Attribute Schema Library
Attribute schemabuilding materials & lumber

Insulation Attributes for Building Materials Distributors

Insulation spans fiberglass and stone wool batts, attic loose-fill, rigid board (EPS, XPS, polyiso), and foam kits — what a lumber yard sells into a wall cavity, attic, or crawlspace. Buyers are insulation subs buying by the trailer, GCs chasing an energy-code target, commercial contractors working from a submittal, and pro-desk walk-ins holding a stud dimension.

The data is hard because one SKU carries two R-values. The labeled number is tested on the material per ASTM C518 or C177 at a 75 °F mean; what an R-19 batt delivers compressed into a 5.5 in 2x6 cavity is a different number, published in a chart nobody parses. A batt's spec is also three specs stacked — core material, facing, assembly. ASTM E84 is run with the facing installed; NFPA 285 rates the wall, not the board.

Then multiply: material × R-value × thickness × width × length × facing × pack count. Suppliers each name the result differently, and the type/class designation that is the actual spec — C665 Type II Class C, C578 Type IV, C1289 Type II Class 1 Grade 2 — arrives as free text on a submittal PDF.

Core

Every SKU needs these. Without them the record is not a product, it is a row.

Insulation Material
enum
Stone wool

Drives R-per-inch, combustibility, moisture behavior, and which ASTM specification governs the SKU.

Product Form
enum
Batt

Batt, roll, board and loose-fill are different buying motions with different label data and different FTC disclosure sets.

Labeled R-Value
number · ft²·°F·h/BTU
15

The number every buyer filters on and the number the energy code is written in. Tested per ASTM C518 or C177 at 75 °F mean.

Nominal Thickness
number · in
3.5 in

Decides whether the product fits the cavity uncompressed. An R-19 batt is 6.25 in; a 2x6 cavity is 5.5 in.

Facing
enum
Kraft (ASTM C665 Type II Class C)

Sets the vapor class, whether the facing may be left exposed, and whether the batt is legal in the buyer's climate zone.

Nominal Dimensions (W × L)
text · in
15 in × 93 in

Width picks the framing module, length picks the wall height or joist run. Both are FTC label fields for batts and boardstock.

Coverage Area per Package
number · sq ft
106.56 sq ft (11 pcs, 15 in × 93 in)

How a takeoff becomes a PO line. Required on the package label by 16 CFR 460.12 for batts, boardstock and loose-fill.

Manufacturer Part Number
identifier
17615 (Johns Manville)

The only key that survives across the supplier price file, the submittal sheet, and the branch ERP.

GTIN-14
identifier
10012345678905

Required for GDSN publication to Lowe's and Home Depot, and required at every packaging level — each, bale and pallet.

Country of Origin
enum
United States

Customs, duty, and Buy American eligibility on federal and institutional work. Also the first question when a supplier switches plants.

Differentiating

What buyers actually compare on. This is where catalogs win or lose the filter.

Framing Compatibility
enum
16 in o.c., 2x4 cavity

Buyers shop by stud bay, not batt width. 15 in fits 16 in o.c.; 23 in fits 24 in o.c.; stone wool runs 15.25 in for the same bay.

Density
number · lb/ft³
2.5 lb/ft³

Separates standard from high-density product at the same cavity depth, and drives acoustic and fire behavior. Tested per ASTM C167.

Compressive Resistance at 10% Deformation
number · psi
25 psi (C578 Type IV)

Rigid board only. Decides under-slab, below-grade and roof-deck suitability; it is what the C578 type or C1289 grade encodes.

Water Vapor Permeance
number · perm
1.0 perm (ASTM E96)

Kraft is a Class II vapor retarder near 1.0 perm; FSK is a vapor barrier near 0.05. The wrong pick traps moisture in the wall.

Sound Absorption (NRC)
number
1.05 at 3 in

Interior partition and floor sales are acoustic sales. Buyers compare NRC per ASTM C423 and then ask for the assembly STC.

Compliance & identifiers

Standards, regulatory data, and the identifiers channels reject you for missing.

Product Standard & Type/Class Designation
text
ASTM C665 Type II Class C

The line the architect wrote in the spec. 'Fiberglass batt' does not clear a submittal; 'C665 Type II Class C' does.

Surface Burning Characteristics (ASTM E84)
text
FSI 25 / SDI 50, unfaced

Flame-spread and smoke-developed indices, tested with the facing installed. 25/50 clears exposed use; standard kraft does not.

ICC-ES Evaluation Report Number
identifier
ESR-2142

What a plan reviewer actually accepts for foam plastic: the ESR and the tested assembly it references.

The fields that aren't in the schema at all

What most insulation catalogs are missing.

The table above is the schema most catalogs already have. These are the attributes that usually aren't in it — each one surfaced by a signal from the live market rather than by an audit of what's already there. This is what Anglera's Schema Foundry does on a real catalog, in this category.

Supplier signal
+ Facing Flame Rating / Exposed-Use Suitability

Data sheets separate standard kraft and foil (flame-spread index above 25, concealed only) from flame-rated FSK-25/FRK tested at 25/50. Distributor catalogs carry one Faced/Unfaced flag.

Contractor buys kraft-faced for an exposed garage ceiling, the inspector fails it, the batts come back, and the branch eats the restock and the reorder.

Supplier signal
+ Installed R-Value at Cavity Depth

Manufacturers publish compressed R-value charts — an R-19 batt in a 5.5 in 2x6 cavity delivers roughly R-18. Catalogs carry only the labeled value, so the chart stays in a PDF nobody parses.

Buyer specs R-19 for a 2x6 wall expecting R-19, misses the energy-code target at inspection, and the wall package gets re-quoted.

Search signal
+ Loose-Fill Coverage Chart Data

16 CFR 460.12 requires minimum settled thickness, max net coverage and bags per 1,000 sq ft on the bag at R-13/19/22/30/38/49. Buyers search 'bags for R-49 attic' and get a bag weight.

Job is under-bagged, the crew stops mid-attic and the branch runs an emergency delivery — or over-bags and the returns come back opened.

Competitor signal
+ ICC-ES Report Number and Assembly Reference

Foam sheathing pages show 'NFPA 285 compliant' as a checkbox. NFPA 285 rates the assembly, not the board; the plan reviewer wants the ESR number and the tested assembly it covers.

Submittal is rejected on a commercial job and the order moves to whoever can produce the ESR reference inside the review window.

Supplier signal
+ Environmental Declarations (EPD, HPD, CDPH v1.2)

LEED, school and healthcare specs call out EPDs and VOC-emission documentation by name. Manufacturers publish them; distributor records rarely have a field to hold them.

Product is dropped from a spec-driven job because nobody can answer 'does this have an EPD' before the RFQ closes.

How Schema Foundry finds these

Messy in, governed out.

The same value, spelled every way building materials & lumber suppliers spell it. A filter only works once they agree.

Facing
KraftKraft FacedKFPaper facedAsphalt-kraftFaced
Kraft (ASTM C665 Type II Class C)

'Faced' alone is useless — kraft, FSK, FSK-25 and poly-encapsulated differ in perm rating and in exposed-use rules.

Labeled R-Value
R-19R19R 1919RSI 3.35R-19 (6-1/4")
19

RSI is the metric label on dual-market Canadian packaging. RSI 3.35 is the same batt as R-19, not a second SKU.

Insulation Material
Mineral woolMineral fiberRock woolStone woolRoxulSlag wool
Stone wool

ASTM C665 calls fiberglass 'mineral fiber' too. Buyers typing 'mineral wool' want stone wool and will not take a glass batt.

Width
15"15 in15-1/4"15.25 in16" O.C.Fits 16 on center
15 in

Framing module and batt width are different fields. Stone wool runs 15.25 in for the same 16 in o.c. bay; collapsing them loses both.

What buyers ask

Every one of these should be answerable from the attributes above. If it isn't, that's a gap.

  • Will R-21 fit a 2x6 wall, or do I have to drop to R-19?
  • This is 15-inch and I'm framed 24 on center. What do you have in 23?
  • Can the kraft face be left exposed in a garage ceiling, or does it get covered?
  • How many bags do I need to hit R-49 over a 1,200 sq ft attic?
  • Is the facing enough of a vapor retarder for zone 5, or do I still need poly?
  • Is this noncombustible, or just 25/50?
  • How many square feet in the bag, and how many bags on a pallet?
  • The spec calls out NFPA 285 — do you have the ESR report for this board?

What channels require

The same SKU, different mandatory fields per destination.

Distributor ecommerce site and filter rail
Labeled R-ValueProduct FormFacingNominal Dimensions (W × L)Coverage Area per PackageFraming Compatibility
Lowe's / Home Depot item setup via GDSN
GTIN-14 at each, bale and pallet levelManufacturer Part NumberCountry of OriginCoverage Area per PackageLabeled R-ValueNominal Dimensions (W × L)
Amazon Business
GTIN or UPCBrand and Manufacturer Part NumberLabeled R-ValueItem dimensions and unit countCountry of Origin
Submittal and spec libraries (BuildSite, ARCAT)
Product Standard & Type/Class DesignationSurface Burning Characteristics (ASTM E84)ICC-ES Evaluation Report NumberLabeled R-ValueNominal Thickness

Insulation data, in practice

Why store two R-values per SKU?

Because the batt delivers two. The labeled R-value is tested on the material per ASTM C518 or C177 at a 75 °F mean temperature. What it delivers in the wall depends on the cavity: an R-19 batt is nominally 6.25 in and a 2x6 cavity is 5.5 in, so compressing it to fit yields roughly R-18. Manufacturers publish compressed R-value charts covering exactly these cases. Store the labeled value as the filterable number — it is what the code table and the FTC label use — and carry installed R-value at cavity depth as a separate field keyed to framing size. One field forces the counter to argue with a chart buried in a PDF.

Should 'faced' be one field?

No — three. Facing material (unfaced, kraft, FSK, FSK-25/FRK, poly-scrim-kraft, poly-encapsulated), water vapor permeance, and the facing's surface burning characteristics answer independent questions. Kraft runs near 1.0 perm, a Class II vapor retarder; FSK is closer to 0.05 perm, a vapor barrier. Separately, standard kraft and standard foil facings have flame-spread indices above 25 and must sit in substantial contact with an approved wall or ceiling construction; flame-rated facings tested at 25/50 with the facing installed may be left exposed. A single Faced/Unfaced boolean answers none of it.

Can we publish 'R-4.3 per inch' on a product page?

Generally no. 16 CFR 460.20 tells sellers not to give the R-value for one inch, or the R-value per inch, of a product in labels, fact sheets, ads or other promotional materials. The exceptions are narrow: an outstanding FTC order, or test results proving the R-value per inch does not drop as the product gets thicker. If a range is given, the seller must state how much the R-value drops with thickness and carry the prescribed disclosure. The rule reaches distributors and retailers, not just manufacturers. Store R-value at the labeled thickness, keep per-inch as an internal calculation, and do not let it template into a title.

What is the difference between mineral wool and mineral fiber?

In ASTM language they overlap. C665 — the specification for mineral-fiber blanket thermal insulation for light frame construction — covers glass fiber as well as rock and slag wool. In North American trade usage, 'mineral wool' means stone or slag wool: the denser, noncombustible-per-ASTM-E136 product a buyer means when they say it. If the catalog inherits ASTM's word, a search for mineral wool returns fiberglass batts and the buyer leaves. Keep the governed Material value in trade language (Fiberglass, Stone wool, Slag wool) and carry the ASTM designation in the standard field, where the architect looks for it.

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