Foamex
Foamex is an Australian family-owned manufacturer of EPS and XPS insulation, packaging, and shape-molded products, operating eight plants and serving construction, civil engineering, packaging, and creative-industry customers since 1982.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1982
- HeadquartersAllandale North, Australia
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Foamex does
Foamex is an Australian family-owned manufacturer of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) and Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) products, founded in 1982 and headquartered in Australia. The company operates eight manufacturing facilities across the country and is the only Australian producer of XPS, a structural distinction in the domestic rigid-foam insulation market. It employs between 51 and 100 people and serves four primary end-segments: construction insulation, civil engineering, protective packaging, and creative/sculptural shape molding.
The company's core technology centers on EPS block molding, shape molding, and XPS extrusion processes, producing insulation boards (including the StyroBoard XPS brand), void-forming civil engineering products, protective packaging inserts, and large-format custom molded shapes. Foamex holds Australian Made certification and is positioned to align with evolving National Construction Code (NCC 2022/2025) thermal and energy-efficiency standards, addressing specification-driven demand in commercial and residential buildings. The company is also a participant in the StyroCycle EPS recycling partnership and the Expanded Polystyrene Industry Group of Australia (EPSA).
Foamex generates revenue by selling insulation, civil engineering, packaging, and creative products through domestic distribution channels to construction firms, contractors, packaging distributors, and creative-industry buyers. The business operates a vertically integrated manufacturing model with broad SKU breadth across performance tiers and applications. There is no public revenue disclosure, and the company has not signaled recent funding events, acquisitions, or leadership transitions.
Foamex firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Foamex
- Legal name
- Foamex Group Pty Ltd
- Website
- https://foamex.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1982
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Foamex is an Australian family-owned manufacturer of EPS and XPS insulation, packaging, and shape-molded products, operating eight plants and serving construction, civil engineering, packaging, and creative-industry customers since 1982.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Foamex industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Polystyrene Foam Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing (326140)
- SIC
- Plastics Foam Products (3086)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Foam Manufacturing (IMANAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Foam Conversion & Fabrication (Cutting, Laminating, CNC, Packaging Inserts) (IMANAIAJ), Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) Foam Manufacturing (IMANAIAB), Foam Protective Packaging (EPS/EPE/EPP, PU, Molded Foam) (IMALAFAA)
Keywords
Where Foamex is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Allandale North
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices5 records
Markets served
Foamex business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- EPS and XPS Product Sales: Sale of expanded polystyrene and extruded polystyrene insulation products including StyroSheet EPS sheets, StyroTherm XPS sheets, StyroPod waffle pods, GeoFoamX geofoam blocks, StyroBloc custom blocks, and specialty foam products for construction, packaging, and industrial applications.
- Custom Manufacturing Services: Custom manufacturing services including precision-cut polystyrene, CNC shaping, hot-wire cutting, and custom architectural profiles for specific project requirements.
- Toll Manufacturing: Toll manufacturing services for the packaging industry utilizing state-of-the-art wire cutting, CNC shaping, and custom EPS moulding machinery.
- End-to-End Contract Manufacturing: Private-label EPS and XPS product manufacturing managing the entire process from product development and prototyping to manufacturing, quality control, custom branding, and warehousing.
- EPS Recycling Services: EPS recycling solutions for businesses with construction offcuts, packaging waste, and bulk polystyrene disposal. Includes site scrap collection, drop-off services, and commercial collection partnerships.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom Quote-Based Pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Foamex product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Foamex manufactures expanded polystyrene (EPS) and extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam products for construction, insulation, packaging, and industrial applications. The company produces lightweight, rigid foam plastic materials used as thermal insulation, protective packaging void fill, and building products across Australia. Operations are supported by multiple manufacturing facilities producing raw, shape-moulded, and fabricated polystyrene items.
Product overview
Foamex is one of Australia's largest manufacturers of expanded polystyrene (EPS) and extruded polystyrene (XPS) products for the construction industry. The company operates eight manufacturing facilities across Australia and offers a diversified portfolio of polystyrene solutions. The core product lines include: Styroboard XPS (StyroTherm for foundations/perimeter, StyroRoof for green roofs, StyroLink for roof spacers) and Styroboard EPS (StyroSheet for general insulation, StyroBloc for custom profiling, GeoFoamX for civil applications); StyroPod and QPOD waffle pod systems for void-formed concrete slabs; Expol underfloor insulation panels (White R1.4 and Black R1.8); StyroPak EPS packaging boxes; and Insulclad rendered wall cladding (NSW only). Products range from standard insulation sheets to custom CNC-cut profiles, serving residential, commercial, civil engineering, and packaging applications. The company also provides custom manufacturing, toll manufacturing, and end-to-end contract manufacturing services, as well as EPS recycling solutions through its StyroCycle network.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- StyroSheet: EPS sheets for wall, roof, and slab insulation
- StyroTherm
- StyroRoof
- StyroLink
- StyroBloc
- StyroPod
- GeoFoamX
- StyroPak
- Insulclad
- Expol
- QPOD
- Styroboard
- StyroFoil
Products and services
- Expanded Polystyrene (EPS)
- Extruded Polystyrene (XPS)
- Shape-Moulded EPS Packaging
- Construction and Building Foam Products
Quantifiable outcome
- Supports 7-star NatHERS thermal ratings and Whole-of-Home score of 60 (Class 1) or 50 (Class 2)
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Foamex
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Foamex technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Foamex partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- StyroCyclecoreFoamex partners with StyroCycle to provide public drop-off locations for household EPS packaging recycling across Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia. The partnership enables collection of clean polystyrene packaging that is reprocessed into new sustainable building products, supporting the circular economy.
- Expanded Polystyrene Australia (EPSA)coreLong-serving member of EPSA working with key industry partners to develop innovative ways to use, re-use and recycle polystyrene products. Foamex adheres to EPSA Pod Code of Practice for best practices in pod storage, transportation, recycling, and site management.
- PolyfoamminorManufacturing partner for StyroPak EPS boxes in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, and Tasmania. Foamex SA office handles direct sales while Polyfoam manages distribution in other states.
- Operation Clean SweepcoreMember of Operation Clean Sweep, an industry initiative for responsible handling of polystyrene materials to prevent environmental release and promote recycling.
- Job Applicants and Employment CandidatesminorFoamex regularly recruits employees across Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia, with career opportunities posted on the company website.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights4 records
Foamex competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Kingspan Group: Global leader in high-performance insulation and building envelope solutions, including rigid foam boards (XPS and PIR) and insulated panels. Kingspan competes with Foamex across Australian commercial and residential insulation specifications and brings significantly greater R&D and global scale.
- Owens Corning: Major global manufacturer of FOAMULAR XPS insulation, along with broader building materials. Competes with Foamex in foundation, perimeter, and roof XPS applications in the Australian specification market.
- Dow Chemical (Styrofoam): Pioneer of STYROFOAM brand extruded polystyrene insulation and a major global XPS producer. Dow's XPS competes in Australian commercial and infrastructure specifications against Foamex's StyroTherm and StyroRoof.
- BASF (Styropor / Neopor): Global supplier of expandable polystyrene (EPS) raw materials (Styropor) and graphite-enhanced Neopor. Although upstream, BASF's downstream partners shape the Australian EPS competitive landscape in which Foamex operates.
Emerging players
- Knauf Insulation: Global insulation manufacturer with a growing Australian presence. While primarily mineral wool, Knauf's portfolio overlap with rigid foam substitutes pressures traditional EPS/XPS share in Australian commercial projects.
- Recticel: European manufacturer of rigid foam insulation (XPS and PIR) and automotive foam products. Comparable through its rigid-foam insulation portfolio and competes for Australian commercial specification opportunities.
Others
- Armacell: Global manufacturer of engineered foams (ArmaPET, ArmaFlex) for industrial and building applications. Adjacent to Foamex in industrial foam fabrication and custom shape manufacturing.
Direct peers
- Polyfoam: Australian EPS manufacturer listed as Foamex's manufacturing partner for StyroPak in VIC, NSW, QLD, and TAS. Competes directly with Foamex in EPS sheets, blocks, and packaging across the Australian market.
- CSR (Bradford Insulation): Australian building products group whose Bradford division supplies insulation to the Australian residential and commercial markets. Competes with Foamex's Expol and StyroSheet for underfloor and wall insulation specifications.
Regional players
- Isolite Group: Australian ceramic fibre and high-temperature insulation manufacturer. Regional peer serving Australian industrial and construction insulation markets with adjacent thermal insulation positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Foamex social profiles
Digital presenceFoamex compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Foamex financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Foamex leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Foamex funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Foamex M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Foamex
What does Foamex do?
Foamex manufactures expanded polystyrene (EPS) and extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam products for construction, insulation, packaging, and industrial applications. The company produces lightweight, rigid foam plastic materials used as thermal insulation, protective packaging void fill, and building products across Australia. Operations are supported by multiple manufacturing facilities producing raw, shape-moulded, and fabricated polystyrene items.
Is Foamex a public or private company?
Foamex is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Foamex founded?
Foamex was founded in 1982. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Foamex based?
Foamex is headquartered in Allandale North, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Foamex make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. EPS and XPS Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are custom Manufacturing Services, toll Manufacturing, end-to-End Contract Manufacturing and EPS Recycling Services.
Who are Foamex's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Kingspan Group, Owens Corning, Dow Chemical (Styrofoam) and BASF (Styropor / Neopor). Emerging players are Knauf Insulation and Recticel. Armacell is listed as an others. Direct peers are Polyfoam and CSR (Bradford Insulation). Isolite Group is listed as a regional player.
Does Foamex have an API?
No public API is recorded for Foamex.
What industry is Foamex in?
Foamex's product category is Polystyrene Foam Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMANAIAA, Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Foam Manufacturing, with a secondary code of IMANAIAJ, Foam Conversion & Fabrication (Cutting, Laminating, CNC, Packaging Inserts). Its NAICS code is 326140 and its SIC code is 3086.