Homasote

An internationally known environmental icon, Homasote Company is the oldest manufacturer of building products made from recycled materials in the U.S., and the only manufacturer of its kind in the Americas. Our 750,000 square-foot factory complex in New Jersey, is a few miles from the spot where George Washington crossed the Delaware on his way to the Battle of Trenton.

Each production day we recycle (and keep out of landfills) up to 250 tons of post-consumer paper, including all the curbside recycled newspaper from New Jersey's capital county. Every production year Homasote's unique manufacturing process helps conserve nearly 1.4 million trees and eliminates more than 65 million pounds of solid waste that otherwise would go into landfills.

Homasote's environmental commitment goes beyond raw material recycling. Homasote Company is the first manufacturer in the United States to recycle nearly all water used to manufacture our products. The Company's process water, hundreds of thousands of gallons per day, is completely reused in a closed-loop system, a recycling feat recognized in 1956 by an award from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the precursor to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency).

 

When you build with Homasote.....
Every Day is Earth Day®
Homasote fiber board is recycled and recyclable

Homasote Company is the nation's oldest manufacturer of building products from recycled material, fiberboard products made from post-consumer recycled paper, containing no asbestos or formaldehyde additives.

We hope these pages will raise your awareness of the uses and wide availability of high-quality, time-tested, environmentally friendly Homasote building products.

A few facts about Homasote Company's trendsetting recycling efforts. Unlike converting virgin wood pulp, recycling post-consumer paper:

* decreases air pollution emissions up to 73%;
* uses 40% to 70% less water; and
* uses up to 70% less energy.

Homasote Facts

* Each ton of recycled newsprint conserves about 300 cubic yards of landfill space.
* Each year Homasote building products help conserve more than 1,370,000 trees and eliminate more than 100,000,000 pounds of solid waste each year.
* Each production day up to 250 tons of post-consumer paper are recycled into Homasote®, diverted from waste stream disposal into landfills or other methods.
* All water used to manufacture Homasote® products — hundreds of thousands of gallons per day — is completely recycled in a "closed loop" system. Homasote Company established this system in the 1950s and was recognized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (precursor to the EPA) as is one of the first paper mills in North America to establish this water-reusing system.

 

Sound Control

Homasote makes acoustical control products that are structural, lightweight and easy to work with. These materials have been laboratory tested for acoustical ratings using accepted ASTM methods in certified NVLAP laboratories. In combination with conventional partition and floor systems, Homasote sound control products will reduce transmission of airborne and impact sounds. Lightweight, free of voids or splinters, and easy to work with and cut, Homasote products are moisture-resistant and protected against termites, rot and fungi.

Use all-purpose Homasote inside, outside, everywhere! For special uses, we also make 440 CarpetBoard, the resilient underlayment that quiets noise; and 440 Sound Barrier™; to give you the sound of silence in walls and floors.

440 SoundBarrier® controls sound in floors, walls and ceilings.

Independently lab tested and time-proven in millions of square feet of residential and commercial structures, 440 SoundBarrier® is a special-density, structural board made from 100 percent environmental Homasote® cellulose fiber, a homogeneous composition manufactured with uniformly distributed protection against termites, rot and fungi and resistance to moisture. It also insulates, with twice the R-value of wood.

Carpenters and do-it-yourselfers can easily install 440 SoundBarrier® in room partitions and peripheral walls, ceilings and floors, in:

* single or multi-family housing
* high and low-rise apartments and condominiums
* motels
* schools
* professional buildings
* assisted living facilities

440 SoundBarrier's Advantages

* Lightweight
* Easy to handle, cut and shape
* Widely available in convenient sizes
* Ready to apply directly to framing
* Provides excellent noise attenuation when installed as recommended
* Provides excellent, moisture-resistant thermal insulation

Codes/Certifications

ICC ES ESR-1374
FHA Material Release 1150e

Typical Physical Properties	Floor/Ceiling Assemblies (UL L-500 Series) in which Homasote is Listed

 

 

What's in Homasote® Board in Addition to Post-Consumer Paper?

by Doug Woerner
Homasote Company Product Development Engineer

We're often asked about the materials we use to manufacture Homasote &endash; what they are and their purpose.

Paper comprises more than 98 percent of Homasote board and is its structural component, with nearly all board strength derived from bonding of cellulose fibers to each other.

The wax we use in manufacturing, a liquid emulsion of wax and water, provides water resistance to the final product. In manufacturing, the wax is separated from the water by alum and then deposited onto the cellulose fibers. During drying, the wax melts and is absorbed by the cellulose fibers.

Another water emulsion, retention-aid polymer, improves water drainage and retention of solids. It does this mainly by chemically coagulating or flocculating the fibers and the fine particles.

Talc is primarily a process aid. It helps to keep the mold screens clean by attaching to "stickies," such as glue, oil, asphalt, etc.

Rosin has both product and process functions. It adds board strength and helps to keep the mold screens clean by attaching to fine and sticky particles.

Aluminum sulfate (alum) has one simple but critical function, separating wax from the emulsion, making it available to deposit on the cellulose fibers.

Hydrated alumina (aluminum trihydrate), is used only in 550, N.C.F.R., as a fire retardant. It decreases the flammability and smoke emission dramatically.

Starch, used only on 460 board, is a binder or adhesive that increases board strength by forming a stronger bond with the cellulose fibers.

 

 

Please find below Homasote 440 Sound Barrier brochures to download. These files are in PDF (Adobe Acrobat Reader) format. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat, please download from free at Adobe.

Homasote 440 Sound Control Brochure 338Kb

Material Data Safety Sheet 45 KB