Hemp + Lime: Why

Non-Toxic Material

Hemp + Lime is a benign material. Three simple, natural materials do not release gas and chemical toxins into the home. Any removed hemp + lime material for renovations or home maintenance can be put in the garden to help balance soil pH levels.

Fire Resistant

A recent study conducted by Americhanvre succeeded in getting hemp + lime a two hours fire rating by meeting ASTM E119 standards. A hemp + lime wall system will never ignite, and a charring hemp + lime mixture generates a small amount of smoke with no highly toxic compounds from added chemicals.

Moisture Control

Hemp hurd is able to store a great deal of moisture because of it's porous structure. This storage capacity is very helpful in allowing the material to take on moisture when it exists and release it when conditions dry out.

Carbon Negative / Carbon Sequestering

Tests have shown 716.6 pounds of CO2 are stored in one tonne of dried hemp. Additionally, a hemp + lime mixture can sequester over seven pounds of hemp per cubic foot.

In Canada, about 200,000 new homes are built each year, with an average size of 2,000 square feet. If all homes were insulated to minimum code requirements with hemp + lime, a total of 990,718 tons of carbon would be sequestered annually. If the same homes had walls with fiberglass insulation, 207,354 tons of carbon would be emmitted.

Structural Qualities

Unlike batt or loose fill insulation, hemp + lime wall systems have the density that allows it to play a small role in the structural integrity of a building. Hemp + lime does not have the structural capacity to support a roof load on its own, but tests have shown a hemp + lime infill wall could support three to four times the compressive load. The rigidity of hemp + lime replaces the need for cladding on a home.

Acoustics

The density of a hemp + lime wall system can dampen sound transmission from outside the home or between rooms by nearly 60dB.

Thermal Properties

Per inch, hemp + lime mixture has an R-value between 2.3 - 2.7, depending on the type of application. This seems low, but a strict R-value rating for hemp + lime does not tell the whole story. The low thermal conductivity of the mixture, combined with phase shift and change effects, high internal thermal comfort, low energy transfer rates, and passive humidity need to be considered.

Textile By-Product

Large scale industrial hemp production has been primarily used for the strong bast fibers of the hemp plant. Processing the plant removes these fibers from the woody core and is sent to textile factories, which the woody core is sent to Victura Hemp to build with.

Approved Building Material

As of the beginning of 2024, hemp + lime, also known as hempcrete, is an approved building material listed under the International Building Code.

Affordable

Even before wide market availability, the cost is competitive with other insulating options. Long term cost reductions from energy savings will offset any additional upfront costs associated with hemp + lime installation.