Everything You Need to Know About Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) Industry

Insulated concrete form (ICF) is popular for its usage in the construction industry. ICF blocks are made up of expanded polystyrene (EPS) and are typically between six to twelve inches thick. It is used as an integrated concrete form to complete a concrete wall. It comes in interlocking modular sections that can be stacked tightly to pour the concrete and fulfil the form of floors or structural walls of a building. Insulated concrete form helps in fastening several steps of the construction process.

Owing to numerous advantages such as high energy efficiency, strong walls, durability, good insulation, cost savings, disaster resistance, and sound blocking ability, building owners prefer ICF. At the same time, certain benefits such as easy & fast construction, less labor cost, easy installation, and easy shipping makes it a preferred choice for contractors and builders too.

ICF consists of double walled expanded polystyrene panels that are stacked together to produce the permanent insulated formwork which then offer thermal insulating power to the building walls. ICF blocks can be manufactured in multiple shapes & component types based on requirement for roofing, flooring, partition, stair etc.

With rise in lumber prices, many companies shifted from traditional structural solutions to ICFs. For instance, an Ohio builder collaborated with Pro Builder Media and the Energy and Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA) in order to focus on the 55-plus market and develop the healthier & sustainable homes. The system holds a small share of the new residential construction market.

According to a report published by Allied Market Research, the insulated concrete form market size is anticipated to reach $1.6 billion with a considerable CAGR from 2021 to 2027. North America is currently holding the highest market share, owing to a strong economy and commercial real estate. He Asia-Pacific region, on the other hand, is estimated to have the fastest growth rate, due to rise in industrialization and urbanization in developing economies like India, China, and others.

However, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic led to impact the global insulated concrete form market negatively. The pandemic gave way to the implementation of global lockdown, due to why all the construction projects were temporarily closed down. All the ICF manufacturing hubs were halted, especially in the initial period of the pandemic. Due to unavailability of labor force, rise in price of raw materials, and disruptions in the supply chain, ICF manufacturers had to face several challenges. These factors hampered the growth of the global insulated concrete form market to some extent. Now, as the constructs activities are back on track, the ICF market is recovering at a steady pace.

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