What’s Included in This Guide:
- The Power of Hempcrete: A deep dive into using hemp-lime as a versatile infill for walls, roofs, and flooring.
- Carbon-Negative Benefits: Understand why industrial hemp is a premier carbon-negative raw material that absorbs more CO2 than most trees and other crops.
- Sustainable Living: Learn how to regulate interior humidity and improve air quality through the unique breathability of hemp-based materials.
- Practical Application: Technical insights into processing, handling, and installing superior building materials for a safer home.
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Hempcrete 101
SKU: 101 Hempcrete Training
$297.00Price
1. Key Physical Characteristics
- Lightweight: Hempcrete is roughly seven times lighter than common concrete, making it easy to handle and transport.
- Vapor Permeable (Breathable): Its porous materiality allows it to absorb and release moisture without deteriorating, which naturally regulates interior humidity and provides mold resistance.
- Thermal & Acoustic Performance: It provides superior thermal balance, absorbing roughly double the amount of heat compared to common mineral insulation. It also doubles as an effective sound barrier.
2. Carbon-Negative Benefits
Hempcrete is officially classified as a carbon-negative raw material. This sustainability is achieved through two phases:
- Growth: Industrial hemp is one of the fastest-growing plants and absorbs large amounts of CO2 during its 100-day growth cycle.
- Curing (Carbonation): After installation, the mixture continues to sequester carbon as the lime reacts with the silica in the hemp shives, undergoing a mineralization process called carbonation that hardens the material over time.
3. Building with Hempcrete
- Non-Load Bearing: Hempcrete is not strong enough to support a building's weight alone. It must be used as infill supported by a structural frame made of timber, steel, or brick.
- Application Methods: The most common method involves casting the wet mixture around a timber frame using temporary shuttering (molds) and tamping it to form a firm mass. Once solidified and the shuttering is removed, it is typically finished with a breathable lime plaster. It can also be manufactured into pre-cast blocks.
- Regulatory Acceptance: In 2022, hemp-lime was accepted by the International Code Council and was included in the 2024 International Residential Code (IRC) as "Appendix BL Hemp-Lime (Hempcrete) Construction," which is expected to increase its use in the United States