Because wood possesses a relatively low thermal conductivity as well as moisture properties, an assembly of fine wood chips fully capable of serving as a thermal insulation. In order to study the possible utilization of wood as a recyclable themal insulating material, tests were performed on the thermal conductivity of excelsior, which is an aggregate from of plywood that is cut into ribbon shapes.
The results of this study revealed that excelsior provides a relatively low thermal conductivity inspite of its cross-sectional area that is larger than that of fiber materials such as glass wool. In order to utilize excelsior as a thermal insulating materials, further studies must be conducted on construction methods, including appropriate excelsior dimension and countermeasures against its flammable properties.