MSN: Cold foam at home? Perfect this café-style coffee topper in easy steps

Cold foam at home? Perfect this café-style coffee topper in easy steps

Styrofoam is a brand of closed-cell extruded polystyrene foam (XPS), manufactured to provide continuous building insulation board used in walls, roofs, and foundations as thermal insulation and as a water barrier.

Since its invention in 1941, Styrofoam™ Brand extruded polystyrene (XPS) has built a rich, storied heritage as an innovative, sustainable building product – creating an entire insulation material category.

Styrofoam is plastic, specifically a brand name for extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam. It is derived from petroleum, a fossil fuel, and belongs to the polymer family.

If you’re interested in insulating with STYROFOAM, note that STYROFOAM insulation is a type of extruded insulation. Polyisocyanurate is another option, coming in as the densest and most expensive option for foam board.

Styrofoam is made of styrene, a petroleum-based substance refined into a polymer called polystyrene. Through an extrusion process, 98% air is introduced to the plastic, creating a lightweight, moisture-resistant, closed-cell foam known as Extruded Polystyrene (XPS).

STYROFOAM™ is a registered trademark of the DuPont Chemical Company (“DuPont”) or an affiliated company of DuPont. The trademark covers a full range of extruded polystyrene building products used primarily for insulation of floors, walls and roof systems.

Styrofoam is created through a process of expanding small polystyrene beads by adding heat, which causes the material to puff up and form a solid, closed-cell foam structure. This structure gives Styrofoam its characteristic light weight, rigidity, and ability to insulate.