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Insulation Scotland Ltd
Knauf Glass Mineral Wool Insulation
- 100% Natural Material.
- Ideal for Cold Roofs and Lofts.
- Maximum Thickness Available.
- Available via Government Grants.
- Leading Insulation in the United Kingdom.
Video showing the manufacturing of Knauf Rockwool Mineral Wool Insulation, at Knauf’s Queensferry plant in Wales
What is Mineral Wool Insulation?
Mineral wool insulation is a type of thermal and acoustic insulation material made from molten rock (rock wool), slag (a byproduct of steel production), or glass spun (glass wool) into fibres. It’s known for its excellent fire resistance, soundproofing, and most of all it’s thermal insulating properties.
Mineral wool insulation is a versatile, durable, and fire resistant insulation material used in a wide range of construction projects and domestic home improvements. Its ability to provide both thermal and acoustic insulation, combined with its resistance to moisture, makes it a highly effective solution for home insulation in Scotland.
Types of Mineral Wool Insulation
Rock Wool:
Made from natural basalt rock and recycled slag. It’s the most common type of mineral wool installed in Scotland.
Slag Wool:
Produced primarily from blast furnace slag, a waste product from steel manufacturing.
Glass Wool:
Made from recycled glass and sand, though it’s often categorised separately as fibreglass insulation, it is still a form of mineral wool.
How Mineral Wool Insulation is Made
Melting:
Raw materials like basalt rock or slag are heated to high temperatures (around 1,600°C) until they melt.
Fibre Formation:
The molten material is then spun or blown into fibres, similar to how cotton candy is made.
Binding and Forming: The fibres are coated with a binder to hold them together and then formed into batts, rolls, boards, or loose-fill.
Batts and Rolls:
Sheep’s wool insulation is typically available in batts or rolls, which can be easily cut to size and fitted between wall studs, rafters, or joists.
Loose-Fill:
It can also be installed as loose-fill insulation, which is blown into cavities, making it ideal for retrofitting existing buildings or filling irregular spaces.
Benefits Of Mineral Wool Insulation?
Mineral wool insulation is a popular choice for lofts, roofs, walls and floors because it provides good thermal performance while also offering several other practical benefits.
For loft insulation, mineral wool is particularly useful because it can be installed in thick layers without taking up the valuable storage space above the insulation. Where a loft is also being boarded, a raised boarding system or loft legs can be used so that the insulation is not compressed beneath the new floor.
Mineral wool helps slow the movement of heat through roofs, walls and floors, helping keep a property warmer in winter and potentially reducing heating demand.
It provides effective insulation at relatively modest thicknesses. For lofts, increasing insulation to around 270mm or more can significantly improve the thermal resistance of the roof space.
Mineral wool is naturally non-combustible and can provide a high level of resistance to fire, making it particularly useful where fire safety is an important consideration.
It’s dense, fibrous structure helps absorb and reduce airborne sound, which can make rooms quieter and reduce noise travelling between parts of a property.
By slowing heat transfer, mineral wool can help maintain a more consistent indoor temperature rather than allowing rooms to heat up and cool down rapidly.
Mineral wool rolls can be installed between and across loft joists. Additional layers can be fitted at right angles to the first layer to reduce thermal bridging and increase overall insulation thickness.
Rolls and slabs can be cut around pipes, cables and other obstructions, making them suitable for many different building layouts.
When correctly installed and kept in suitable conditions, mineral wool can provide long-lasting insulation without requiring regular maintenance.
Correctly designed and installed insulation can help keep building elements warmer, reducing the conditions that can contribute to condensation. Adequate loft ventilation remains important.
Mineral wool is manufactured from mineral-based materials, with many modern products also incorporating recycled content.
Benefits of Knauf Mineral Wool Loft Insulation
Knauf Loft Roll 44 is a glass mineral wool insulation designed specifically for insulating cold lofts at ceiling level. It has a declared thermal conductivity of 0.044 W/mK and is classified Euroclass A1 for reaction to fire, meaning it is non-combustible.
Installing sufficient loft insulation creates a stronger thermal barrier between the heated rooms below and the colder loft space. Loft Roll 44 has a thermal resistance of 3.40 m²K/W at 150mm thickness and 4.50 m²K/W at 200mm, according to Knauf’s technical data.
Loft Roll 44 is particularly useful where there is sufficient space to install thicker insulation. Multiple layers can be used to build up the overall insulation depth, subject to the requirements of the particular roof construction.
For example, two 150mm layers provide a nominal 300mm total thickness when correctly installed without compression.
One of the significant advantages of mineral wool is its fire performance. Knauf Loft Roll 44 has an A1 Euroclass reaction to fire classification, the highest classification in this system.
The insulation is supplied in different formats, including combi cut and ready cut, making it adaptable to different loft layouts. Knauf also produces long length rolls designed to make installation quicker and more efficient.
The combi cut version can be adapted for use between joists or as a continuous top-up layer. This makes it particularly useful when upgrading existing loft insulation rather than starting from scratch.
When a second layer is installed across the top of the first layer, it can cover the timber joists and reduce the amount of direct heat transfer through the joists. Correct installation is important to achieve the intended performance.
Knauf Loft Roll 44 is manufactured using ECOSE Technology, a bio-based binder used in Knauf’s glass mineral wool products.
Older properties often have considerably less insulation than modern standards call for. Loft Roll 44 can be used as additional insulation over an existing layer, provided the existing material is suitable and the loft is assessed before installation.
Knauf states that its Loft Roll range is Made in Britain and carries a range of environmental and product certifications, including a CCPI assessment mark for the product set.
Other Types of Wool Insulation
There are several types of wool-based insulation, with mineral wool and natural wool being the main categories used in buildings.
Glass Wool
Glass wool, sometimes called fibreglass insulation, is manufactured from fine glass fibres. It is commonly supplied as rolls, slabs and loose-fill products.
Benefits include:
- Good thermal insulation
- Lightweight and relatively easy to install
- Good sound absorption
- Non-combustible
- Commonly used in lofts, walls and floors
- Available in a wide range of thicknesses
Rockwool
Rock wool, also known as stone wool, is made primarily from volcanic rock and other mineral materials. It is generally denser and more rigid than many glass wool products.
Benefits include:
- Excellent fire resistance
- Good thermal performance
- Very good acoustic insulation
- Useful for walls, roofs and floors
- Can provide good resistance to heat and fire
Sheeps Wool
Sheep’s wool is a natural insulation material made from wool fibres. Products are normally treated to improve resistance to insects, moisture and fire.
Benefits include:
- Renewable natural material
- Good thermal insulation
- Excellent moisture-buffering properties
- Can help regulate humidity
- Pleasant and relatively easy to handle
- Often contains little or no synthetic material, depending on the product
Mineral Wool Loft Insulation
For lofts, mineral wool is commonly supplied as soft rolls, such as glass mineral wool, which can be laid between and over the ceiling joists.
A typical modern loft insulation installation may use two layers, for example 150mm between the joists followed by another 150mm layer across the joists. This gives approximately 300mm total insulation, although the appropriate specification depends on the building and product.
Mineral Wool Slabs
Rigid or semi-rigid mineral wool slabs are denser than standard rolls and are particularly useful where greater rigidity is required. They can be used in walls, roofs, floors and other areas where the insulation needs to maintain its shape.
In simple terms:
Glass wool is lightweight and widely used for lofts, rock wool is denser and particularly strong for fire and acoustic performance, while sheep’s wool is the main natural-wool alternative.
Sheeps Wool Insulation Installers Scotland
One of our parter insulation installers based near Inverness, is an approved installer of ThermaFleece sheeps wool insulation. They have a large amount of the product in stock ready for supply and installation on homes in North Scotland. We can also source this and supply and fit in the rest of the country.
Insulation Installers With A Proven Track Record!
- Product warranty and guarantee.
- Fully licensed, bonded and insured.
- Proven track record across Scotland.
- Approved team of insulation installers.
- TrustMark approved for Government Grants.
Get A Wool Insulation Quote
Please complete the contact form provided below to schedule a no-obligation home insulation survey and to discuss the benefits, application and cost of both mineral and sheep’s wool insulation, including any grants you may qualify for.
Please anticipate a response from one of our representatives within 48 hours to discuss your requirements further over the phone.