is titled a "Partial List" because although PCA has made reasonable efforts to include all known producer/suppliers, we are not certain this list includes all producer/suppliers of Insulating Concrete Forms. This list is in alphabetical order and is not in order of industry rank or rating. PCA also assumes no responsibility for errors and omissions in this list.
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