Mineral wool is one of 32 materials in this atlas, grouped under thermal: history, structure, measured properties, process routes, uses, safety and market — not a product catalogue.
Scores compare Mineral wool with the rest of the atlas on strength, heat, fire behaviour, insulation, workability and circularity. They are editorial, not certificates.
Seven chapters follow. Fire and insulation claims name test families (Euroclass, ASTM E84, ISO 5660, KS F) rather than inventing a single safety number.
Deep introduction
Deep dive: Mineral wool
Mineral wool (Ca-Mg-Al silicates / soda-lime glass fibres) is a family of grades whose density 20–150 kg/m³ products, heat band softens ~1000 °C class (stone), and fire letter A1.
What “the material” actually is
Mineral wool is sold as grades, not as a single substance. Chemistry Ca-Mg-Al silicates / soda-lime glass fibres, density 20–150 kg/m³ products, heat band softens ~1000 °C class (stone).
This atlas treats Mineral wool as a system: mill route, coatings, tests and the cavity it sits in.
Heat, fire and insulation
Conductivity note: λ ~0.032–0.040 W/m·K typical batts. Insulation score 86/100 is relative to 32 entries — metals lose, VIPs and aerogels win.
Fire letter in editorial use: A1. Do not equate A1 with “safe in a blaze” or E with “illegal”. Assemblies decide.
How it is made and used
Origin: Slag wool 19th c.; glass wool 1930s, US / Germany / Denmark. The process chapter follows feedstock → conversion → forming → finish → install.
Uses span buildings to defence / safety. Pairings matter: polyurethane-foam.
Market and circularity
Producers below are landmarks, not an endorsement ranking. Prices are bands, not live quotes.
Circularity mark 58/100. Ask which scrap, which certificate, which year.
Related atlas
Around Mineral wool
Related atlas entries, a short glossary, and three threads that keep Mineral wool honest.
Buildings, transport, energy and consumer goods — see the uses chapter.
Is the fire-performance score a building-code rating?
No. It is an editorial 0–100 teaching mark among materials in this atlas. A real wall or garment needs a named product test, thickness and assembly. This page is not a lab stamp.
When should I read insulation instead of fire?
Use the insulation pick when the question is heat flow — lining, loft, or a cold-bridge — and the fire pick when the question is how the same material behaves in flame. Both numbers already sit on this hub; they answer different jobs.
Does a high sustainability score mean I can skip fire protection?
No. Sustainability here is a relative atlas mark (growth, reuse, embodied story). Bamboo and timber can still char like wood. Fire protection stays a separate specification.
Why is bamboo missing in some languages?
A language URL is published only when the seven chapters are real prose in that language. Bamboo exists in English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Spanish. French, German, Portuguese and Russian stay withheld — earlier machine drafts leaked English, so those URLs are not opened.
Icons
Owens-Corning Pink
United States · 1938–
Owens-Corning Pink is a reference point in the public image of Mineral wool.
ROCKWOOL
Denmark · 1937–
ROCKWOOL is a reference point in the public image of Mineral wool.
Knauf Insulation
Germany · 1970s–
Knauf Insulation is a reference point in the public image of Mineral wool.
4
Cavity batt
Europe · 1970s–
Cavity batt is a reference point in the public image of Mineral wool.
High-rise rainscreen
UK / EU · 2010s
High-rise rainscreen is a reference point in the public image of Mineral wool.
Pipe section
Global · 1950s–
Pipe section is a reference point in the public image of Mineral wool.
Acoustic ceiling
Global · 1960s–
Acoustic ceiling is a reference point in the public image of Mineral wool.
Slag wool heritage
United States · 19th c.
Slag wool heritage is a reference point in the public image of Mineral wool.
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