Turning Rocks into Insulation! Rockwool Factory Tour

[@jackvisn]

Clean, safe, well lit, efficient, with attention to every detail. That is how a well run operation works. A beautiful sight. This is one way we re-shore successfully.

[@kevinsloan5570]

While watching I was impressed by how clean the whole place is !! From outside to the inside . Cool vid , Thanks Matt .

[@cooldude-ub7wv]

If you watch some of the videos on Plainly Difficult youtube, lack of dust control has caused many serious explosions and deaths over the years. Makes sense to me they would have active efforts to keep this under control!

[@kevinsloan5570]

@@cooldude-ub7wv - Completely agree Dude !

[@lifeoncloud9172]

Was just gonna comment the same thing. I imagine you have experience working in a plant similar to this? I worked at a tire recycling plant and it was no where as clean as this plant. Even after a cleaning day. Different industries but still was just surprised to see how clean the rockwool plant is. Shows that’s they care, was even surprised to see they collect rain water.

[@HisDivineShado]

@@lifeoncloud9172 I've worked in various casting and forging plants and was also stunned at how clean their place was. They must take a lot of pride in that. It's cool to see.

[@trespire]

@Kevin Sloan Go visit such a factory in China, doubt it will be anything like this.

[@paulmaxwell8851]

A great product. My wife and I switched from fiberglass to Rockwool years ago, and never looked back. It's tougher, water-resistant, easier to cut and fit, less dusty and more fire resistant. It does cost more, but we think it's worth the money. We've never used the rigid board yet but are eager to. We built an insulated floor assembly for our new home and were hit by an unexpected thunderstorm before we could cover the subfloor. Water got down through the seams of the plywood and wetted the Rockwool, so of course we were mortified. What do we do now? Well, we kept up good air circulation under the floor assembly (a crawl space) and the product dried out completely. If that had been fiberglass it would have been a soggy disaster. This one incident sold us on the product. And it's made in the U.S.! What more do you want ? Cheers from a Canadian neighbour.

[@RonaldPeterson1]

Rock wool is amazing. Fireproof. Bug proof. Rot proof. One of the best building materials in the world, IMO.

[@KingBennon]

If your Canadian its made in Milton since 1988 The Milton plant is NOT as clean as this new one.

[@Demopans5990]

Also great for acoustics.

[@elfkind5590]

I’m an industrial installer for Stanley corp. who has worked on this facility and of all the plants I have worked in Rockwool is my favorite. I even got them to give me a rockwool ball cap… That I wear all the time. The cleanliness of the facility is unbelievable. I wondered what the lava glass at the base of the furnace was.

[@alexlindekugel8727]

melted besalt most likly. plus few other things add in like steel slag.

[@okstes]

It’s great! My shed has been completed and it turned out nice looking and sturdy and it is way better than the sheds that many of my neighbors had put up. Of course, I'm pleased with the outcome and this Ryan’s kzbin.infoUgkxGZedDTcDfgD7fG_uU4esfx_EgxzlY2_1 Plans was extremely useful to me as a guide.

[@cernejr]

Good to see modern manufacturing in action in US.

[@philipbhm6259]

Thank god you make this shit by yourself. Its a danish Company and we hate IT here

[@SomeUserNameBlahBlah]

Almost 100% automated. With that setup it doesn't matter what country it is made in.

[@hubert187]

@@SomeUserNameBlahBlah We want automated manufacturing here. It requires a specialized skillset that takes years to develop. Set it up in another country, and that talent pool will leave with it. Plus amazing, it frees up those people who would otherwise be doing mindless tasks to do something more meaningful.

[@SomeUserNameBlahBlah]

@@hubert187 Automation helps people who are intelligent enough to develop the technology, but hurts people who will never have any other skills. It's a double edged sword.

[@gund89123]

@@SomeUserNameBlahBlah Automation cost money too. If the labor is cheap it’s not worth spending money on automation.

[@jacobball8422]

I'm really impressed with this factory. What a clean and controlled space

[@ChristianKurzke]

I used Rockwool 10yrs ago in my house, and i absolutely love it. Great insulation, but also amazing sound proofing. Can highly recommend the product! Thanks for letting us peek inside the factory. 🇺🇸

[@Will_JJHP]

So rockwool is basically cotton candy made with rocks instead of sugar. Sweet!

[@EddyGrimm]

Rocks are actually the opposite of sweet. It would break your teeth.

[@macgyver03ga]

Fiberglass insulation is made almost the same way…

[@Will_JJHP]

@@macgyver03ga yep...

[@Will_JJHP]

@@EddyGrimm a lot faster than rotting your teeth, amirite?!

[@jamesbell8861]

@@Will_JJHP Very Punny !!! LOL

[@SteveFrench_420]

When watching videos like this and "How It's Made" on History Ch, I'm almost always more impressed with whoever designed and built the factories that produce these products.

[@fajile5109]

How do you get that job 😂😂😂😂

[@limitcanc3l]

@@fajile5109 Become an architect and work at a commercial firm!

[@firstname-qq3xp]

I can definitely do this at home. Thanks for giving me all the secrets.

[@anhtuanb]

Did all home renovations for my customers with these. They love them.

[@flyinpolack6633]

Good product, great tour! Happy to see it's Made in USA and not full of chemicals!

[@AlexWheely-bx7pk]

isnt steel slag part of the make up? super toxic by-product in every last shred of the disgusting stuff

[@markadams9401]

I've been researching this product and plan to use it to add an additional layer of insulation in our attic. What an incredible process, thank you so much for this video. Justin deserves a raise.

[@Tenspound]

I started using rock wool after seeing your videos years ago on any insulation I do even if it’s replacing existing in one wall or ceiling and it’s always better than any other area in the house. I love it. And I didn’t know it could be reused if we ever demo it in the future I’ll ship that stuff back lol.

[@kristofferholst6053]

Not only that the materials it has been in contact with can also be reused - unlike say spray insulation. It’s definitely a more sustainable option.

[@senseijay51]

Haha, I feel old now. Thinking back, I first saw mineral wool on This Old House years back...

[@mkgg9637]

Thank you for sharing this tour. I am blown away with the operation.

[@nicklowe1518]

First used Rockwool a few years back, I will never use fiberglass again. So much easier to,work with and significantly quieter than the pink stuff.

[@johnparker5069]

at 1:28 matts wearing the keens. my favourite shoes! wear them almost every day.

[@semiproactive9625]

Totally impressed. Clean air and floors. American made.

[@jonjak80]

Nice to see som danish technology used to create quality product in the US and produced in the US so everyone benefit 😃

[@SeanBlader]

That's pretty impressive, I wish we could've seen the spinners though.

[@NicholasLittlejohn]

This rocks! 🪨

[@benjaminearls9983]

Hi Matt been watching your show for a while now. You have great content. I had to watch this one because I used all rock wool in my garage 30X40’X14.6’. I knew fiberglass was not good quality. The pieces fit perfectly in between my studs. And also my trusses. With just enough friction fit to hold them firmly in place. It is easily cut with a long knife. My in floor radiant doesn’t run very long to keep it warm. So that means less wood in the outside wood gasification furnace. Upstate NY gets hit with sub zero temps at times. I was in a t shirt when working out there. (I WILL ALWAYS USE ROCK WOOL FROM NOW ON!!! ) I want to re insulate with RW in my house, after seeing the performance in my garage. Made in America is where we need to support each other. Thank you to the folks at Rock Wool. Benjamin E.

[@infiniteadam7352]

I can't help but wonder how many people were involved in not only creating the building but all the technology, the engineering of the machines, the ideas and genius that made it possible, the generations of people that built a society where all of this was made possible, it is a remarkable story of mankind, one so vast only God knows it, im in awe. Very Impressive we are!

[@richardpellis]

In reality, that process is pretty simple compared to a refinery, nuclear or chemical plant. Even a copper smelter or steel plant is more complex. BTW... I know because I help design, build, commission, maintain, and even demolish chemical plants. That said, the emphasis on environmental design, the layout of the plant, and the cleanliness is impressive. A clean plant is a safe plant, and it is a reflection of the work ethic of the employees.

[@nightraker]

Would love to see Rockwool develop ICF forms with their product!

[@csmall7842]

I don’t think it’s stiff enough to support wet cement.

[@marty5300]

This place is right down the road from me.. people were up in a tizzy when they started building this factory, signs were everywhere saying "stop toxic rockwool" I don't know how toxic the place is or isn't, but from this tour it doesn't look too bad.

[@spex357]

I first applied it to the outside of a house around 1982 and I bet it's still there just like I am here.

[@senseijay51]

I am a few miles away as well. You still see signs like up Shepherdstown Pike. However, I love stone wool insulation. I prefer it over fiberglass any day of the week.

[@aLittlePal]

Protesting is part of the business. Because rock-wool is a really good business, the product is strong, works well, people who wants the place to be weaken will fight back, utilizing crowd with fear campaign is one way to attack. Do you notice how miserable those fear campaign crowd’s life is, it all make sense and so obvious. The top people do not want strong and economical neighborhood constructions, they want everyday people to be powerless and fearful, so they can play the fear campaign card. Rockwool is providing strong and good cost business to the community, they will fight rockwool with every possible way.

[@davidchristian2071]

Great video guy's.....made America 🇺🇸 👏 👍

[@deanmiller2844]

Matt, Thank you for the video. I am big on recycling and Rockwool does it right! Looking forward to using Rockwool in the future.

[@jedikevin20]

Sew motors on conveyors, looks like either Siemens or AB control systems, festo or SMC pneumatic valving and looks like Sick sensors on thru out. Love the controls that look to be running the factory.

[@jambatvee3803]

I’m impressed by the cleanliness of this factory. If the factory is this clean, I’m quite certain my home will be clean too. Thanks Matt and crew for this

[@mr.independent3501]

Tour guide very knowledgeable and understand the process. Very impressive of how they have little waste

[@rsbolin]

Just installed Rockwool comfort bat's and safe n sound in a new bedroom wall. Oh the silence, even before the dry wall was installed.

[@TheKazii]

So cool that you were in my neck of the woods

[@jefff6167]

West Virginia is awesome. In fact it’s almost Heaven.

[@brianyambor1099]

The ranson plant is about 15 minutes from my place, pass by it everyday, and always wondered how it looked inside. well now i know! But darn Matt, wish I knew , would have liked to give you a tour of our build where we just used a combo of r30/23 and 15 rockwool coupled with closed cell and some open cell in precarious hard to insulate areas! We could have nerded out over the details bro! haha. Could have shown you all the tips and tricks ive learned from your channel over the years.

[@senseijay51]

I'd love to get a tour. Be cool to see parts of the process too...

[@angellas.1314]

So do you just go over to the plant and pick up a few bats?

[@squirrelmaster1225]

your tour guide is a natural, he knows his stuff : )

[@shubinternet]

Wow, very cool to see this stuff in operation!

[@walterdolen7169]

I always wondered how they turned rock into insulation. Now I know. Actually amazing. I used Rockwool on my renovation of our 1848 townhouse, especially between floors since it was balloon framed.

[@drewdoestrucks]

Install fire stops at the floors!

[@walterdolen7169]

@@drewdoestrucks I did

[@Cranker-ng6pv]

I toured that new plant over the winter. Beautiful facility.

[@shoyur]

wow, american, clean, good product, just perfect, we realy need to encourage these kind of rare businesses

[@lukasvotteler1168]

The company is not American but Danish. But since the physical volume is incredible high it makes sense to have factory's all over the world

[@soundman1402]

I use Rockwool covered in fabric on my walls for acoustical control in my home studio. It works exceptionally well in this application!

[@angellas.1314]

I was thinking of doing the same for my very cold bedroom walls. Do you think it would also insulate well??

[@soundman1402]

@@angellas.1314 The product is primarily used for thermal insulation. In thermal applications you'll want to have as much of your walls covered as possible. If you want to maintain some liveliness to your room acoustics, this might be too much.

[@soundman1402]

@@angellas.1314 Sorry, I didn't pay attention to what I was replying to. I thought this was one of the audio engineering channels I watch! If you cover your walls in Rockwool panels, you'll probably get a thermal benefit. It will also make your room exceptionally quiet and acoustically dead, depending on the thickness of your panels.

[@steveswoodworking2504]

Great tour. And it is fire proof too!

[@loueckert4970]

Thanks for the tour--we live nearby to the plant. Love your channel too Matt.

[@elaine5953]

Impressive. Very impressive!

[@burbman60]

Justin is a pro, articulate and well spoken.

[@WillieStubbs]

Awesome video Matt. I'm sure growers wanted to see this tour. @4:15 The rock wool is sprayed with resin and water for all of those considering this as a grow medium in a hydroponics system. Not sure if this is the exact same type of material used for grow medium, but the only thing that sounded questionable for food growing purposes is that resin additive.

[@nateauld]

The binder used is supposed to be different between hydroponic vs insulation but I've been looking for more clarity on that too. Not totally sure.

[@pastmasterdan4080]

It makes no difference

[@rlantzwv]

@@pastmasterdan4080 On the contrary, Grodan is the Roxul product used in hydroponics. It uses a proprietary inert binder and wetting agent. Not the same as the insulation.

[@treskil]

The binder is different. You don't want your grow medium to be water repellent :)

[@An_Urban_monk]

I was thinking Matt sounded like he a smoked a doob before this video. “Damn, I got do a sponsor video? I'll be right back.” I love your grower-resin observation, which clearly nobody on this thread got.

[@brandonross3228]

Great tour from Justin! You can tell he is passionate about his job.

[@limitcanc3l]

It looks so clean it feels like a japanese factory! Right here in the US!

[@csealand]

Matt, I've been sold on rockwool since I first saw it on your show. Now a factory tour....

[@batmb1e]

Yea Travis is joining the Build gang! Very exciting.

[@DPoner]

Finally some interesting content

[@markwatters6875]

Thanks for the video. Thanks to Rockwell for letting you do the show. Brilliant setup 👍🇦🇺

[@onthelinewithjr1851]

What an Outstanding company and an Outstanding product! Great stewardship.

[@KC-632H]

Awesome vid best insulation👍🇨🇦

[@grantbovee]

thank you

[@Alarm-xh9jj]

I love it when an informational video leaves just enough mystery to make you go digging for more answers. Instead of being satisficed that I know what the "Rock" is in rock wool... and why its different than the "sand" used in fiberglass insulation, I have to leave the video and go look for those answers myself. Now I know. Thank you.

[@ericpresnell2848]

Blown granite.

[@ricsoares8169]

Mineral Wool is the ONLY batt insulation that I'll specify for me, my family and my clients. Fiberglass eventually sags, is suseptable to water damage and is far more irritating to humans.

[@shokdj1]

It’s acoustic properties are quite good

[@MorryB]

Incredible thought put into that facility and that was a great tour from Jason!

[@adingley]

Very cool video / Rockwool was a huge part of my home studio build, and it helped me really thoroughly insulate my home's attic space for both heat and sound. I'm a big fan of how well those batts work.

[@brianszymanski2971]

Nice job on showing the inside of the Rockwool plant.

[@Sigurther]

Rock wool is the best insulation, change my mind.

[@Belenus3080]

We like working with rock wool at my job. It is costly, but the higher r-value and soundproofing quality make it worth it. It’s fascinating to see how they make it.

[@drussell_]

Here it is cheaper than fibreglass insulation...

[@Belenus3080]

@@drussell_ where’s that out of curiosity?

[@bitehunter122]

I love Rockwool. I’m using it to insulate our house now!

[@AM-dn4lk]

That was awesome. Great tour video.

[@maestegboyo]

Best 🔥 fireproof insulation in the world 🌎 bloody marvellous stuff.

[@SB-or5mj]

It's crazy how few people work there. That place was probably filled with workers years ago. Before automation. Now a handful of specialized workers operate the entire facility.

[@senseijay51]

It is a brand new facility. Only open about a year or so.

[@itsmatt2105]

You can thank the unions for all the jobs lost due to automation. I grew up in the rust belt, lots of relatives in the auto and other factories and would probably have ended up in one of them myself if I had stayed in the area. I heard lots of stories from the relatives about the shit they used to pull just to defraud their employers and wasn't surprised when so many jobs went overseas enabled by NAFTA or got automated. I would have thought the unions and their members would have learned to not be so greedy, lazy and combative if the jobs ever came back but from what I hear from my relatives retired but still in the area, that hasn't been the case. So I'm glad to see both all the automation and union membership shrinking to 6.5% of the workforce and falling. The sooner it reaches zero, the better and stronger the country and economy will be.

[@SB-or5mj]

@@itsmatt2105 I couldn't agree more. I grew up in a family of small business owners in the construction trade. In a big city in the NE, USA. Trade unions up here are basically organized crime and made our lives hell. Bunch of scumbags. Now they're begging for membership. The public perception is finally slowly turning against them.

[@forrestbehr8778]

Up your production!!! We're entirely out of stock, and it's been a year of 3 month plus lead times on delivery. We can't get any right now. So many good reasons to "push" this product, and as a salesguy at lumber yard on Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada, I'm happy to tout it's virtues...WHEN IT'S IN STOCK! Lol. Great product. Thanks Matt, as always...love your channel.

[@Casmige]

It’s all contrived stock shortages engineered by your elected officials. They pushed the domino with all the BS Covid fascist-forced shut downs

[@bothellkenmore]

They have a plant in BC in a small town called Grand Forks near the Washington border. You're closer to me near Seattle than that plant LOL.

[@blainethrasher5850]

ROCKWOOL is the only insulation to consider when doing projects or new builds! Fire resistance ✅ Sound absorption✅ water resistant✅ Best Handle ability✅

[@petersmith7140]

Rock wool originated In CANADA ! In Milton Ontario.

[@richardday8843]

"People like me! My team! Nationalism! Rah Rah Rah"!

[@nickscott5845]

Nope... Denmark

[@tomallen6073]

Guy knows his shit.

[@mikesionu]

Right on Thanks Matt .

[@ericlotze7724]

What are the rocks used/where are they typically sourced from?

[@bamascubaman]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqmqZJ2fmNVkpbc

[@drussell_]

I know the Roxul plant here in Grand Forks, BC (operating for 20 years, now re-branded Rockwool) has the rights to a giant slag pile and uses that as at least part of their input materials...

[@ericlotze7724]

@@drussell_ Slag as in Coal Combustion Byproduct slag?

[@drussell_]

@@ericlotze7724 The giant piles of slag are from a former smelter operation, mostly copper in this area, so yes, melty ore residue from coal fired blast furnaces. Today it is a major local resource, sold to both the abrasives industry and Roxul for the rock wool plant. The Grand Forks Railway is a local shortline with a whole whopping 3.7mi of track, existing solely to service trains hauling loads from the slag piles...

[@MikClarke]

For a video on the manufacturing process it is disappointing there is no mention of what they use, apart from vague references to 'stone', 'rock' and 'raw material'. They show a piece of the melt waste which is basically a black glass. Obsidian or volcanic glass occurs naturally and could be a source, but as mentioned by others here, slag waste from metals refining can be used, at least in part. That does not come from coal combustion, but from the ore impurities which are removed from the molten metal during smelting - the composition of slags vary but some have a very high silica content, so that makes sense. (The burning of coal would produce a seperate ash waste, which may or may not have been dumped with the metal slag).

[@arabianknight47]

That was an excellent tour guide.

[@rockpadstudios]

he does a great job of explaining the process

[@erickessler6094]

Just brilliant Matt! Rockwool is amazing. Cheers, Eric

[@jasonhaynes2990]

Welcome to WV Matt, hope you enjoyed it here

[@carlkrewler4084]

Wow, I could write a book on what I didn't know. Great video.

[@pennyhinson4949]

If ever I rebuild a home, Rockwood is all I'm gonna use.

[@francoismonast4186]

Excellent manufactured process.

[@enriquealdogarcia4850]

many thanks, this one was really incredible!!!

[@Akcd11r2002]

Excellent Narration. Great Video.

[@JAW88]

Awesome, please do more of these types of videos Matt!

[@timmc6009]

Impressive...... Most impressive.

[@jaras1969]

35 years ago I had a weekend job of cleaning at the mother factory in the town of Hedehusene in Denmark. On weekend we were cleaning out the chamber, that the newly spun wool enters right after the "candyfloss" spinners. Let me tell you; that was NOT as clean as you see in this nice new factory, but that's a whole other story. I can see from your video, that the basic production process are the same as it was back then, although there's been a big upgrade in recycling of water and dust free production. Rockwool are still the best isolation material in my opinion , due to it's fire resisting capabilities among other things.

[@coleplaninzful]

That’s amazing insulation building material!

[@dennis-qu7bs]

I like their commitment to sustainability

[@Cactii101]

Beautiful shop and process.

[@pbs7986]

Impressive set up. It strange how we use so much energy to try save energy. Rockwool is a superb product helping thermal comfort in homes for the future.

[@VitaKet]

It's not really though... That energy thousands of homes and buildings will now save will far exceed the energy used to create.

[@scorpio6587]

Great video, great tour guide, great sign-off! I can't wait to specify only Rockwool products in my builds.

[@thewatersavior]

Those retention ponds are a good place for some solar panels... Nice Vid

[@Forrest-Jackson]

A beautiful and clean, new, American factory - very nice to see! I really love the product and I don't want to use anything else. Sadly, buying the stuff is almost impossible, again... all of my suppliers are hitting a wall sourcing it. Maybe y'all can build a clean, new, American way to get your product to market so us small builders can buy some?

[@squirrelmaster1225]

i had no idea the process was so huge, next time i question the price, ill rewatch this video. : ) thanks Matt

[@mech-E]

I wonder if they had some kind of evaporation mitigation on the retention ponds if it would get them much closer to 100% of the process water

[@cynthiaayers7696]

Well if a homeowner isn't allowed to collect rainwater how do they get away with it.

[@kevin3434343434]

West Virginia is almost rainforest territory. There is no shortage of water there.

[@keithjurena9319]

@@cynthiaayers7696 Freedom. Vote with your feet

[@viewthoughmyeyes]

@@cynthiaayers7696 Yes, I'm aware there's a silly law or ordinances that forbid anyone from collecting rainwater in most States. But can anyone find where it's ever been prosecuted or given citation of some kind for doing exactly that collecting water? Until then, let them continue to save money and not use as much of the locals water supply. Finally, isn't that the whole purpose of catching it in the first place. To use as a benefit and not be taxed or wasting money to purchase it from local governments.

[@Ninja47Monkey]

he gave one hell of a tour👍

[@nails2wood691]

Very impressed how knowledgeable Justin was about his job….

[@mdc503]

Somebody at Rockwool give Justin a raise.

[@xboxgamingironeagle7772]

10/10 Great Video! Rockwool is a great company!

[@michiganengineer8621]

Makes me even more inclined to use a material like Rock-Wool for the interior insulation on my build project. Possibly as part of the roof/attic insulation as well although I'm leaning toward closed cell spray on for under the roof decking.

[@nealdrury6584]

That was impressive. Thanks for the tour