Is Hempcrete The New Green Construction Material? It Could Soon Be Approved As Just That

Hemp, Inc. HEMP, a global leader on the forefront of the industrial hemp industry, is reporting that hempcrete was submitted as an appendix in the International Residential Codes (IRC) last month by the US Hemp Building Foundation and that experts with the International Code Council are set to evaluate the paperwork, to be submitted in March 2022 and again in September 2022. Once accepted, hempcrete will be an approved natural building material in the United States.

Once hempcrete is approved or certified as a national building material, according to the press release, the material could be accessible for construction, which would allow builders to use it without needing an “alternative material variance."  

Certification of hempcrete will ultimately help builders and construction companies gain more familiarity with the material, which is new to many since hemp was legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill.

Barriers to hemp have not only been that many professionals are not familiar with it, some have mistakenly viewed it as a substitute for concrete or that it had psychoactive properties, which it does not.

Since there are no national guidelines, test methods or specifications for hempcrete and building codes differ across the board, therefore its approval "depends on whether local officials embrace innovation."

The US Hemp Building Association has been trying to establish "best practices and rules for acceptance" by the IRC and many are optimistic that new hempcrete codes will spark a "groundswell of interest."  This shouldn't be too hard with all the benefits hempcrete offers. 

Hempcrete Benefits

The insulation material "resists mold, fire and pests" and practically lasts forever. Not to mention, it absorbs carbon. 

One source noted that "hempcrete, the non-structural insulation made of hemp hurd (shiv) and lime binder, provides a superior insulation product when installed up to 1 foot thick in wall assemblies. The material is vapor-permeable, thermally regulating, fire-resistant and repels mold and pests. Hempcrete insulation is carbon negative due to the large amounts of carbon sequestered by the hemp plant via photosynthesis while growing."

Hempcrete is not only sustainable and green, it makes ecological and financial sense. Proponents say it is favorable in many ways that when the IRC enshrines hempcrete as a certified natural building material later this year, the potential for the building industry could be huge.

Photo created by JRod of Benzinga