R-Value and U-Value Insulation Calculator (2024)

Material ListR-Value
(up/out)
U-Value
(up/out)
R-Value
(down/in)
U-Value
(down/in)
Thickness
No materials entered yet(see below)
GRAND TOTAL: R 0.000 1000001.000 R 0.000 1000001.000 0.0mm
Just the insulation: R 0.000 1000001.000 R 0.000 1000001.000 0.0mm

The R-Value calculator is best used as follows:

  1. Work out all the different materials and surfaces that make up the wall/ceiling or surface you want to work out the R-Values and U-Values for. Remember the horizontal or vertical orientation of the material is important to get its insulation value correct.
  2. Remember to take into account any air boundaries you may have, such as with the outside or with the inside of rooms.
  3. Select the Units of measurement you want to work in, either metric (AU,EU) or imperial (US)
  4. Enter each material or surface into the above R-Value calculator. To get the right depth of a material enter multiples of it tell you get above the required depth.
  5. Note the totals. The up/out values apply mostly to Winter conditions and the down/in values apply mostly to Summer conditions.

Remember, the values calculated here should be taken as a rough guide, as certain materials (i.e. reflective or foil insulation) the total R-Value effect cannot be calculated by straight addition of all the component R-Values.

Also remember, when considering the R-Value of insulation in a built construction, it is often hard to go back and add more insulation after the wall or structure has been built; so err on having slightly more insulation than you need than less insulation.

BTW If you create an account for yourself you can save the materials list you made and come back to them later..


R-Value and U-Value Insulation Calculator (2) Email a Friend about this Calculator

This calculator is now available as a fully featured Android app, work out R-Values on the move and share - search for R Value Calculator on the Android Market. Or click here if on an Android phone.
Also available on Android is a free Green Dictionary of 800+ Eco & Green terms.

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R-Value and U-Value Insulation Calculator (3)(4.81 out of 5) from 52 ratings. Rate Now!


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R-Value and U-Value Insulation Calculator (4)

Comments left

  • Apsara2011 said:

    what are and how can I draw the junctions of wall fabric with the building structure?

    ON Thu, 19 May 11, 2:46am probably from AustraliaReply to this comment

  • Naturlig Canuck said:

    with a few changes the adroid app could be quite usefull. 50 materials in the list is just way too limiting. If I'm really list the materials used in the wall or roof, tell me what the thermal conductivity is, let me enter the thickness. Then the app calculates the resulting u-value and adds it all together. check out this website for inspiration:-)http://www.vesma.com/tutorial/uvalue01/uvalue01.htm

    ON Fri, 20 May 11, 7:10am probably from SwedenReply to this comment

    • Eco Guy said:

      The app is going through some improvements atm... I'll look at that and see if I can fit it in. Also you can add your own materials as required.

      ON Mon, 26 Sep 11, 2:56am probably from United StatesReply to this comment

  • Insulduude said:

    Is there a chance you would look at an app for iphone ipad? if not already available?

    Thanks

    ON Sun, 11 Dec 11, 7:26pm probably from New ZealandReply to this comment

  • Mike said:

    Your calculator ignores the SI units versus SAE units. If someone types in the R-value from the US, which is typically SAE units, they get the wrong answer in U-value. You should fix this and/or have a toggle for people to convert. Here's the values from Wiki: The conversion between SI and US units of R-value is 1 h•ft²•°F/Btu = 0.176110 K•m²/W, or 1 K•m²/W = 5.678263 h•ft²•°F/Btu

    ON Mon, 6 Feb 12, 11:32am probably from United KingdomReply to this comment

    • Eco Guy said:

      There is an imperial and metric switch you can use for this.

      ON Mon, 2 Apr 12, 11:47pm probably from United StatesReply to this comment

      • Andrew said:

        Eco Guy: where is the switch? I was pulling my hair out at the erroneous calculations! This definitely needs to be fixed, as it discredits an otherwise brilliant array of tools.

        ON Sun, 13 May 12, 3:41pm probably from CanadaReply to this comment

        • stewiesno1 said:

          Just down from the material list.

          Cheers

          ON Sat, 10 Nov 12, 5:27am probably from AustraliaReply to this comment

  • Avne Vishkin said:

    Great.

    ON Fri, 7 Sep 12, 3:05am probably from IsraelReply to this comment

  • HGTay said:

    To use the R-value calculator, how to enter the new material list??

    ON Thu, 20 Dec 12, 5:48am probably from MalaysiaReply to this comment

  • Phil said:

    How can you calculate a U Value from an R value.

    Doesn't a U value represent the reciprocal of several R Values?Isn't this calculating a K value from the R value??

    ON Fri, 26 Apr 13, 9:45am probably from United KingdomReply to this comment

  • Waldemar said:

    how to convert US value R30 to Europe W/m2 K ?

    ON Mon, 23 Dec 13, 5:51pm probably from United StatesReply to this comment

  • Fernando said:

    I was given an R-Value as 0.26 (m2K)/W for a particular material and I need to convert to U-Value which is expressed as W/m2K. Could you help? Thanks Fernando

    ON Mon, 20 Jan 14, 11:04am probably from United KingdomReply to this comment

  • Greg said:

    Doesn't work! Trying entering .088 for the U value.

    ON Fri, 9 May 14, 1:42pm probably from United StatesReply to this comment

  • Nn said:

    hi

    ON Tue, 8 Dec 15, 5:30pm probably from CanadaReply to this comment

  • Hafizullah said:

    Dear Mr/Madam,Have a nice day,1-How can find density of foam rigid insulation for R- Value, what is the equation between R- Value and density?2-How can find R-Value? If passable send me calculation.

    ON Mon, 22 Jan 18, 1:41pm probably from AfghanistanReply to this comment

  • Luis Salazar said:

    WHAT IS THE R VALUE THROUGH A 2 X 4 WOOD STUD AT THE 3 1/2 INCH ?

    ON Wed, 14 Feb 18, 5:43pm probably from United StatesReply to this comment

R-Value and U-Value Insulation Calculator (5)

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R-Value and U-Value Insulation Calculator (2024)

FAQs

How do you calculate R-value and U-value? ›

To calculate R-value, divide 1 by the U-value figure. For example, a U-value of 0.10 equals an R-value of 10 (1 divided by 0.10). To calculate U-value, divide 1 by the R-value—a 3.45 R-value equals a U-value of 0.29.

What is the U-value of r30 insulation? ›

U-0.034

Is a higher or lower U-value better? ›

A U-value value shows, in units of W/m²K, the ability of an element to transmit heat from a warm space to a cold space in a building, and vice versa. The lower the U-value, the better insulated the building element.

What is the R-value and U-value of insulation? ›

R-value is essentially a product's resistance to heat flow which means that the higher the product's R-value, the better it is at insulating the home and improving energy efficiency. Adversely, U-value measures the rate of heat transfer. This means that products with a lower U-value will be more energy efficient.

What is a good U-value for walls? ›

The best insulating materials have a U-Value of close to zero; the closer to zero the better. Under LABC guidelines, the retrofitting of insulation to existing buildings requires the following U-Value targets: Wall – 0.3 W/m2k. Roof – 0.18 W/m2k.

Is .30 a good U factor for windows? ›

The best, high-performance, double-pane windows may have a U-factor of 0.30 or lower, indicating that they are very energy-efficient.

What is the best R-value for attic insulation? ›

Depending on where you live and the part of your home you're insulating (walls, crawlspace, attic, etc.), you'll need a different R-Value. Typical recommendations for exterior walls are R-13 to R-23, while R-30, R-38 and R-49 are common for ceilings and attic spaces.

What is the highest R-value for a 2x4 wall? ›

Fiberglass and rock wool batts—2x4 walls can hold R-13 or R-15 batts; 2x6 walls can have R-19 or R-21 products. Generally, batt insulation is the least expensive wall insulation material but requires careful installation for effective performance (see page 4).

How much insulation do I need for R30? ›

In Zone 1, the average minimum requirement for attic insulation is 9 inches of R30 fill. The average recommended level is 14 inches of R49. In Zone 2, the average minimum requirement for attic insulation is 9 inches of R30 fill. The average recommended level is 17 inches of R60.

What is the U-value for dummies? ›

Thermal transmittance, also known as U-value, is the rate of transfer of heat through a structure (which can be a single material or a composite), divided by the difference in temperature across that structure. The units of measurement are W/m²K. The better-insulated a structure is, the lower the U-value will be.

Is 0.8 a good U-value? ›

Windows: For windows, lower U-values indicate better insulation. Double-glazed windows typically have U-values between 1.1 and 1.6 W/m²K, while highly efficient triple-glazed windows can achieve U-values of 0.8 W/m²K or lower.

What is the R-Value of a single pane window? ›

Here's an example: Single-pane R-value of glass that is one-fourth inch thick is around . 90, while R-value of a double-paned window of similar thickness would be nearly double at roughly 1.7.

How do you convert R-value to U-value? ›

The U-value is the reciprocal of the R-value; that is U = 1/R and R = 1/U. Values to convert R-Value or R-Factor (R):

What insulation has the highest R-value per inch? ›

Rigid foam is the clear winner if you're looking for the highest R-value home insulation you can get. With an R-value of R-4 to R-6.5 per inch of thickness, it's ideal for insulating exterior walls, including basem*nt walls.

What is the U factor of R30 insulation? ›

The R30 Single layer system has a system U Factor of 0.047. IECC 2012 and later specifies a R19+R11 LS U Factor to be 0.035. Please verify with your local building official that your project is in the correct climate zone and the necessary energy code has been specified.

What is the formula for finding R-Value? ›

r = ∑ ( x i − x ¯ ) ( y i − y ¯ ) ∑ ( x i − x ¯ ) 2 ∑ ( y i − y ¯ ) 2 . Label your variables x and y as it is easier to work with letters compared to names of variables.

How do you calculate the value of R? ›

R = 8.31 x 10⁷ergs mol⁻¹K⁻¹. Therefore, the value of R in the CGS system. 2: Calculate the Value of R in L(atm) mol⁻¹K⁻¹. ⇒ R = 0.0821 L(atm) mol⁻¹K⁻¹ is the required answer.

What is the formula for calculating the U-value? ›

U-Value (of building element) = 1 / (Rso + Rsi + R1 + R2 …) where Rso is the fixed external resistance, Rsi is the fixed internal resistance and R1, R2 etc. are resistivity of all elements within the application, including that of cavities within the construction.

How is total R-Value calculated? ›

Total R-Value calculation

In general, the R-Value of a material is determined by dividing the thickness of the material (in metres) by the thermal conductivity (in W/m.K). The Total R-Value of the construction is the sum of the thermal resistance of each layer, surface air film resistance, and any bridged layers.

References

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