ASTM:  American Society for Testing Materials.  This organization develops testing standards to determine the properties and performance of materials.

CFC's:  Chlorofluorocarbons.  Any of several organic compounds composed of carbon, fluorine, chlorine, and hydrogen.  Contributes to stratospheric ozone depletion.

Closed-Cell:  A cell totally enclosed by its walls, and therefore does not interconnect with other cells.

Compression Creep:  The loss of thickness of a material under a constant load over a specific period of time.

Compression Deflection:  The amount of force required to compress a foam specimen by a given % over the entire top area of the specimen.  Usually expressed in pounds per square inch.

Crosslinked:  the establishment of a chemical bond between the molecular chains of a given polymer, thereby imparting superior physical properties

Cushion Curves:   Reams of statistics that are material specific, related to G factor, allowing optimal solutions with cost always a factor.  Measures the amount of cushioning protection provided by packaging materials of a specific density and thickness.

Density: Describes the weight per unit volume of a material - usually expressed in PCF (per cubic foot) - weight of one cubic ft. (12" x 12" x 12") or kg/m3 (kilograms per cubic meter)

EIFS:  Exterior Insulation Finishing System such as dryvit.

Elongation:  The maximum length a material can be stretched without tearing, or exhibiting permanent distortions.  The value expressed as percentage of the materials original length.

EPS: Expanded Polystyrene, also know as beadboard.

Density/Compression Codes:  i.e. 1232 indicates a density of 1.2 PCF's and an ILD or IFD of 32 lbs.  Important designation for PU.

G Factor: a measure of fragility ranging from extremely delicate (15-25 G's) to rugged (115 G's)

HCFC's:  Hydro chlorofluorocarbons.  Gaseous compounds that contribute to stratospheric ozone depletion.

ICF's:  Insulated Concrete Forms

ILD or IFD:  initial load deflection or initial force deflection.  This is a gauging of compression, i.e.: softness or firmness.  The higher the number the firmer the foam

K-Factor:  A measure of thermal conductivity.  The amount of heat (BTUs) that is transmitted through one square foot of a material, one inch thick, during a period of one hour.  Lower values indicate better insulating properties.

kPa - Kilo Pascals:  Metric equivalent to PSI (Pounds per square inch).

Laminate:  Product made by bonding together two or more layers of similar, or dissimilar materials.

Non-Reticulated PU: a random network of cells found in ethers, esters, and grafted.  99% of polyurethane packaging foam is non-reticulated.

Open-Cell:  A cell is not totally enclosed by its walls and therefore exhibits a predominance of interconnecting cells.

PE: Polyethylene foam.

PP:  Polypropylene foam.

PSA: pressure sensitive adhesive that can be applied to all foams.

PSI:  Pounds per Square Inch

PU:  Polyurethane foam.  Also know as flexible urethane.

Resilience:  The ability of a material to recover from impressions and withstand additional impacts.  Usually expressed as the ratio of return to impressed energy.

Reticulated PU:  a foam with a network of uniform cells, used to filter everything from blood to air.  Often referred to as PPI (pores per inch) foam.

R-Value:  Unit of measure describing the ability of an insulation to resist heat flow.  Higher values permit less heat flow.

SIP's:  Thermal Foam Structural Insulated Panels.

Tensile Strength:  The maximum amount of stress a material can withstand without tearing while being stretched lengthwise.

Thermal Stability:  Dimensional stability in any direction of a material at elevated temperatures.