Cellular concrete and its thermal conductivity: what is the value of the coefficient

The thermal conductivity of concrete is determined by the corresponding coefficient, the value of which ranges from 0.33-0.06 W/(m*K). It is recommended to consider materials with a minimum parameter, since they are the ones that best protect against the cold. This article describes what thermal conductivity depends on, as well as a comparison of cellular concrete with other building materials.

Thermal conductivity of cellular concrete

Cellular concrete, unlike classic concrete, is a porous material. It is divided into 3 types - foam concrete, gas silicate and aerated concrete. The materials contain a large number of air cavities, making them lighter in weight and much better at protecting against the cold.

The thermal conductivity coefficient of concrete with cells ranges from 0.33 to 0.06 W/(m*K). Moreover, the greater the porosity, the greater this value, and the worse the protection from heat. Dense concrete conducts the least amount of heat, porous concrete conducts the most, which is reflected in the table.

Comparison with other materials

To get a complete picture, you can compare the thermal conductivity of cellular concrete with other common building materials.Thermal conductivity coefficient is defined as the amount of heat that is lost per square meter of wall based on the fact that the temperature difference between the room and the street is 1 degree. Simply put, this is the amount of heat that the material loses. It is clear that the higher this coefficient, the worse the protection from the cold. Accordingly, the smaller it is, the better the thermal insulation properties.

Brickwork loses the most temperature. For example, if you make a wall made of brick 650 mm thick, it will retain as much heat as a wall made of cellular concrete 250 mm thick, i.e. almost 3 times less. We can also say that foam concrete protects from the cold of expanded clay concrete 2 times better. But worse than wood and artificial materials (polyurethane foam, polystyrene).

Thus, cellular concrete has fairly good thermal conductivity, especially considering that it is always used in combination with other insulation materials, for example, mineral wool and penoplex.

However, it is worth considering that the thermal insulation properties deteriorate greatly with constant exposure to moisture, due to which the material begins to deform. Therefore, during construction, hydro- and vapor barriers must be used both inside and outside.