About SIPs

Structural Insulated Panels or SIP’s were developed in the late 1940’s by Dow Chemical and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Wood Handbook, published in 1995 documented the engineering, testing and evaluation of this building system. Since that time, 1,000’s of structures have been built, tested and proven to perform superior in all aspects to standard building materials. The obstacle to universal acceptance has been the higher cost of the system. SIP’s have become the fastest growing building system in the United States due to increase cost of current building methods, escalating demand for higher quality, more energy efficient and environmental compatible construction.

SIP’s are constructed of an inner core of insulation material sandwiched between two skins of load carrying material, much like a Sandwich Cookie. The structural design of sandwich construction is structurally stronger and higher quality than standard building materials. By selecting the correct core material, KC Panels are also 3 times better insulated (resulting in up to 50% reduction on energy costs) and are quieter, faster to install, are more durable, are more insect and earthquake resistant and provide increased fire protection over standard building materials. These elements give advantages to both the builder and the consumer.