Unfortunately, many insulation materials exhibit no elasticity or resilience. Compressed insulation cells typically reduces the insulation value of the material in the compressed area. In the design of cold piping or tanks, high compressive strength insulation must be used on pipe shoes or tank bottoms to transmit the weight of the piping or equipment. The compressive strength of most materials change with temperature, so the in-service property can be greatly different than the strength measured at room temperature and reported on the data sheet. Consult the manufacturer for pertinent data.
Density is the weight of a unit volume of insulation.
It is necessary to know the density to calculate loadings and the heating rate when mass is one of the functions.