What Is Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF)?
Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) are permanent, insulated formwork system for accepting steel reinforced concrete for construction of walls and suspended slabs. Used as an insulated alternative to tilt panels, precast panels, brick or stud frame walls. ICFs are formwork for concrete that stays in place as permanent building insulation for energy-efficient, cast-in-place, reinforced concrete walls, floors, and roofs. The forms are interlocking modular units that are dry-stacked (without mortar) and filled with concrete. The forms lock together somewhat like Lego bricks and serve to create a form for the structural walls of a building. Concrete is pumped into the cavity to form the structural element of the walls. Usually reinforcing steel (rebar) is added before concrete placement to give the resulting walls flexural strength, similar to bridges and high-rise buildings made of concrete.
