Icopal

Icopal is a European roofing and waterproofing business originating in Denmark, specialising in flat and low-slope roof systems. Standard Industries, the US owner of GAF, bought Icopal in January 2016 for about EUR 1 billion. After Standard acquired the pitched-roof group Braas Monier in April 2017, it combined the two companies as BMI Group, and Icopal continues as one of BMI's flat-roofing brands.

Products

Icopal's main products are bituminous roofing membranes: reinforced sheets of bitumen, often polymer-modified, applied in one or more layers by torching, hot bitumen, cold adhesive or self-adhesion. Bituminous membranes have long been the standard covering for flat roofs in northern Europe, including on housing, schools and commercial buildings. BMI's flat-roof range, in which Icopal is a lead brand, covers:

• Bitumen membranes.
• Synthetic membranes and liquid-applied waterproofing.
• Green roofs and blue roofs, which hold vegetation or temporarily store rainwater.
• Waterproofing for civil engineering structures.

Place within BMI

BMI organises its business into pitched-roof systems, drawn largely from the former Braas Monier tile operations, and flat-roof systems, in which Icopal sits alongside other bituminous and synthetic membrane brands such as Vedag, Villas, Sealoflex and Wolfin, and, in the low-slope market, Siplast and EverGuard. The pairing of Icopal and Braas Monier in 2017 gave Standard Industries a European roofing presence covering both main roof types, complementing GAF's North American business.

Significance

The Icopal purchase preceded the Braas Monier deal by about 15 months and was the first step toward the creation of BMI.