What is the Most Common Duct Work Material?

When it comes to duct work, galvanized steel and aluminum rigid sheeting are the most widely used materials. This type of duct is thick and solid, making it very durable. Unfortunately, its interior is known to trap dust and other particles, but the smooth surface makes it relatively easy to clean. Wood fiber ducts are made of resin combined with inorganic glass fibers that act as an air barrier and water vapor retarder.

This ensures that the interior is perfectly sealed to prevent stale air from entering the air stream. Flexible ducting is also popular due to its ease of installation and affordability, which explains why they are used in many homes. They are usually made of spring steel wire, propeller and polymer plastic. Other materials used for ducts include rubber, stainless steel, polyurethane, silicone, PVC, and neoprene-coated polyester fabric.

The best flexible air filter ducts for commercial buildings in extreme climates are made of silicone, PVC, rubber and stainless steel. These materials have built-in heat and cooling resistance that ensures long-lasting productivity.

Galvanized steel

is the most common material used in the manufacture of ducts. Steel ducts expand and contract as they heat and cool. Although they fit in walls and above ceilings, these ducts use more metal than round ones to produce the same air flow.

These ducts are more flexible and often more durable than other types of metal sheets. If you can afford the higher initial cost of these ducts, they are often the best option for a new home or duct replacement project. On the downside, fiberglass air ducts tend to have a shorter lifespan than other types of materials, depending on where you live and what you do with the ducts. Plastic ducting stands out as one of the most efficient HVAC ducting structures in the industry today.

Fiberglass ducting is sheet-metal duct, but they come with an internal or external fiberglass lining. Spiral air ducts are a subset of round ducts that offer a quieter alternative to rectangular air ducts, where air must move along sharp edges, swivel fins, and shock absorbers. The following are fiberglass air ducts, which actually refer to sheet metal ducts lined with a fiberglass coating inside or outside the ducts. Fiberglass ducts are insulated as part of their construction and their applications include underground duct systems.