How to Read Spray Foam Labels, SDSs, TDSs, and Evaluation Reports

Start with product identity

Before reading a claim, compare the name on the container with the document title. Record the formulation or model, component designation, manufacturer, revision date, and source URL. For a two-component system, obtain the applicable documents for both components and the combined installation system.

A similar brand name or package illustration is not enough. If the container and document disagree, ask the manufacturer which revision governs that material. Keep the answer with the job record rather than silently choosing the more favorable claim.

Use the right document for the question

Document	Start here for	What it does not establish by itself
Container label	Identity, warnings, directions, storage and use restrictions	Complete assembly design
Safety data sheet, or SDS	Chemical hazards, first aid, handling, exposure controls	Installed R-value or permission to leave foam exposed
Technical data sheet, or TDS	Reported properties and specified application conditions	Suitability for every substrate or climate
Installation manual	Preparation, equipment, application sequence, limitations	Permission to change required exposure controls
Evaluation report or listing	Defined tested uses, conditions and applicable code references	Universal approval for a different product or assembly

This table is a reading workflow, not a hierarchy that lets one document override another. Resolve conflicts with the manufacturer and, for local assembly approval, the authority having jurisdiction.

Find the critical SDS sections

OSHA’s SDS guide explains the standardized section format. A useful first pass is:

• Sections 1 and 2: identity, supplier contact, and hazard identification.
• Section 4: first-aid information.
• Sections 5 and 6: fire and accidental-release information.
• Sections 7 and 8: handling, storage, exposure controls, and personal protection.
• Section 10: stability, reactivity, and conditions to avoid.
• Section 16: preparation or revision information.

Read the full applicable document before work. This map helps you find information; it does not select a respirator, create a spill response, or authorize entry into an affected area. Workplace respiratory protection has additional requirements under OSHA’s respiratory-protection standard.

Turn a technical claim into a question

For each performance claim, write three things: the property, its stated conditions, and the proposed use.

For example, “R-value at a stated thickness” requires an actual thickness and reporting basis. It does not establish the whole-wall result. The FTC’s 2018 rule explanation discusses why per-inch claims require supporting evidence; simply dividing a listing number can mislead.

For yield, record whether the figure is a manufacturer claim and what geometry or conditions accompany it. Keep raw board feet separate from exact-package planning. For application temperatures, distinguish material, air, and substrate limits wherever the manufacturer does.

Read the conditions of an evaluation report

Locate the product identity, scope, installation conditions, and limitations. Check whether the proposed location, substrate, thickness, density, covering, and assembly match. A test named on a sales page may support only one characteristic.

The 2021 IRC’s foam-plastic provisions treat surface-burning characteristics, thermal protection, specific uses, and specific approval separately. That model-code example explains why one test result cannot answer every fire question; it does not determine the code adopted locally.

Keep a simple evidence record

Save the documents and a short list of unresolved questions with the quote, product lot information, and installation photographs. Ask who is responsible for each answer before work begins. EPA’s archived workplace-practices guidance supports discussing occupant restrictions and re-occupancy before the job.

If a crucial answer exists only in a salesperson’s reassurance, ask for its written source. “Unknown” is useful information while the decision is still reversible.