Aerogel & Microporous Insulation — Blanket & Nano Board

What is aerogel and microporous insulation?

Aerogel is a solid in which the liquid component of a gel has been replaced by gas, leaving a nano-porous structure that is more than 90% air by volume. That structure gives it the lowest thermal conductivity of any conventional insulation at ambient pressure — which is the whole reason aerogel reaches a specified thermal duty at a fraction of the thickness needed by mineral wool, calcium silicate or ceramic fiber.

This product family reaches site in two forms: flexible nano aerogel blankets, in which silica aerogel is held in a glass-fibre or polyester carrier, and rigid microporous nano boards. Both are chosen where space, weight or thermal performance per millimetre is the binding constraint rather than material price per square metre.

Aerogel insulation thickness: how much do you need?

Thickness is the question we are asked most often. The honest answer is that it depends on your target heat loss or surface temperature, your operating temperature and the space you actually have. What aerogel changes is the thickness needed to hit that target.

• Where a mineral wool or calcium silicate build-up would need roughly 50–75 mm, an aerogel blanket typically reaches the same thermal duty at about 10–15 mm.
• On dense pipe racks, offshore platforms and retrofit work, that difference is often what allows the insulation to fit at all — without re-routing pipework or widening supports.
• A thinner layer also means a smaller outer diameter, so metal cladding consumption drops: on many projects the jacketing cost alone falls by roughly half.

We size aerogel against your operating temperature, not a room-temperature data sheet. Thermal conductivity rises with mean temperature, so send us the operating temperature, line size and target surface temperature and we will size the build-up properly.

Aerogel vs mineral wool, calcium silicate and ceramic fiber

There is no universally best insulation. Each material wins in a different set of conditions, and the right choice is the one that meets your thermal target within the space, weight and budget you actually have.

1. Mineral wool and glass wool cost far less per square metre, but need much greater thickness, absorb water, and can settle over time — leaving hot spots along the top of horizontal runs.
2. Calcium silicate is rigid and strong in compression, but it is heavy, brittle, and slow to cut and fit around valves, flanges and elbows.
3. Ceramic fiber handles the highest temperatures in the range and remains the right choice for furnace linings above the aerogel envelope.
4. Aerogel wins where thickness, weight, moisture resistance or installation time dominate — typically tight pipe racks, retrofits, and sub-ambient or cryogenic duties.

Why aerogel costs more — and when it pays back

Aerogel is genuinely more expensive per square metre than mineral wool, and it is worth being straightforward about why: both the raw material and the manufacturing process cost more.

The payback comes from four places rather than from the material price:

• Energy: lower thermal conductivity means lower heat loss for the life of the line.
• Installation: flexible blankets cut with a knife and wrap around valves and elbows, cutting labour hours.
• Cladding: a thinner build-up means meaningfully less sheet metal.
• Maintenance: hydrophobic, non-settling insulation is far less likely to drive corrosion under insulation, which is one of the most expensive failure modes in piping.

For space-constrained or high-duty applications the total installed and lifecycle cost is often lower than a thicker conventional build-up — even though the material itself costs more.

Where Aerogel & Microporous Insulation Is Used

Aerogel and microporous insulation earn their place wherever thickness, weight or moisture resistance decide the design — not where material price per square metre is the only constraint.

• Aerospace and spacecraft thermal control — flexible aerogel blankets wrap sensors, avionics bays and propulsion components where every gram and millimetre is accounted for. Microporous boards back rigid panels and battery enclosures.
• LNG, cryogenic and sub-ambient lines — hydrophobic, non-settling aerogel is the standard choice for LNG carriers, cold boxes and flare lines, where it avoids the wet insulation and corrosion under insulation that fibrous materials invite.
• Congested pipe racks and offshore modules — one third to one fifth of the thickness of mineral wool lets insulation fit around valve clusters and within tight offshore envelopes without re-routing pipework.
• Industrial walls, roofs and fired heaters — microporous boards slot behind linings and into heater doors where a thin, rigid, high-temperature layer is needed.
• Marine and power plant — A1 non-combustible grades insulate engine-room bulkheads, exhaust runs and turbine hall pipework.

Browse the full application library for detailed build-ups, or see rockwool insulation for thicker, lower-cost duties.

Aerogel & Microporous Product Forms

The family reaches site in two main forms, and the right one depends on whether the build-up is flexible or rigid.

Both are available as flexible wrap or rigid panel to suit the geometry. For flexible rolls see our nano aerogel insulation blanket; for rigid boards, contact us with your operating temperature and we will specify the grade.

Densities typically run 180–220 kg/m³ for boards and 160–200 kg/m³ for blankets, with thicknesses from 3 mm to 25 mm and custom laminates on request.

Aerogel Thermal Conductivity: the 0.020 W/(m·K) Advantage

Aerogel and microporous insulation hold the lowest thermal conductivity of any practical insulation at ambient pressure — which is the whole reason they hit a thermal duty at a fraction of the thickness.

Conductivity still rises with mean temperature, so an aerogel blanket quoted at 0.020 W/(m·K) at 25 °C will read higher at 300 °C — but it stays well below fibrous alternatives across the whole operating range. Size the build-up against your operating temperature, not a room-temperature data sheet.

Aerogel vs Microporous Insulation

"Aerogel" and "microporous" are often used as if they were two materials, but they are two manufacturing routes to the same nano-porous end: a solid framework that is more than 90 % air, giving very low conductivity at minimal thickness.

• Aerogel — the liquid in a gel is replaced by gas, then the structure is held in a flexible carrier. Result: flexible blankets and wraps.
• Microporous — the nano-porous silica is pressed and bonded into a rigid core. Result: boards and panels.

So the difference is format, not performance philosophy. Choose the blanket where the surface is curved, vibrating or needs to wrap a valve; choose the board where you need a rigid, load-bearing or high-temperature layer. Both belong in this product family and are specified the same way — by operating temperature, thickness target and geometry.

For the broader material choice, see ceramic fiber insulation for duties above the aerogel envelope, rockwool insulation for thick low-cost builds, and calcium silicate insulation for rigid high-temperature boards.

Aerogel Temperature Limits

Aerogel and microporous insulation are not the right answer for every temperature, and sizing past the envelope is the fastest way to fail a line.

• Flexible aerogel blanket: continuous service up to 650 °C. Above this the carrier and binder degrade.
• Microporous board / panel: continuous service up to 1000 °C.

For anything sustained above 1000 °C — furnace hot faces, kiln car tops, burner blocks — switch to ceramic fiber insulation (1100–1430 °C by grade). For ambient-to-mid-temperature duties where thickness is not constrained, rockwool insulation reaches the same heat-loss target for a fraction of the cost.

Remember the test-furnace caveat: a laboratory non-combustibility test such as ASTM E136 is run at a high furnace temperature, but that figure is a test condition, not a service rating. Always design to the continuous service temperature above.

Related guides: aerogel vs traditional insulation.