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How do I determine which size ICF to use?

ICFs pro­vide a rein­forced con­crete wall which is designed to spe­cif­ic engi­neer­ing prin­ci­ples. Typ­i­cal res­i­den­tial con­struc­tion, per the applic­a­bil­i­ty lim­its in the build­ing code, allows walls 10′ (3 m) high or less between lat­er­al sup­ports (floor and roof con­nec­tions). Below grade walls must have a min­i­mum 6″ (150 mm) con­crete core. In some regions, an 8″ (200 mm) con­crete core is the min­i­mum allowed thick­ness for below grade walls.

The 4″ (100 mm) form can­not be used below grade as a foun­da­tion wall. The 4″ (100 mm) form may be used for above grade walls up to a max­i­mum of 10′ (3.0 m).

The 6″ (150 mm) form, above grade, is lim­it­ed to approx­i­mate­ly 14′ (4.2 m) in height. Walls high­er than 14′ (4.2 m) must use an 8″ (200 mm) or larg­er form.

Typ­i­cal res­i­den­tial con­struc­tion will use 6″ or 8″ con­crete core size blocks. Project spe­cif­ic engi­neer­ing may allow for some core thick­ness to span ver­ti­cal­ly high­er than these pro­posed guide­lines.

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Is there a problem when placing concrete, dropping concrete from the top of the wall which may be over 8' (2.4 m)?
No. Spec­i­fi­ca­tions in the Amer­i­ca Con­crete Insti­tute (ACI) do not lim­it the max­i­mum dis­tance con­crete can free fall. Engi­neer­ing stud­ies and reports have shown that free fall from up to 35′ doesn’t reduce con­crete qual­i­ty and there is no evi­dence of seg­re­ga­tion or weak­ened con­crete strength. ICF con­crete design calls for a high slump mix which assists in reduc­ing seg­re­ga­tion.
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Do I need an engineer to design and stamp Fox Blocks building plans?
Fox Blocks are list­ed in the build­ing codes (IRC- Sec­tions R404, R611 or NBCC Part 9) with spe­cif­ic applic­a­bil­i­ty lim­its for res­i­den­tial con­struc­tion. If the project meets the applic­a­bil­i­ty lim­its with­in the build­ing code, a Pro­fes­sion­al Engi­neer may not be required (depen­dent on local build­ing depart­ment require­ments). A build­ing offi­cial has the right to request engi­neer­ing and in some regions all projects require a professional’s stamp. For any projects that exceed the applic­a­bil­i­ty lim­its, a Pro­fes­sion­al Engi­neer is required for the struc­tur­al design. Check with your local build­ing depart­ment.
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