In modern construction, thermal bridge mitigation has become an essential part of building envelope design — especially when using highly conductive materials like aluminum for window frames, curtain walls, or door assemblies. A thermal bridge is created when a conductive path allows unwanted heat transfer between the interior and exterior of a building, which can lead to energy loss, condensation, discomfort, and long-term structural or health issues. Thermal break strips serve as engineered insulating barriers to interrupt this conductive path, improving energy efficiency, indoor comfort, and structural performance.
How Thermal Break Strips Work
Thermal break strips are inserted between the inner and outer portions of a metal profile — commonly aluminum — to create a physical and thermal separation between the exterior and interior environments. Without such a break, the metal frame would act as a direct conductor, allowing outdoor heat (or cold) to flow unimpeded into the interior space.
The material used for the strip is critical. A typical choice is glass-fiber–reinforced polyamide (such as PA66 GF25), which combines low thermal conductivity with high mechanical strength and dimensional stability. When this strip is correctly installed — typically via insertion into knurled aluminum profile pockets and subsequent crimping or mechanical locking — it forms a continuous insulating barrier that interrupts the thermal bridge.
Because polyamide has poor thermal conductivity compared to aluminum, the rate of heat transfer across the frame is greatly reduced. This reduces heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer, stabilizing the interior temperature and reducing energy demand for heating or cooling.
Beyond thermal performance, the strip also contributes to preventing condensation. In conventional aluminum frames, interior surfaces can become cold in winter; when warm, humid indoor air touches those cold surfaces, condensation occurs. This condensation can lead to mold, surface damage, or degradation of adjacent materials. By keeping the inner surface temperature closer to room temperature, thermal break strips minimize the risk of condensation and improve indoor air quality.
In addition, in many cases the break strip improves the airtightness and water tightness of the frame system, because the insulating strip can be designed to work in conjunction with sealing gaskets and structural extrusion techniques, producing a reliable barrier against external elements.
Why Thermal Break Strips Are Important: Core Benefits
1. Energy Efficiency and Lower Utility Costs
Because a thermal break strip reduces conduction through conductive frames, buildings incorporating them show significantly improved U-values (thermal transmittance), lowering heating and cooling loads. Over time, this results in reduced energy consumption and lower utility bills.
2. Improved Comfort and Indoor Climate Stability
Interior spaces with thermally broken frames are free from cold drafts near windows or doors during winter, and hot-frame surfaces during summer. Temperatures near frames stay more stable, contributing to uniform indoor thermal comfort.
3. Condensation Prevention and Moisture Control
By keeping inner frame surfaces closer to room temperature, thermal break strips prevent moisture-laden air from condensing on cold metal surfaces. This greatly reduces the risk of mold formation, water damage, and degradation of finishes — essential in humid climates or buildings with high internal humidity.
4. Structural Integrity and Long-term Durability
High-quality polyamide break strips are designed to bear structural loads — such as wind pressure on curtain walls — while still providing insulation. Their mechanical strength, resistance to UV, chemical corrosion, and dimensional stability over temperature cycles help ensure long-term reliability of the building envelope.
5. Contribution to Sustainable Building Standards
In the context of green buildings and energy-saving regulations (e.g., low-energy houses, passive-house standards), use of properly designed thermal break systems is increasingly required. Thermal break strips help buildings meet or exceed these standards, reducing greenhouse gas emissions tied to HVAC energy use.
Considerations for Effective Implementation
For a thermal break to function properly, several conditions must be met:
The insulating strip must be continuous and fully separate the conductive metal parts. Any shortcut or incomplete insertion will compromise performance.
The material must resist creep, deformation, thermal expansion mismatch, UV exposure, moisture, and environmental degradation over time. Polyamide GF-reinforced materials are widely used because they meet these requirements.
The design must accommodate structural loads. The strip must be mechanically locked or crimped within the aluminum frame to maintain integrity under wind, mechanical stress, or pressure loads.
Failure to meet these design criteria may lead to poor insulation, condensation problems, or premature failure of the frame system.
Recommendation: Bergman Thermal Break Strips for Reliable Performance
Given the critical role of thermal break strips in modern energy-efficient construction, it is essential to choose high-quality, precisely manufactured products. The thermal barrier / break strips offered by Bergman Materials embody the characteristics required for long-term performance. According to the product specification, they are manufactured from reinforced polyamide (PA66 GF25), ensuring both low thermal conductivity and robust mechanical strength.
Bergman’s strips are designed with tight extrusion tolerances, ensuring precise fit within aluminum profiles and stable structural connections. That reduces the risk of gaps, thermal bypass, or mechanical failure.
Their durability under temperature cycling, weather exposure, and mechanical load makes them suitable for use in curtain walls, doors, windows, and facades in a variety of climates.
Moreover, by integrating such high-performance thermal break strips, building designers, architects, and façade engineers can align their projects with energy-saving, sustainable building standards — while ensuring occupant comfort and long-term durability.
Conclusion
Thermal break strips are not merely optional accessories — they are fundamental components for any building envelope employing conductive materials such as aluminum. By inserting a low-conductivity, high-strength material between the inside and outside profiles, these strips interrupt the formation of thermal bridges and deliver multiple benefits: reduced energy loss, improved indoor comfort, prevention of condensation and moisture damage, better structural performance, and compliance with energy-efficient building standards.
For robust performance, it is critical to employ high-quality, glass-fiber–reinforced polyamide strips, manufactured to tight tolerances and designed for mechanical integration with aluminum frames. In this context, Bergman Materials’ thermal break strips represent a professional, reliable solution — combining material science, engineering precision, and long-term durability.
Incorporating such thermal barrier strips into windows, curtain walls, or door systems is a foundational practice for sustainable, high-performance building design.
