The truth is, even those of us in the business have trouble with them at times. There are a few tricks, though. In all but one case, G stands for "glass" (the exception is in GRG, when the second G stands for "gypsum"). The F means "fiber." Usually, the G and F are used together, like in GFRC (glass fiber reinforced concrete). To complicate things further, some people use GRC instead of GFRC, and some use FRC. Neither is as accurate. Because glass is available in many forms other than fiberglass, GRC could be misunderstood. There are many types of fibers other than glass fibers, so FRC could be referring to any type of fiber reinforcement.

In all cases, R stands for "reinforced" or "reinforcement." The last letter in each acronym usually stands for the composite's matrix. For example, P is used for "plastic" or "polymer," C for "concrete," G for "gypsum," and so on.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. FRP (fiber reinforced plastic) can come in thousands of combinations of fibers and plastics, for applications ranging from aerospace components like the Saturn booster rocket fuel tanks on the space shuttle to the an underground vault for utilities. These are the materials K&A works with and understands, as we have done for over twenty years.

Call us. Let us help you pick the right material for your job, whether as material consultants or as fabricators.