R Value Of 3 Spray Foam Insulation

As a benchmark one inch of solid wood has an r value of 1.
R value of 3 spray foam insulation. It s made of environmentally sound closed cell polyisocyanurate foam bonded to a durable white matte non glare aluminum facer and a reflective reinforced aluminum facer. In comparison an inch of blown fiberglass insulation has an r value of 3 1 3 4 and an inch of blown cellulose in an attic has an r value of 3 2 3 7. R matte plus 3 thermasheath 3 is rigid foam plastic thermal insulation r matte plus 3 thermasheath 3 is rigid foam plastic thermal insulation board. For 6 inches r 15 or r 19 etc.
Open cell foam insulation values r3 r4. Closed cell spray foam insulation. For example if a 2 4 wall has 3 in. These r values are a sum meaning this should be the total r value once you add up the entire depth of insulation.
Open cell spray foams are between 5 and 1 lbs per cubic foot and have an r value of 3 0 4 0 per inch of insulation. I m not going to dive into the energy code here but these numbers apply to many climate zones the latter being allowed under the ua tradeoffs rule. Of closed cell foam insulation the r value of the studs is based on a stud depth of 3 in not 3 1 2 in. All these have r values ranging from r 3 2 to r 3 8 per inch.
When stud bays are partially filled with closed cell spray foam the exposed portion of the studs reduces their r value in comparison to a wall that is totally filled with open cell spray foam. R values are additive so you can multiple the number of inches of insulation thickness times the r value to arrive at a total insulation value. The r value of spray foam insulation is approximately 6 per inch so those using spray foam as their insulator will need about 6 3 inches of thickness to reach r 38. For example if a 2 4 wall has 3 in.
Since closed cell foam has a higher r value per inch installers generally spray 2 in walls and 3 in rooflines to meet the energy code requirements of r 13 and r 19 respectively. For example if you have a type of insulation that has an r value of r 5 per inch of thickness you will need a depth of 6 inches of this insulation installed your attic to reach r 30 if you live in zones 2 or 3. When stud bays are partially filled with closed cell spray foam the exposed portion of the studs reduces their r value in comparison to a wall that is totally filled with open cell spray foam. Closed cell spray foam r values.
Along with knowing the r value of a particular insulation it is also important to calculate the r value of a total system. Why spray foam insulation is so effective in meeting code requirements is that it has a higher r value per inch of product used than batts. For example closed cell spray foam depending on brand can offer an r 6 or r 7 per inch. The r value of fiberglass insulation is approximately 2 2 per inch so much thicker fiberglass insulation is required to achieve the same r value of 38.