Is a Foam Core Panel A SIP?
Foam Core Panel is a non-specific term in reference to the Building Codes. It has commonly been used in describing a Sandwich Panel, but confuses the purer definitions APA established years ago. Strictly speaking a Stressed-Skin panel could be insulated with rigid foam. If this were done would it then qualify as a Foam Core Panel? In my opinion this term should be discarded. Answer: Yes, but let’s not use the term again. Is a SIP structural? By their nature SIPs are structural. They are intended to carry loads. If they were not intended to carry loads there would be little need to securely laminate a Sandwich Panel or Nail a Stressed-Skin Panel. Sandwich Panels and Stressed-Skin Panels as types of SIPs carry and transfer loads in similar fashions. In recent years it has become a poor practice to refer to panels attached to other structural systems such as steel framing, timber framing, etc, as non-structural panels. Panels used in these applications are also commonly referred to as cur
