Welcome to Imerys Performance Minerals PERLITE Breadcrumb Home What is Perlite? Perlite is a generic term for naturally occurring siliceous rock, which contains water that expands into steam to produce a foamed structure. Perlite is distinguished from other volcanic glasses in that when heated to a suitable point, it expands from four to twenty times its original volume. This expansion is due to the presence of two to six percent water in the crude perlite rock. The rock pops like popcorn creating tiny bubbles which account for the amazing light weight and other exceptional physical properties of expanded perlite. Geology Perlite, or volcanic glass, is formed when lava in the form of molten rock spews out of a volcano, and cools in a rapid manner. During cooling water is trapped within the rock and the lava forms into a glass-like structure. Physical properties Lightweight Excellent thermal and acoustic insulating properties Elasticity Fire resistance Wide range of particle sizes Construction Filtration Paints & Coatings Personal Care Horticulture construction industry, perlite is a good thermo-acoustic insulator for cavity walls and a valuable, low density fire retardant additive, ideal for meeting current trends towards lightweight building materials and concrete Natural perlites are ideal solutions for filtering of fruit juices and wine in particular the difficult to filter musts from thermo-vinification. plasters, perlite is an excellent additive for lightweighting. The careful processing of perlite results in soft, fine particles suitable for use in a variety of personal care products where high purity, gentle abrasion, high absorption and matting effect are desired. Used in scrub applications, perlite is an excellent eco-friendly alternative to polymer-based microbeads. horticulture, raw perlite is an environment-friendly soil amendment in growing substrates, where it improves plant growth as well as resistance to insects, disease and environmental stress. DIRECT ACCESS Menu 2 DOWNLOAD CENTER PRODUCT FINDER REGULATORY DOCUMENTS SAMPLE REQUEST SITE MAP ABOUT US YOUR MARKET OUR MINERALS SUSTAINABILITY INNOVATION NEWS & EVENTS CONTACT DOWNLOAD CENTER PRODUCT FINDER LOG IN TERMS & CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY SITEMAP IMERYS MINERALS GMBH FOLLOW US YOUTUBE LINKEDIN TWITTER COOKIE MANAGEMENT PRIVACY SETTINGS VISIT IMERYS GROUP WWW.IMERYS.COM Visit other Imerys Group Websites Download Center Product Finder Imerys Performance Additives collects cookies to enable the proper functioning and security of our website and help us offer you the best possible user experience. By clicking on Agree, you consent to the use of these cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time. For more information, please read the Imerys Performance Additives Privacy policy. ✓ OK, accept all Personalize Feedback