Updated Thermal Insulation Guides Provide More Clarity

The Thermal Insulation Contractors Association (TICA) has welcomed the long-awaited publication of BS 5422:2023 which updates the standards for thermal insulating materials for pipes, tanks, vessels, ductwork and equipment operating between -40ºc and +700ºc.

It says the revision by the British Standards Institute (BSI) brings much needed clarity regarding the minimum reaction to fire standards for pipe and duct insulation following the adoption of Euroclass standards and a departure from ‘Class O’ declarations.

BS 5422:2023 also includes tables of minimum insulation thickness for pipe and duct insulation applications including refrigeration, air conditioning, heating and domestic hot and cold applications.

A large number of tables covering enhanced insulation thickness and district heating thicknesses have also been added to the standard.

Chris Ridge, TICA’s Technical Policy Manager, said:

“The updated standards provide more clarity, and the additional tables will provide greater optionality for the specifier.

“While the number of tables has increased, there has been an attempt to simplify the reading of the tables. For example, higher thermal conductivity values for materials no longer supplied or rarely used, have been removed.

“Reaction to Fire is now defined within this publication in terms of Euroclass, which gives a more comprehensive and clear definition of the behaviour of materials exposed to fire. It also states a minimum performance of Euroclass C-s3, d2 in dwelling applications and B-s3, d2 in non-dwelling applications, and this will hopefully serve to reinforce good practice.”

However, he has called for a rethink on the sheer number of low temperature heating and domestic hot water tables included in the new standard – with ten separate tables for low temperature heating services alone.

He added:

“This could well prove a challenge for those interpretating specifications. We should also consider that whilst the ‘base standard’ tables for heating and hot water services are still included in the new version of the standard, they no longer represent best practice from a thermal insulation specification point of view.”

The new standard is available to purchase from BSI, the UK’s national standards body and is also available to TICA contracting members via its standards portal.

TICA will be announcing a webinar focusing on the key changes in BS 5422: 2023 via its website and social media in the coming days.