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Run your analysis now →https://www.patsnap.com/resources/blog/rd-blog/rigid-polyurethane-foam-and-insulation-patent-landscape/ · Patsnap · data cut-off 2026-07-31 · downloaded from the live page
Patent Landscape · Polymer ProcessingRigid Polyurethane Foam and Insulation Patents
- 31.0% of all filings sit with five assignees. 413 of 1,333 records in scope belong to the top five, so freedom-to-operate work for this material system starts with a small handful of portfolios, not the full field.
- Filing peaked in 2017 and has cooled since. The 2021→2024 span shows a -58% move (24 to 10 among tracked filers), though 2025-2026 counts are still filling in as publication catches up with filing.
- Condensation-polymer chemistry dominates the claim map. C08G appears in 85.1% of the 1,333 records, far ahead of processing (C08J, 51.3%) and additive-composition classes, which cluster the real technical activity in formulation chemistry rather than shaping or downstream lamination.
1,333
Published Records
31%
Top-5 Share of All Records
-58%
Filing Growth 2021→2024
JP
Leading Jurisdiction
Filing growth compares 2021 (24 records) with 2024 (10) — a three-year span. 2024 is the most recent year we treat as complete: publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so 2025 onwards are still filling in and any growth rate that ends there would understate the field. Top-5 share is the combined record count of the five largest assignees divided by all 1,333 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
Published byPatsnap Research··7 min readSourced from Patsnap Eureka
Overview
What this patent landscape covers
Rigid polyurethane foam sits at the intersection of blowing-agent chemistry, catalyst systems and facing adhesion, and the patent record reflects that: most activity is filed against condensation polymer classifications rather than shaping or laminate classes. The search underlying this page pulls records where the core foam or panel terminology appears in the title alongside claims language tied to blowing agent selection, thermal conductivity ageing, closed cell content, dimensional stability, flame retardancy or adhesion to facings — the six technical levers that separate a foam formulation that performs in the field from one that only performs in a lab test.
The dataset spans filings from 2015 through the 2026-07-31 cut-off, covering 1,333 published records and the assignees behind them. Because publication trails filing by roughly 18 months, the most recent one to two years understate real filing activity and should be read as provisional rather than as evidence of a slowdown.
Filing activity and technology composition, 2015-2026
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee ranking and totals. Derived from a Patsnap search on Rigid Polyurethane Foam and Insulation covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
The Data
Filing trends and technology composition
Two views of the same 1,333-record dataset: the filing trend by year, and the IPC subclasses those records are classified under.
Filing trend: rise, peak, and a cooling tail
Filings rose to a peak of 41 in 2017, then eased. The tracked 2021-to-2024 span shows a -58% move (24 down to 10) among the leading filers; treat 2025 and 2026 figures as incomplete rather than as a continued decline, since publication lag has not yet caught up with those filing years.
IPC composition: formulation chemistry leads
C08G (condensation polymers) covers 85.1% of the 1,333 records, with C08J (polymer processing) at 51.3% and C08L (polymer compositions) at 20.0%. Layered-product classification B32B (5.4%) and shaping class B29C (5.0%) are present but comparatively thin, which is notable given how much of the commercial value in insulation panels sits in facing adhesion and lamination rather than in the foam core alone.
Shares are the percentage of the 1,333 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Rigid Polyurethane Foam and Insulation covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.
Go deeper on Rigid Polyurethane Foam and Insulation with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about rigid polyurethane foam and insulation and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
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The most-cited records in this field
Representative Filing
US20040082465A1 — Catalyst and process for producing a rigid polyurethane foam
TOSOH CORPORATION
Assigned to Tosoh Corporation and filed in 2004, this record claims catalyst systems built around aliphatic and ether-functional amine compounds for producing rigid polyurethane and polyisocyanurate foams with named blowing agents including HFC-245fa, HFC-365mfc and low-boiling hydrocarbons. It sits squarely in the catalyst-and-blowing-agent intersection that accounts for the bulk of C08G classification in this dataset.Abstract text drawn directly from the published filing.
Highest-citation records in the dataset
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EP1544235A1 | Silicone surfactants for rigid polyurethane foam made with hydrocarbon blowing agents | 236 |
| 2 | EP0533202A1 | Use of capped surfactants for production of rigid polyurethane foams blown with hydrochlorofluorocarbons | 227 |
| 3 | US20070221890A1 | Phosphorus Containing Compounds Useful for Making Halogen-Free, Ignition-Resistant Polymer | 157 |
| 4 | US3297597A | Production of rigid polyurethane foam | 105 |
| 5 | US6420443B1 | Additives for enhanced hydrocarbon compatibility in rigid polyurethane foam systems | 94 |
| 6 | WO2007058793A1 | Method of molding rigid polyurethane foams with enhanced thermal conductivity | 89 |
| 7 | US5770635A | Polyol composition having good flow and formic acid blown rigid polyurethane foams made thereby having good d… | 88 |
| 8 | US4351873A | Double faced insulating board | 88 |
| 9 | WO2005118604A1 | Phosphorus-containing compounds useful for making halogen-free, ignition-resistant polymers | 79 |
| 10 | US5478494A | Polyol composition having good flow and formic acid blown rigid polyurethane foams made thereby having good d… | 79 |
Citation counts inside a searched corpus reward older filings that have had more time to accumulate citations — read this as a signal of influence on later filings, not as a ranking of current commercial relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Citation counts and representative records. Derived from a Patsnap search on Rigid Polyurethane Foam and Insulation covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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What the numbers mean for a filing decision
Three findings that shape where new claims are likely to clear, and where they are likely to collide with existing art.
Concentration
31.0% / 5 assignees
share of 1,333 records
Filing concentration is real but not extreme
413 of the 1,333 records in scope belong to the five leading assignees, and the top ten combined reach 45.2% (602 records). That leaves more than half the field held by the remaining 90 ranked companies plus unranked entrants, so a freedom-to-operate search cannot stop at the five best-known names.
Top 5: 413 records · Top 10: 602 records
Momentum
-58%, 2021→2024
tracked filer count
Recent filing activity has thinned among leaders
Several of the most active historical assignees show zero filings in the latest tracked year, with year-over-year drops as steep as -100% among two leading filers. Combined with 2017 as the peak filing year, this points to a mature claim landscape where incremental formulation patents face denser prior art than a decade ago.
2021 = 24 filings, 2024 = 10 filings among tracked leaders
Composition
85.1% C08G
share of 1,333 records
Claims cluster in chemistry, not in downstream processing
Condensation-polymer classification dominates at 85.1% of records, while shaping (B29C, 5.0%) and layered-product classification (B32B, 5.4%) are comparatively sparse. For a technology where facing adhesion and panel lamination matter commercially, that gap suggests processing and laminate-integration claims face less crowded art than formulation claims do.
C08G 85.1% vs B32B 5.4% and B29C 5.0%
Eureka AI Agent
Looking for what nobody has claimed yet?
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to rigid polyurethane foam and insulation, with the prior art for and against each one.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Co-assignee relationships and derived observations. Derived from a Patsnap search on Rigid Polyurethane Foam and Insulation covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Players
Who holds the claim space
The ranked leaders in this dataset cover 100 companies by record count; the field is concentrated at the top with a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants behind it.
Leader
160 records
leading assignee
A single filer sits well ahead of the field
The leading assignee holds 160 records, more than three times the fifth-place total of 47. That gap is wide enough that any competitive-intelligence exercise in this space should track the leader's recent filings individually rather than folding them into a generic top-tier group.
Leader: 160 · Fifth place: 47
Mid-tier
32 records
tenth place
The drop-off past the top five is gradual, not a cliff
Tenth place holds 32 records against 47 for fifth place, a shallower slope than the drop from first to fifth. That gradual decline suggests a genuine second tier of active filers worth monitoring, rather than a sharp line between a few dominant players and everyone else.
Top 10 combined: 602 records, 45.2% of scope
Collaboration
10 co-assignee pairs
joint filings
Co-filing is limited and concentrated around one group
Only ten co-assignee pairs appear in the dataset, and the strongest of them cluster around the same corporate family with individual named inventors, at up to 7 shared filings per pair. Co-assignment is not a major structural feature of this field; most portfolios are built independently.
Strongest pair: 7 shared records
Recent-year filing momentum by assignee
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Dow Global Technologies LLC | 0 | -100% |
| Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. | 0 | — |
| The Dow Chemical Company | 0 | — |
| Tosoh Corporation | 0 | — |
| Hitachi, Ltd. | 0 | — |
| BASF SE | 0 | -100% |
| AGC Inc. | 0 | — |
| Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee-level momentum. Derived from a Patsnap search on Rigid Polyurethane Foam and Insulation covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
What's Next
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to specific next steps depending on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate, whitespace filing, or competitive tracking.
Run a freedom-to-operate check against the leading assignee
With 160 records concentrated in one portfolio, any new formulation or catalyst claim in this space should be checked against that filer's recent grants before drafting.
Search this assignee in Eureka →Draft claims toward the under-claimed branches
Facing adhesion, laminate bond-line stability and halogen-free flame retardancy show thinner IPC coverage than core polymer chemistry, which may leave more room for a defensible first claim.
Explore whitespace in Eureka →Track momentum, not just historical volume
Several top-ten filers show sharp year-over-year drops; a portfolio ranked by lifetime filings alone can miss which competitors are actually still active.
Set up assignee alerts in Eureka →Source: Patsnap Eureka. Forward-looking reading of the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Rigid Polyurethane Foam and Insulation covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
FAQ
Common questions about this patent landscape
The dataset ranks 100 companies by record count, with the leading assignee holding 160 records against 47 for fifth place — a gap wide enough to treat the leader as a distinct competitive category rather than grouping it with the rest of the top tier. The top five combined account for 31.0% of all 1,333 records in scope, and the top ten reach 45.2%. That still leaves more than half the field spread across 90 further ranked companies and unranked filers, so a full competitive picture requires looking past the best-known names.
Filing peaked in 2017 at 41 records and has since cooled, with tracked leading filers showing a -58% change from 24 filings in 2021 to 10 in 2024. However, publication typically lags actual filing by roughly 18 months, so the 2025 and 2026 figures in any dataset are still incomplete and should not be read as continued decline. The safest read is that the field has matured past its early-2020s peak, not that it has gone quiet.
Condensation-polymer chemistry, classified under C08G, appears in 85.1% of the 1,333 records in this dataset, making it by far the densest claim area. Polymer processing (C08J) follows at 51.3%, and polymer compositions (C08L) at 20.0%. Downstream areas like layered products and shaping (B32B and B29C) are classified far less often, at 5.4% and 5.0% respectively, despite their commercial relevance to insulation panel construction.
Based on IPC composition, facing adhesion, laminate bond-line dimensional stability, closed-cell content retention with newer low-GWP blowing agents, and halogen-free flame retardant systems all show comparatively thin coverage relative to core formulation chemistry. These are not proven gaps — thin IPC coverage can also mean a branch is technically harder to claim distinctly — but they are areas where the existing claim density is lower than in catalyst and blowing-agent chemistry.
US3297597A, on production of rigid polyurethane foam, is cited 105 times in this dataset, which reflects its influence on later filings rather than its current commercial relevance — older patents accumulate citations simply by having more time in circulation within a searched corpus. The most-cited records in this field cluster around blowing agent and surfactant chemistry, which lines up with the C08G concentration seen across the broader dataset. High citation counts are best used to identify foundational prior art to search against, not to judge which patents matter most today.
Answers are grounded in the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Rigid Polyurethane Foam and Insulation covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. Patsnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.
Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company's registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.