Rafter Insulation

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Rafter insulation refers to the pitched part of a roof, which can be insulated with slabs or rolls depending on local availability. In some countries granulate is also used to insulate between the rafters.

ROCKWOOL rafter insulation helps to provide thermal, fire and acoustic protection for roof spaces.

Made from natural stone wool, our products help to provide robust and durable insulation between, above and below the rafters, depending on your project.

As the roof is an area where up to 25% of heat can be lost¹, installing the correct insulation is important to avoid high energy bills and unwanted noise pollution.

Find out how our insulation over, under and between the rafters can boost the energy efficiency of your home or project.

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Why do we need rafter insulation?

It is important to enhance the energy efficiency of a building.

When a pitched roof space is created, occupants of loft living spaces are often exposed to high levels of external noise too, such as air traffic. This means that treating the roof acoustically is just as important.

With effective insulation, a roof area can become a comfortable living space. This can be installed in three main ways and often a mixture of the methods is required to complete a project.

Insulation in between rafters

Slabs and rolls for between the rafters are often combined with under and over the rafter insulation for optimal performance.

Insulation between the rafters is commonly placed in between the wooden beams to allow for more headroom. Insulation on the inside or outside is added to further improve thermal, fire or acoustic requirements.

Relevant resources

Insulation under rafters

Insulation under rafters is placed on the inside of the roof’s loadbearing construction. Under the rafter insulation is often a few cm of insulation, in addition to the insulation that is placed between the rafters.

Insulation above the rafters

To keep the attic space as large as possible, especially when used for living, over the rafter insulation.

Our stone wool insulation ensures that both heat and sound are contained effectively. It also helps to:

Prevent heat loss
Improve energy efficiency overall
Increase fire safety

Key benefits include:

Improved energy efficiency and warmer surface temperature on the inside of the outer wall
Enhanced fire safety – especially around openings, preventing fire from spreading through the cavity
Reduced heating and cooling costs
Quick and easy installation

When you place insulation above- and-between the rafter construction, ROCKWOOL solutions provide you with high acoustic performances. This can be a great advantage when building or renovating in areas with high sound levels, such as those close to airports.

Roger Peeters

Global Product Manager, ROCKWOOL Group

Calculator and savings

Roof rafter insulation is an affordable and energy efficient solution for your project or refurbishment.

As each project is different, we can work with you to match the type and thickness of the insulation to almost any build specification – depending on your individual needs.

For slabs and rolls it is relatively easy to estimate the amount needed by calculating the m2 of the roof area. When using sub-frames to install a finishing layer on the inside product, width should be considered to reduce waste material.

Should you wish to apply our rafter granulate, we recommend having this fitted by a professional installer with the right knowledge and equipment to do so.

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Why choose ROCKWOOL solutions?

ROCKWOOL rafter insulation offers maximum thermal and acoustic benefits as well as superior fire safety, helping you to create a comfortable living environment within your roof space.

The natural power of stone wool means that our insulation will last for the lifetime² of your building, without any sagging or slumping.

As the roof space is one of the key areas through which both noise and air can enter a building, ROCKWOOL insulation prevents heat loss and offers many other benefits too:

Fire resistant –non-combustible, our between the rafters insulation offers the ultimate peace of mind for loft conversions.
Sustainability – our long-lasting insulation helps to improve your building’s carbon footprint.
Instant benefits - No more draughts through cracks in the ceiling.
Noise absorbing – reducing the noise of day to day urban life for a comfortable living environment.²

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Case studies

The project:

The State Hermitage is a series of lavish buildings housing paintings and artworks. Restoration work was required to make sure the building remained comfortable and safe, to preserve one of the world’s largest museums.

The problem:

Due to the building’s age and complexity, refurbishment of the roof needed to be carried out with the upmost care. As the weather can be extreme in Russia, with freezing winters and hot summers, the correct insulation needed to be used to maintain a comfortable temperature within the museum.

The solution

ROCKWOOL roof rafter insulation was selected as it can be sized to fit perfectly between uneven spaces, and provided the building with the perfect temperature maintenance required for such a large space.

Not only did it help to reduce energy bills for the museums, its fireproof qualities were also paramount for the preservation of such an old and important building.

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Applications

Insulation

Flat Roof Insulation | ROCKWOOL Group

Flat roof insulation can reduce energy costs and create an additional roof space. Discover all the benefits of ROCKWOOL flat roof insulation today.

Insulation

Pitched Roof Insulation

Discover ROCKWOOL Pitched Roof Insulation for the ultimate in thermal, acoustic and fire performance solutions. Insulate with stone wool for the future.

Insulation

Loft Insulation

Installing ROCKWOOL loft insulation can reduce heat and energy loss, preventing problems with noise, rot and mould.

Installation

Top tips if you are preparing to insulate between, below or above the rafters:

Have all working tools and protective equipment available
Ensure the roof construction is in good condition and that there are no leakages on the outside planking
Place electric cables preferably in the most inner layer and test wiring before closing the construction

Inspiration and guides for professionals

Get 16 Renovation Cases

This case study bundle includes:

29 pages of our best 2018-19 projects
Acoustic renovation in both public buildings and private
Bringing new life into old buildings with facade panels
Improving fire safety and wellbeing in high-rises and historical buildings
Reducing noise and flooding with innovative stone wool solutions

Sustainability and energy efficiency

ROCKWOOL insulation is designed with sustainability and enhancing the energy efficiency of buildings in mind.

It is developed from rock, one of the most sustainable and abundant natural resources on our planet. The earth produces 38,000 times more stone than we use annually to produce stone wool.⁴

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Our insulation supports comfortable and sustainable living for the future by helping to create habitable roof and loft spaces. While being fire resistant, it also provides the both domestic and commercial properties require.

8 facts about the circularity of stone wool

Downloads and resources

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