FAQs

GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic or Polymer) is a composite material made by combining resin with glass fibres or rovings. There are many types of resin available, each offering different levels of fire and chemical resistance. You can read more here.

GRP is short for Glass Reinforced Plastic and refers to glass and plastic composite materials.

GRP is a composite material used in many industries as an alternative to metal or wood.

Yes. GRP and fiber glass (fibreglass) are the same thing.

GRP is used as an alternative to metal in many industries. It can be moulded and pultruded to make flat sheets, grating, beams, angle profiles, tubes and more.

FRP and GRP are the same thing – Fibre Reinforced Plastic and Glass Reinforced Plastic are different descriptions of the same composite material.

GRP lasts for decades but any GRP material that isn’t re-used can be recycled in specialist facilities. The most common outlet for this waste stream would be Waste to Energy. This process generates energy in the form of heat from the primary treatment of waste. Waste is processed into a fuel source. The only remaining waste after the burn is the actual glass fibers. These fibers sit within the Incinerator Bottom Ash (ICA) and is collected. The ash is then processed to make an aggregate suitable for construction projects and in the manufacture of asphalt. GRP can also be shredded with other waste to feed into cement kilns. Organic resin is burnt for energy, inorganic glass and filler become feedstock for cement. Neowa in Germany promotes this process specifically for the composites industry. This recycles the glass and mineral fillers recycled into the cement.

GRP is ideal for applications inside and outside. It is unaffected by exposure to rain and sunlight so requires little to no maintenance, unlike metal that usually requires treatment to prevent rust.

Thermoset polymers are formed by a chemical reaction, initiated by adding a catalyst, which causes an irreversible hardening of the resin. The different GRP products are formed through several processes, including compression molding, bladder molding, wet layup, mandrel molding, chopper gun, autoclave and vacuum bag, filament winding, and pultrusion – which is the most common.

Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) Fibreglass was invented in 1938 by (Russell) Games Slayter, an American engineer and Vice President of Owens-Corning Fiberglas™ Corporation.