LITE-FORM®

Engineered for Versatility and Economy

Foundations and Basements, Homes and Multi-Family, Institutional and Commercial.

Use our online Lite-Form Estimator to receive a quote.

The Total System for modern concrete basements, homes and apartments.

Energy-efficient: The most dramatic homeowner benefit is the insulating value of the high-mass concrete walls combined with the superior performance of the extruded polystyrene insulation. Values in excess of R-25 can reduce overall heating/cooling costs by 20% and more, when compared to framed homes. The solid concrete walls virtually eliminate air leakage without the need for exterior wrapping or sheathing.

Quiet: The solid concrete walls provide a superior barrier to sound pollution: they are preferred for areas with high noise levels. The Lite-Form system can reduce noise penetration by up to 50% when compared to conventionally framed perimeter walls.

Strong: Lite-Form walls easily resist 100+ mph winds and are often used in high risk regions, for “safe room” and “safe home” projects. Form walls are up to 8 times stronger than typical wood frame construction. Below ground, the reinforced walls resist buckling and cracking nearly 5 times better than hollow concrete block foundations.

Fire Resistant: The typical 3-hour rating (6-inch concrete walls) is a comforting benefit for homeowners. They often enjoy lower insurance rates due to the permanent protection of solid concrete.

Versatile: Lite-Form creates the same flat, monolithic concrete walls as conventional, removable forms. They require no special structural engineering or design changes. A full range of interior/exterior finishes mean that homeowners can choose from any architectural or period styling.

Save Time and Money with 12-Inch Planks - Optional planks are 50% taller than Lite-Form’s standard 8-Inch Planks. It’s the ideal choice for the top course of 9-foot high walls and for simple stemwalls which are 4-foot tall or less. Available in 4-foot long molded, EPS Insulation Planks.
(See Installation Manual for restricted field uses.)

The Total System for commercial and industrial projects of all kinds.

Lite-Form is a cost-effective technique for commercial foundations, office and retail complexes as well as multi-story industrial buildings or special-use structures.

Versatile: Concrete walls up to 36-inches thick are available. Standard concrete can be placed with pumps, conveyors, buckets or directly from the ready-mix truck. Since they produce fully engineered, monolithic walls, Lite-Form structures meet all current worldwide standards for concrete construction.

Speed: Dimensional lumber and hand tools are all that’s needed for most projects. The streamlined set-up and bracing allow an experienced crew to build and finish structures in less time than most other building systems.

Build a concrete “Envelope” with Lite-Deck® (The ICF Building System for Floors, Roofs, Decks and More!)

• Clear Span 40' and more
• Proven ‘joist’ design
• Built in attachment rails
• Form and insulate in 1 step

Installers — Contractors — Build Your Own Block

Convert Lite-Form into a custom-made ICF Block at a fraction of what you pay, for pre-assembled systems!

Don’t Ship Air - Insulation planks and assembly hardware ships in high density knock-down pallets with no wasted space...approximately 8,000 square feet of ICF wall in a standard load.

Don’t Store Blocks you Can’t Use - The convenient 8" x 48" Lite-Form Planks let you assemble Blocks when you’re ready. The knock-down components store anywhere in ½ the space of pre-assembled Blocks. Form concrete walls from 4" to 24" thick. (2-inch increments).

Customize Blocks to Fit Your Project - Build any size Block with ease.... 16", 24", 32"... you decide right at the jobsite. Why pay a premium for someone else to pre-assemble your ICF system when you can assemble it yourself for less than 25-cents per square foot!

No Premium Prices for Corners, Ledges and Special Shapes - Assemble them all with Lite-Form’s insulation Planks and patented assembly hardware. Pre-assemble your own corner blocks, offsets, curves, etc. Don’t struggle with pre-assembled ICF blocks that do not fit your job specs.

The Insulating Concrete Form You Strip and Re-Use

Avoid the high costs of “stay-in-place” insulating forms! Cost-effective choice for retaining walls, fire walls, industrial buildings, privacy fences, holding tanks and more. Strip the forms with simple hand tools and use them again. No treating, when you use Extruded polystyrene Planks. Ask for the “PCF” Series of assembly hardware.

Pre-Assembly

Customized Form Kits - Form Kits of our ICF Forms are assembled into major sections for delivery to the job site. Their size and complexity is determined by the project’s specification, and often reduce contractor labor from days to hours and reduce the amount of skilled labor needed to install the ICF systems.

Construction and Finishing Techniques

Lite-Form concrete walls can be used for nearly all residential or commercial floor plans without making any major design changes. Electric/Plumbing lines are concealed in channels carved with an electric blade or router. Outlets and switch boxes are anchored directly to the concrete.
Drywall is anchored directly to the exposed Tie pads (located every 8 inch on center) with drywall screws or adhesive. Steel In-Wall Bracing is installed into the form to insure proper wall alignment. This exclusive accessory is available in various widths and is used vertically (site-assembled) or horizontally (pre-assembled). Virtually any type of exterior finish material can be applied over the Lite-Form wall. This includes traditional siding, brick veneer, stucco or synthetic EIFS materials. When Lite-Form is used below grade, a waterproofing membrane or latex-based liquid is applied directly onto the insulating form walls.

Installers and designers must comply with local building codes and monolithic, reinforced concrete construction. If local codes are not available, structural design parameters are available from ACI (American Concrete Institute) and PCA (Portland Cement Association). Guidelines for the proper assembly, bracing and concrete placement for Lite-Form are available from ICF Direct Service Center, Inc.

General Specifications

Expanded Polystyrene Insulation Planks
8"X48"X2" 12"X48"X2"
See Installation Manual for restricted uses of 12" Planks
Extruded Polystyrene Insulation Planks
8"X96"X2"
Polypropylene Ties and Assembly Hardware
Full Tie Half Tie 90 Corner Tie
Ties are available to assemble concrete walls from 4" to 24" thick, in 2" increments. Special purpose hardware and accessories are available to assemble custom shapes.
Form Wall Thickness: 2" (or) 2-1/2" per side, continuous
In-Wall Bracing: Available in 4", 6", 8", 10" and 12" widths X 16'
R-Values: R-20 - Insulating forms only, by test
R-25 - Finished walls, by calculation
Fire Rating: Siliceous Aggregate concrete wall by test, without insulation:
4" - 1 hour 6" - 3 hours 8" - 4 hours
STC (Sound Transmission Class):
STC 58 – 8" finished walls, by calculation

Finishing Techniques

Interior: Drywall applied directly over insulation surface, attached with standard drywall screws into exposed polypropylene forming ties.

Exterior: Synthetic masonry, damproofing or waterproofing applied directly onto insulation surface per manufacturer. Pre-fabricated finishes are attached mechanically into exposed forming ties or to continuous furring strips with fasteners which are appropriate for exterior use.

In buildings where people normally work, reside or assemble, polystyrene concrete forms must be fully protected from the interior of the building by a fire resistant material such as ½ inch gypsum board (drywall) or the equivalent.