# What kind of styrofoam does this? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 20, 2020, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-styrofoam-does-this/848211 "2020-02-20T03:34:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2020, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-styrofoam-does-this/848211/1 "2020-02-20T03:34:41Z")
I ordered a new table lamp, online. It arrived today, well-packed in a large carton with lots of styrofoam. As I’m unpacking it, the styrofoam starts to crumble. The more I try to extricate the lamp parts, the more the foam is crumbling. And not just crumbling, but the tiny pieces of it are sticking to everything in sight. I finally get the lamp parts out, and they - and I - and that part of the living room are covered in tiny crumbs of styrofoam. And OMFG, the CAT! I quickly brush the cat, but the foam is sticking to the brush and back onto her. I really don’t want her licking and swallowing anything potentially toxic. My husband came home and quickly vacuumed whatever foam he could see. I packed up all the packing and hauled the carton out to the curb for pickup. Of course the cat ran upstairs with tiny bits of foam still on her. I’ve never had this problem with crumbling foam and static electricity. The lamp was manufactured in China, so it must be some kind of foam they use over there. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2020, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-styrofoam-does-this/848211/2 "2020-02-20T03:50:44Z")
All styrofoam does that, in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2020, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-styrofoam-does-this/848211/3 "2020-02-20T03:58:13Z")
No, in my experience styrofoam remains largely intact. Maybe some isolated fragments break free, but in this case it just crumbled. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2020, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-styrofoam-does-this/848211/4 "2020-02-20T04:02:24Z")
Low density polystyrene foam does that. When ordering furniture of any sort, when possible, make sure it doesn’t come from china, the cheap out on everything from materials in the item to packing. Try for stuff made in Vietnam, that’s where the quality is made when it comes to manufacturing and packing for shipping furniture. Yeah, I get to deal with quite a bit of brand new furniture in my job. Stuff from china is always the worst. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2020, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-styrofoam-does-this/848211/5 "2020-02-20T04:05:48Z")
Old styro peanuts break down into little pellets. I had a huge bag I was saving if I had to send something fragile. I threw them away because they were basically beanbag guts when I looked at them, recently. Maybe it was old styrofoam. WAG. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2020, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-styrofoam-does-this/848211/6 "2020-02-20T10:23:11Z")
The foam is made from loose bubbles, which are aged and dried, then fused together in a mold. I can buy either strong, hard blocks, or weak soft blocks. That’s all I know. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2020, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-styrofoam-does-this/848211/7 "2020-02-20T20:54:01Z")
This kind of packaging also often ‘melts’ to the power cord. I think there are some additives in the plastic jacket of the cord that attack the polystyrene. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-styrofoam-does-this/848211/8 "2020-02-23T02:32:28Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > This kind of packaging also often ‘melts’ to the power cord. I think there are some additives in the plastic jacket of the cord that attack the polystyrene. /tangent Don’t let your polystyrene rest in contact with your electrical wiring. The additives in the shielding migrate into the polystyrene, making the shielding brittle and weak.