How is Rockpanel cladding made?
To find out how sustainable Rockpanel facade cladding is produced, we need to zoom into the production process:
How Rockpanel facade cladding is produced? From spinning lava to coating the pressed boards: we will take you through the production process of Rockpanel step by step.
To find out how sustainable Rockpanel facade cladding is produced, we need to zoom into the production process:
Rockpanel facade cladding is made of stone wool fibres. All stone wool used for products made within the ROCKWOOL Group is created in the ROCKWOOL factories. To create stone wool fibres, a combination of basalt (which is solidified lava), recycled stone wool and secondary raw materials is heated to a temperature of about 1500 °C – as hot as a volcano. The production process for stone wool fibres actually is a technological replica of the inside of a volcano. A spinning machine whips the melted basalt into thin strands of stone wool. You could compare the process of making stone wool to how candy floss is made.
The stone wool fibres are collected and baled for transport and storage. The material is then ready to move on to the Rockpanel production lines.
On our press line, the stone wool is being pressed into a high-density board. For the binding of the stone wool fibres, a small amount of thermosetting resin is used. This creates a panel with a low calorific content and very good reaction to fire performance.
Production waste is fully utilised in this process: every piece of stone wool that’s cut off, goes back into our recycling process and is used to create new stone wool fibres. And thanks to our unique and highly efficient manufacturing process, we are able to produce more than 400 m² Rockpanel boards from only 1 m³ of basalt.
The next step is to finish our boards with a coloured coating. We use a waterborne coating system which has a high durability. With our modular system we can create all kind of designs, from unicolour boards to Woods, Stones, Metals or Chameleon designs.
Afterwards, an extra protective layer can be applied. This ProtectPlus coating creates a self-cleaning anti-graffiti surface with improved weathering resistance and optimal UV resistance for an even more durable result.
During this stage the paint lines are cleaned with water – the only time water is used at the Rockpanel production facility. The total amount of water used during this process is less than 3.000 m3 (in 2021 exact use was 2.804 m3). Afterwards the water is sent to the recycling plant of ROCKWOOL helping to reduce the amount of fresh water needed.
We produce more than 400 m² Rockpanel boards
From only 1 m³ of basalt
Every single year, the ROCKWOOL Group continues to make progress towards our sustainability goals. Download our Sustainability Report to learn more about our progress, achievements and our new commitments.
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The core ingredient of Rockpanel facade cladding is a unique natural material: basalt. But what is basalt exactly? And why is it such a sustainable material?
Basalt, the volcanic stone that forms the basis of Rockpanel facade cladding, is a sustainable raw material that is sourced in a responsible way close to our factory. It’s a unique material that offers many advantages, such as fire resilience, high durability, dimensional stability and resistance against moisture. We’ll tell you more about the origin of basalt and how it’s mined.
How Rockpanel facade cladding is produced? From spinning lava to coating the pressed boards: we will take you through the production process of Rockpanel step by step.
One of the many naturally built-in strengths of Rockpanel facade cladding is its fire resilience. And because Rockpanel is firesafe by nature, we don’t need to use toxic fire retardants. We’ll tell you more about how our built-in fire safety contributes to the sustainability of our products.
Rockpanel exterior cladding is made from basalt: a volcanic stone which can withstand extremely high temperatures by nature. This naturally built-in strength of stone is a very important aspect of the fire resilience of our sustainable facade boards.
At Rockpanel, we use the natural properties of stone to create products resistant to the toughest conditions. One of the assets of stone fibres, where Rockpanel exterior cladding is made of, is that it’s resistant to humidity and moisture by nature.
Building in a sustainable way means building for the long run. After all, the longer things last, the more sustainable they become. When buildings are built to last, less new resources need to be used. Rockpanel cladding, made of stone wool fibres, is durable by nature for many reasons.
Being part of the ROCKWOOL Group, Rockpanel is strongly committed to continuously improve on our sustainability goals. When it comes to sustainability, limiting the use of new valuable resources and reducing waste are very important. Rockpanel products enable you to contribute to that.
You will probably know that Rockpanel exterior cladding is made from basalt: a volcanic stone that’s abundant in nature. We use stone wool fibres to create a very solid, yet light-weight board with many natural strengths. But apart from basalt and recycled stone wool content, we also use recycled material from other industries that would often end up as landfill.
When it comes to sustainability, being transparent and sharing relevant information backed by facts is vital. Many factors concerning sustainability are clearly measurable and at Rockpanel, we want to be as transparent as we possibly can. As a supplier of building materials, we want to provide the necessary facts and figures for our customers to declare and build according to sustainability building schemes.
EPD stands for Environmental Product Declaration. An EPD is a document in which you can find data about the environmental impact of a certain building material.
An EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) shows what the environmental impact of a product is during its full life cycle.
Circularity, life cycle assessment, cradle to cradle, cradle to grave, LEED, BREEAM… but what does it mean? We are more then happy to explain it to you.
BREEAM – Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method – is a certification system that recognises sustainable buildings that exceed national standards. It’s the oldest sustainability certification scheme that’s still exists.
Using Rockpanel contributes to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an internationally recognized green building certification system.
The DGNB (DGNB (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen – German Sustainable Building Council) – is one of the most balanced sustainability schemes out there. Their conceptual principles revolve around a holistic understanding of sustainability, and it therefore looks at both environmental, economic and sociocultural factors.
Sustainability is becoming more and more important in the (business) world. As there’s no clear definition on what ‘sustainable’ means, many companies are using the term. Sustainable might mean that a product is durable, it might say something about recyclability, energy efficiency, ecological benefits or about responsible use of raw materials. And in some cases, none of those are applicable to a product. As sustainability is such a broad term, greenwashing is lurking. But how can you tell whether a (cladding) product is sustainable?
Wood has always been a very popular material. Not only as furniture and decoration inside and outside your house, but also for building the house itself. Building a house completely made out of wood may seem the most sustainable choice there is. After all, wood is a natural material and you would think that means it’s also sustainable. Unfortunately, the reality is much more complex.
If you’re looking for sustainable building materials, you might get a bit lost between all the possibilities out there. Green buildings, natural materials or recyclable or recycled materials… What is the best option if you want to build in a sustainable way?
We manufacture board material mostly used in ventilated constructions, for facade cladding, roof detailing, soffits and fascias.