An increasing number of families have discovered that homes built with exterior concrete walls offer significant energy efficiency, safety from natural disasters and a quiet, comfortable indoor environment—without sacrificing aesthetic beauty. In 2003, just over 16 percent of all single-family American homes were built with exterior above-ground concrete wall systems.

Benefits Of Concrete Homes

Fire Safety
Concrete walls will withstand up to four hours of intense fire and temperatures without structural failure, compared with wood frame that can fail in one hour or less.
Sources: Underwriters Laboratories Inc., “Fire Resistance Directory.” Underwriters Laboratories, 1988. Concrete and Masonry Industry Fire Safety Committee, “Analytical Methods of Determining Fire Endurance of Concrete and Masonry Members–Model Code Approved Procedures.” Concrete and Masonry Industry Fire Safety Committee, 1994.

Fire is five times more likely to spread when exposed to wood compared to exposure to plastic foams used in ICFs.
Source: VanderWerf, Feige, Chammas, and Lemay, “Insulating Concrete Forms for Residential Design and Construction.” McGraw Hill, 1997.

When exposed to fire, the emissions from plastic foams are no more toxic than those released by wood.
Source: Grand, Kaplan, and Harzell, “A Literature Review of the Combustion Toxicity of Expanded Polystyrene,“ Final Report, SwRI Project No. 01-8818-507. Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, May, 1986.

Tornado/Hurricane Resistance
Debris driven by 250 mile-per-hour tornado-force winds will penetrate through typical wood frame construction but will be stopped and fail to damage the concrete within ICF construction or cast-in-place walls.
Source: Kiesling and Carter, “Investigation of Wind Projectile Resistance of Insulating Concrete Form Homes.” Portland Cement Association, 1998.

Energy Efficiency
Houses built with exterior concrete walls can require an estimated 44 percent less energy to heat and 32 percent less energy to cool than comparable wood frame houses.
Source: VanderWerf, “Energy Consumption Comparisons of Concrete Homes versus Wood Frame Homes.” Portland Cement Association, 1997.

Acoustical Performance
Significantly less sounds penetrates through a concrete wall as compared with an ordinary frame wall.
Source: VanderWerf, Feige, Chammas, and Lemay, “Insulating Concrete Forms for Residential Design and Construction.” McGraw Hill, 1997.

Indoor Air Quality
Volatile organic compound emissions from concrete building products are lower than those observed for most other building materials and do not present a health risk.
Source: Budac, “Concrete’s Role in the Indoor Air Environment.” Portland Cement Association, 1998.

About the Portland Cement Association
Based in Skokie, Ill., the Portland Cement Association represents cement companies in the United States and Canada. It conducts market development, engineering, research, education, and public affairs programs.