What Is Vermiculite?

Vermiculite is a naturally occurring mineral that expands dramatically when heated. In its expanded, or exfoliated, form, vermiculite becomes a lightweight, porous material used across horticultural, industrial, packaging, absorbent, construction and high-temperature applications.

VX Resources Canada processes exfoliated vermiculite at our facility in Gananoque, Ontario and supplies multiple grades for commercial and professional applications.

What Is Vermiculite?

Vermiculite is a naturally occurring hydrated silicate mineral with a layered, plate-like structure. In its unprocessed form, often referred to as crude vermiculite, the mineral occurs as dense flakes containing water within its structure.

One of vermiculite's most distinctive characteristics is what happens when those flakes are rapidly heated.

What Is Exfoliated Vermiculite?

When crude vermiculite is exposed to sufficiently high temperatures, water contained within its layered structure rapidly turns to steam.

The pressure generated between the mineral layers causes the flakes to separate and expand in an accordion-like manner. This process is known as exfoliation.

The resulting expanded material can occupy many times the volume of the original mineral while becoming significantly lighter in bulk density.

This expanded structure gives exfoliated vermiculite many of the characteristics for which it is commercially valued.

Properties of Exfoliated Vermiculite

Depending on grade and application, exfoliated vermiculite offers a useful combination of characteristics, including:

• Lightweight, low-bulk-density structure
• High porosity
• Moisture and liquid absorption
• Water-retention properties
• Thermal-insulation characteristics
• Inorganic mineral composition
• Ability to incorporate into cementitious and formulated products
• Availability in different particle-size grades

These characteristics allow vermiculite to perform very different functions depending on the application and particle size selected.

How Is Vermiculite Used?

Horticulture
Exfoliated vermiculite is widely incorporated into professional growing media, potting mixes and propagation mixes. Its porous structure can assist with moisture management, aeration and the physical structure of growing media.

Spill Absorption
The lightweight and porous structure of exfoliated vermiculite makes it useful as a mineral absorbent for many common liquid spills in workshops, warehouses and industrial environments.

Packaging & Loose Fill
Vermiculite can be used as lightweight loose fill around packaged products, providing void filling, cushioning and liquid-absorption characteristics.

Industrial Applications
Vermiculite is used as a functional mineral ingredient in manufactured and formulated products, including friction linings, refractory products, coatings and other specialized industrial applications.

Fire Protection & High-Temperature Applications
Expanded vermiculite is used as a lightweight mineral component in fire-protection, thermal-insulation, refractory and high-temperature formulations.

Swimming Pool Bases
Vermiculite can be incorporated into cementitious pool-base mixes to produce a lightweight, workable and comparatively forgiving base beneath vinyl swimming pool liners.

Vermiculite Grades and Particle Sizes

Exfoliated vermiculite is available in different particle-size grades. The appropriate grade depends on the intended application and required material characteristics.

VX Resources supplies Superfine, Fine and Medium vermiculite as our standard commercial grades. Large/Coarse and Micron grades may also be available for application-specific requirements.

Vermiculite and Asbestos

Vermiculite itself is not asbestos. And not all vermiculite is contaminated with asbestos. 

Historical concerns surrounding vermiculite arose principally because vermiculite from a particular former mine near Libby, Montana was contaminated by naturally occurring asbestos minerals. This resulted in an association between vermiculite and asbestos that can still cause confusion today.

Modern commercial vermiculite should be evaluated based on its source and appropriate mineral testing.

VX Resources sources vermiculite from established mineral suppliers and maintains supporting documentation relating to the material supplied to our facility.

Our vermiculite is independently certified as asbestos-free by a reputable third-party testing laboratory.

Canadian Processed Vermiculite

VX Resources Canada processes and supplies exfoliated vermiculite from our facility in Gananoque, Ontario.

Our commercial range includes multiple particle-size grades and purchasing formats ranging from individual 4 cu. ft. bags to 15-bag skids and 30-bag full pallets, with larger-volume and recurring commercial supply available by quotation.