1949
A lucky coincidence
Like a genie in a bottle, a solid white foam emerged from a shoe polish can in 1949. It was the material, from which Fritz Stastny developed the material of the century: Styropor®.
Petrochemicals
Over 75 years of innovation, collaboration & success
From life rings to building insulation
For more than 75 years, Styropor® has provided reliable protection in a wide range of applications – and since 1998, the graphite-enhanced EPS Neopor® has complemented our portfolio. Discover the expertise of the inventors of Styropor® – a material that has shaped an entire industry.
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Listen to our latest episode: 70 Jahre Styropor® (Podcast sequence only in german.)
1951
Trademark registration
BASF registers Styropor® as a trademark and starts its production.
1952
Presentation at the Düsseldorf plastics trade show
Presentation of the new molded parts at the Düsseldorf plastics trade show – around 10 times lighter than cork and less expensive. The new molded parts are presented to the public at the Düsseldorf plastics trade show: Visitors crowded around BASF's booth to receive a special gift: "The lightest ship in the world" – weighing only five grams and being 15 centimeters long.
First major order: Safety buoys for the swedish company Carmarin
The first major order followed: Safety buoys for the swedish company Carmarin. BASF had been able to convince the company that Styropor® is around 10 times lighter than cork, cheaper and also more rot-proof than the natural material.
First major order: Safety buoys for the swedish company Carmarin
The first major order followed: Safety buoys for the swedish company Carmarin. BASF had been able to convince the company that Styropor® is around 10 times lighter than cork, cheaper and also more rot-proof than the natural material.
1955
Issuance of first licenses abroad
Styropor® goes international. The first licenses for the universal plastic are sold abroad.
1957 - 1958
Breakthrough to mass production
The first production facilities are built in Brazil and France.
1959
The packaging industry discovers Styropor®
The packaging industry also benefits from Styropor®. Its insulating property is used to maintain the cold chain of perishable foods. Packed in Styropor®, even electrical appliances or sensitive musical instruments are protected from shocks.
1962
The Mona Lisa goes on its journey
The most popular smile in the world is packed in Styropor® in 1962. At the request of the first Lady Jacky Kennedy, The Mona Lisa goes on its journey from the Louvre in Paris to the White House in Washington D.C. – well packed in the white classic Styropor®.
1963
Schaumgeboren
The video classic "Schaumgeboren" from 1963 illustrates how products made from expandable polystyrene (EPS) conquer the world market. Compared to 1955, Styropor® sales have grown 23-fold to approximately 32,000 tons per year.
To the video 
1964
Salvage of a freighter in Kuwait with the help of Styropor®
In 1964, a special kind of rescue operation succeeds in the port of Kuwait: A sunken cattle transport ship is lifted with the help of polystyrene beads that are pumped into the ship's interior. The only disadvantage: A patent application for this unusual salvage method unexpectedly vanishes into thin air, as Walt Disney had already published the story of a similar ship salvage in 1949. The protagonist was the drake Donald Duck, who lifted a sunken yacht with ping-pong balls. In terms of patent law, a preliminary description had thus been made which prevented the Styropor® action as a whole from being patentable.
1968
Lightweight concrete made of Styropor® enters the market
The combination of the insulating properties of Styropor® and the strength of concrete was used primarily as a frost-proof substructure for roads and railroad tracks and as an economical construction element in industrial and residential construction.
1972
1.000.000 tons
BASF sold its millionth ton of Styropor®. An essential boost for the production of Styropor® came from the oil crisis. It led to increased efforts in thermal insulation with the aim of saving energy. Because of its excellent insulating properties, Styropor® quickly found a wide variety of applications in house construction. Even today, the insulation of buildings is the most important field of application for Styropor®.
1997
Neopor® is filed for patent
Neopor® - the graphite-containing evolution of Styropor® (EPS) is filed for patent. Improving insulation properties further and thus contribute to environmental protection. Insulation boards made of Neopor® can be up to 20% thinner and achieve better insulation performance than conventional EPS.
1998
5.000.000 tons
The five-millionth ton of Styropor® leaves the Ludwigshafen site.
2001
BASF Innovation Awards for Neopor® and the 3-liter house
The Brunckviertel in Ludwigshafen is being renovated to improve energy efficiency: Neopor® as an insulation material makes the biggest contribution.
2011
Neopor® Plus
Neopor® Plus achieves the best thermal conductivity for EPS insulation materials in Germany.
2014
Conversion of the entire EPS product portfolio to polymeric flame retardant.
BASF is one of the first to equip its entire product portfolio of styrenic foams/granules for thermal insulation in Europe with a new flame retardant.
2017
The Mass Balance Approach
For the first time, Styropor® is produced from renewable raw materials. It is the birth of biomass-balanced Styropor® in food packaging.
2019
Styropor® Ccycled™
From the ChemCycling project, the first prototypes of Styropor® CcycledTM will be presented at the K trade show. Applications such as pharmaceutical or fish boxes are indistinguishable in their properties from conventionally manufactured Styropor® products.
2020
Transport boxes
Due to its excellent insulating properties, EPS is used worldwide in the transport of vaccines against COVID-19.
#Future
The success story continues
BASF is pursuing various approaches to produce and recycle Styropor® in a more environmentally friendly way, for example by processing it into new raw materials. The proportion of recycled material is continuously increasing.
