Selecting an insulated panel system for an industrial building should start with the building and application requirements.
A warehouse operating at ambient temperature has very different requirements from a frozen storage facility. Food production, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and other controlled environments require further considerations around temperature, hygiene, finishes, and fire performance.
Before looking at individual products or panel thicknesses, what should specifiers be asking?
1. What will the building be used for?
The operating environment determines many of the decisions that follow.
Will temperatures need to be controlled? Are hygienic finishes required? Does the project have specific fire performance or certification requirements? What conditions will the panels experience in use?
A cold store, as discussed, places different demands on the building fabric from an ambient warehouse. Controlled environments are typically designed for specific internal operating temperatures and conditions, which usually range between +30°C and -40°C. Establishing those conditions at the outset helps determine the thermal performance and panel specification required.
2. What thermal performance is required?
Thermal performance needs to be considered alongside operating temperature, structural loading, and panel thickness.
Hemsec's Control 30 range includes 100mm, 125mm and 150mm panels for freezer applications below 0°C, with published U-values of 0.20, 0.16 and 0.13 W/m²K, respectively. The same thicknesses are available for chill and ambient applications, but the published span data differs because of the different temperature conditions.
This is why the U-value alone doesn't tell the whole story. The panel needs to be assessed against the conditions in which it will operate.
See Hemsec steel insulated panel systems on NBS Source.
3. How is the panel manufactured?
Insulated panels are not all manufactured in the same way.
With almost a century of UK manufacturing experience, Hemsec manufactures bespoke steel insulated panel systems for industrial and temperature-controlled environments. Its steel-faced PIR panels are continuously manufactured, with the PIR insulation core formed and bonded directly between the steel facings.
Panels are produced under Factory Production Control procedures, with routine in-house testing supporting quality, traceability, and production consistency.
Manufacturing method is worth considering alongside the thermal data, certification and other evidence supporting the specification.
4. What fire performance does the project require?
Fire performance needs to be considered against the project's fire strategy; insurer requirements and the panel configuration being specified.
Selected Hemsec steel insulated panel thicknesses are independently assessed and approved under the LPCB LPS 1208 scheme. Performance varies according to factors including panel thickness and configuration, so the relevant certification should be checked rather than assuming an approval applies across the range.
Hemsec's Knowledge Hub provides the relevant certification, product matrices, and other technical information for checking the proposed specification.
5. What does the operating environment demand from the panel?
Specification doesn't end with thermal and fire performance. The finish and panel build-up also need to suit the way the building will be used.
Food production, pharmaceutical and other controlled environments can require surfaces suited to regular cleaning and demanding internal conditions. Different areas within the same building may also require different panel specifications.
South Caernarfon Creameries' cheese production facility in Pwllheli is a useful example. Hemsec panels were used to create seven distinct areas, including milk processing and storage, cream and butter, cheese processing, ingredients, and changing rooms. The specification included 100mm and 125mm Control 30 fire-rated panels, alongside 50mm Control wall panels.
Visit the South Caernarfon Creameries project
Getting the specification right
The right insulated panel specification starts with a clear understanding of how the building will be used and the conditions it needs to maintain. From there, thermal performance, panel construction, fire performance, finishes and supporting technical evidence can be considered together to identify a system suited to the application.
Hemsec works with project teams to understand these requirements and identify an appropriate insulated panel specification for the application.
