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Rice & Wheat Straw Panels

Compressed agricultural-byproduct insulation inside timber frames — carbon-negative across the entire wall assembly.

Rice & Wheat Straw Panels — a natural material we specify on every Earth Bound Homes project

Toxicity Screening — All Clear

This material screens clear across all seven independent toxicology authorities we use on every project.

LBC Red List

Not Listed

Prop 65

Not Listed

IARC

Not Listed

NTP RoC

Not Listed

GSPI

Not Listed

REACH SVHC

Not Listed

TSCA

Not Listed

Material Type

Prefabricated Agricultural-Fiber Wall Panel

Material Description

Straw-panel systems take wheat or rice straw — agricultural waste that would otherwise be burned in the field — and compress it inside a timber-framed cassette to form a structural-insulating wall panel. Companies like Ecococon prefabricate these panels in factory-controlled conditions, then ship them to site for crane-set installation, dramatically reducing build time and field-trade exposure. The cured panel performs at roughly R-3.6 per inch, is naturally vapor-open, and is one of the lowest-embodied-carbon wall assemblies on the market — straw stores atmospheric CO₂ for the life of the building, and the timber frame stores more. EBH specified Ecococon panels on the Cereza Project. Properly detailed and protected from bulk water, straw walls last for centuries (look at Nebraska's century-old straw-bale homes for proof).

Composition & Origin

Compressed wheat or rice straw (~110 kg/m³) inside a timber cassette · cellulose + lignin + silica · prefabricated panels

Health Profile — All Endpoints Clear

Severity scored 0–10 against the same 10 hazard endpoints we use for the chemical families on the avoid list. Every score is 1–2 — essentially no signal across every endpoint.

Cancer

1/10

Endocrine

1/10

Reproductive

1/10

Developmental

1/10

Neurological

1/10

Respiratory

2/10

Cardiovascular

1/10

Liver/Kidney

1/10

Skin

1/10

Immune

1/10

Common Forms & Brands

Ecococon prefabricated panels (Latvia)
ModCell straw-bale prefab panel
STRAMIT straw board
Common framing: prefabricated cassette panels, site-built straw-bale, straw-clay infill

Why We Use It

Carbon-negative across full life cycle — straw stores CO₂ permanently
Vapor-open assembly — wall buffers humidity naturally
Factory prefabrication = controlled quality, fast site assembly
Agricultural waste stream that would otherwise be burned
Naturally insect- and rodent-resistant when dense-packed properly

Where It Performs Best

Exterior wall assemblies in timber-frame construction
Roof panel systems where vapor-open assemblies are desired
Passive House and net-zero residential construction
Prefabricated factory-built homes

Building Applications for Rice & Wheat Straw Panels

Listed alphabetically. Where in a home this material earns its keep.

Exterior Wall Cassette Panels
Garage & Outbuilding Walls
Prefabricated Whole-Home Wall Systems
Roof Cassette Panels
Timber-Frame Wall Infill

Specifying a project? Drop the manufacturer's SDS into our SDS Toxic Chemical Screener to verify any specific product you're considering screens clear on all seven databases.