Microporous Insulation vs. Aerogel Blanket: Which One for Your Application?

Aerogel blanket and nano microporous insulation board sit next to each other on many shortlists because both promise very low thermal conductivity in thin layers. They are, however, different product forms with different strengths, and the right choice usually becomes obvious once four questions are answered: what shape is the equipment, what is the service temperature, will the insulation be compressed, and who installs it. This article explains how we advise customers choosing between the two; the microporous data quoted are the measured values from our standard board and flexible panel.

Form Factor: Board vs Blanket

Aerogel products for industrial insulation are typically supplied as flexible blankets that wrap around pipework and vessels. Microporous insulation is supplied as rigid boards, flexible panels, and machined shapes. If the job is wrapping long runs of pipe, a blanket form installs quickly. If the job is a flat or gently curved backup layer inside a ladle, furnace, or kiln lining, a rigid board gives a stable, self-supporting layer that does not sag or settle over time. For curved equipment, our flexible and arc-shaped panels cover the same wrapping duty in a microporous format.

Temperature Ceiling

Polymer-reinforced aerogel blankets are generally used in the moderate-temperature range, while microporous boards are designed for high-temperature industrial service — our standard grade is rated for continuous use to 1000 °C. Above that range the comparison usually ends by itself: for ladles, reheating furnaces, kilns, and similar equipment, microporous board is the applicable product; for moderate-temperature pipework and vessels, both forms compete.

Compression and Handling

Aerogel blanket is soft and compressible, which helps it conform but also means the installed thickness — and therefore the installed conductivity — depends on how tightly it is clamped. A rigid microporous board holds its design thickness under the restraint of the lining, so the calculated U-value is what you actually get. Microporous board is brittle by comparison and must be handled like a refractory board, not like a textile; it can be cut and drilled cleanly with ordinary woodworking tools, as covered in our installation guide.

How to Choose

As a rule of thumb: high service temperature, flat or formed backup layers, and guaranteed installed thickness point to microporous board; moderate temperatures and long pipe runs point to aerogel blanket. Where the answer is genuinely ambiguous, we are happy to compare both against your duty conditions — contact our engineering team with the equipment drawing and operating temperature.