Rockwool from international suppliers (China)
It seems that a simple internet search turns up hundreds of sources of rockwool from China. This seems like a product which is dominated by a few (1?) suppliers here in North America. With some sleuthing, it seems like something that could be had for a lot less money per inch… I understand the possible downsides of unknown suppliers, but this seems like a widely used product outside of the NA market.
I also remember horror stories about Chinese drywall and laminate flooring. I am only considering this for subslab and exterior foundation insulation.
I don’t like getting everything from China, but I also don’t like how just a few suppliers/brands are able to dominate certain markets. The rockwool industry in China sort of resembles the EPS market here in NA. I will be getting a free sample from a few manufacturers and see if it looks like Roxul.
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Ethan,
I understand the temptation, but my first thoughts were, "Chinese drywall! Chinese laminate flooring! Chinese baby formula! Chinese dog food!"
Sometimes, it makes sense to walk away from a bargain.
Well, I haven't figured out if it's a bargain yet... Regardless, I could make a much longer list of items in my home which are made in China and perform perfectly well. I understand your concern, but not necessarily your automatic aversion to this particular bargain. (I did, for the record look at other building products on alibaba just for fun, but figured external, below grade rockwool might be a place where it actually makes sense to order a container full (low tech, commodity, relatively light, easy to ship, can't break).)
Subslab? Well, you could have foundation failure...
But if it works, you should start a company to sell them.
Wasn't there going to be another rockwool player in NA this year?
Anon3, you're right, I should just use the imported rock wool for foundation wall exterior and then use perlite under the slab.