Rigid polyurethane foam has many desirable properties which has enabled increased use in various applications, some of which are quite demanding. These properties include low thermal conduction making it useful as an insulator. It also has low density compared to metals and other materials and also good dimensional stability. A metal will expand on heating whereas rigid PU foam does not. They have excellent strength to weight ratios. Like many applications, there has been a trend to make rigid PU foam from renewable raw materials in place of the usual polyols.
They are used in vehicles, planes and buildings in structural applications. They have also been used in fire-retardant applications.