Greenhouse gardening in a colder climate can be challenging. Properly covering your greenhouse is crucial in maintaining a climate-controlled environment. Polycarbonate is a popular material for greenhouse coverings because it’s lightweight, durable, and has good light transmission properties. Polycarbonate panels come in various thicknesses, affecting several essential aspects of greenhouse performance, such as heat retention and durability.
The thermal performance of a material, in terms of the rate of heat loss, is commonly expressed as a U-value. The better insulated a structure is, the lower the U-value will be. So, lower numbers = better performance. Inversely, the measurement of thermal resistance a material has is expressed as the R-value. The higher the number, the better it insulates, which means less cost in heating and cooling your greenhouse and better protection for your plants.
When comparing the panel thickness of different brands, Grandio Greenhouses® used some of the thickest panels in the hobby greenhouse industry. Most hobby greenhouse manufacturers use a solid or twin-wall polycarbonate that is 4mm or less. Grandio Greenhouses® uses 10mm, twin wall, polycarbonate panels on most of their models except for the Ascent which has 6mm twin wall panels. That’s over two times thicker than its competitors. So what does this all mean? The thicker the panels, the better they are at keeping heat in.
Another benefit of thicker panels is strength and durability. Polycarbonate is known for its incredible impact resistance and rigidity. The thicker the sheet, the more rigid it becomes. If high winds or snow are a concern, you will want to consider a 6mm panel or thicker. Not only will the thicker panel reinforce the frame but it will also increase the snow load capacity of the greenhouse and reduce the risk of breakage.
Compare the quality of Grandio Greenhouses® polycarbonate panels to other options on the market.
