Flat Wall Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) Units – Material Properties

This Standard specifies the requirements for stay in place, modular expanded polystyrene (EPS) Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) units. Once filled with concrete, the ICF units remain in place as the thermal insulation for the resulting cast-in-place concrete wall of uniform cross-section and thickness. The requirements of this Standard apply to ICFs that act as permanent formwork for cast-in-place reinforced concrete beams; lintels; exterior and interior, above and below grade, load-bearing and non load-bearing walls; foundations; and retaining walls. This Standard is restricted to ICFs that enclose uniform monolithic concrete walls. This Standard provides requirements for products that consist of moulded expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation panels that are connected by cross ties to form the ICF and for the performance of cross tie flanges as a substrate for the attachment of interior and exterior finishes. This Standard sets performance requirements for the ICF unit in its primary function as a stay-in-place concrete form and for the materials that make up the form unit, along with the test methods to determine compliance with the performance requirements. The fire resistance performance of the ICF unit material is not covered by this Standard. NOTE: For fire resistance performance requirements, refer to documents published by Authorities Having Jurisdiction, such as, but not limited to, Building Codes. Structural performance design methods for ICF units are described in Annex C2. The structural performance and the design of the concrete within the ICF are not covered in this Standard. NOTE: For requirements for structural performance and the design of the concrete within the ICF unit, refer to CSA A23.1/A23.2, Concrete materials and methods of concrete construction/Test methods and standard practices for concrete, and CAN/CSA A23.3, Design of concrete structures, or ACI 318, Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete and Commentary. This document does not purport to address all the health and safety aspects associated with its use. Anyone using this Standard has the responsibility to consult the appropriate authorities and to establish health and safety practices, in conjunction with any existing applicable regulatory requirements, prior to its use.