What is density and what does density affect?

Density is a measure of weight per unit volume. The SI unit is:

kg/m3 (kilogram per cubic metre or kilogram per metre cubed)

The raw material, low density polyethylene, has a density of around 920kg/m3. Our foams you will see have a density in the range of 15kg/m3 to 115kg/m3.

Volumetrically foam has much less weight than the solid (between 8 and 60 times). This means a huge weight saving in applications where either a solid material or a higher density foam can be displaced.

Density is often one of the main criteria for comparing and selecting foams as it defines many of the foam properties. In general lower density foams of the same plastic have lower properties, although certain characteristics such as thermal conductivity and buoyancy can be improved.

In the US the normal density measure is still the imperial measurement of the pound per cubic foot (lb/ft3 or pcf). To convert pcf to kg/m3 simply multiply by 16.

 
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