H.B. Fuller: EPD coverage at a glance
H.B. Fuller is a pure-play adhesives powerhouse that sells into many corners of construction. The portfolio is wide, the EPD footprint is narrower. If your specs live in glass and façade systems, you’ll find coverage. If you’re hunting tile, flooring or HVAC mastics, you may not. Here’s the quick read on where they shine and where opportunity remains.
Who they are and where they play
H.B. Fuller is a global adhesives specialist active across glazing and façades, flooring installation, tile setting, waterproofing, mechanical insulation, and industrial assembly for building envelopes. In January 2025, the company realigned its construction-facing businesses into a Building Adhesive Solutions unit and divested its Flooring market segment, signaling a tighter focus on high-spec applications (H.B. Fuller FY2024 Results, 2025).
For sustainability context, the company publishes an annual update and program overview on its site. See their current summary here: H.B. Fuller sustainability.
Product range breadth
Across construction, H.B. Fuller markets products for insulating glass units, structural and weather sealants, window and wall systems, HVAC and mechanical insulation, and select waterproofing uses. The brand umbrella includes Kömmerling for glass and Foster for HVAC and mechanical insulation solutions, which gives them reach into both façade manufacturing and building services.
In terms of SKU depth, their construction-facing catalog runs broadly across multiple MasterFormat divisions, likely totaling well into the hundreds. Exact counts vary by region and brand family, so treat that as a directional signal rather than a hard figure.
What has EPD coverage today
Publicly available, product-specific EPDs from H.B. Fuller are concentrated in glazing accessories. We found a small set for insulating glass secondary sealants and a spacer system associated with Kömmerling, published through a North American operator. This aligns with their visible push around high-performance IG systems like Ködispace 4SG.
Why that matters for commercial teams. Façade and curtain wall packages increasingly ask for product‑specific EPDs to simplify embodied‑carbon accounting at the project level. Showing up with verified, product‑level data avoids conservative defaults that can push a bidder to an alternative with better documentation.
Where the gaps likely are
Outside of insulating glass, we did not find product‑specific EPDs publicly available for common installers’ workhorses like tile adhesives and grouts under the broader construction umbrella. HVAC mastics and coatings also appear light on product‑specific declarations in public registries as of late 2025. That does not mean data does not exist internally, only that specifiers cannot credibly reference it today.
For many projects, lack of a product‑specific EPD means carbon modeling tools apply generic or penalized values. That raises the risk of being swapped for a competitor with clear documentation in hand, especially as LEED v5 continues to emphasize transparent materials data in its MR pathways (USGBC LEED v5, 2025).
A concrete example of spec risk
Tile installation is a busy lane with heavy EPD activity. Mapei, a frequent competitor on floors and walls, has recent product‑specific EPDs for tile adhesives registered with an EN 15804 program operator, for example Large Format Flex Adhesive S1 Zero with validity to 2029 (EPD International, 2024). If an owner or design team prefers or requires product‑specific EPDs for wet areas or lobbies, that documentation can tilt shortlists fast. H.B. Fuller teams without comparable, published product‑level EPDs will need price or performance headroom to compensate, which is not always available late in the bid cycle.
Competitors you’ll see in the same spec sections
On glazing and façades, Sika and Tremco commonly appear. Sika lists multiple sealant and glazing EPDs in its public libraries, including Sikasil systems relevant to IG and weathersealing (Sika EPD Downloads, 2025). On tile, Mapei and Bostik are frequent alternatives and maintain a visible cadence of new or renewed EPDs across adhesives, mortars, and grouts (EPD International, 2024). Your local mix may also include regional champions, but these names surface again and again in submittal logs.
How well-positioned are their current EPDs
The glazing‑centric declarations give H.B. Fuller credible coverage where IG units and structural glazing dominate the scope. That is valuable in office façades, healthcare curtain wall retrofits, transit hubs, and higher education buildings with performance façades. The declarations appear to be current through the latter half of this decade, which is fine for most procurement teams that simply need a valid, third‑party‑verified document at award.
What to prioritize next
If we were allocating effort, we would target three quick‑win bundles where EPDs can move revenue, not just reputation.
- Tile setting systems. Start with top movers in commercial interiors and podium levels. Competitors already publish here, and credit frameworks reward product‑specific data, so the ROI tends to show up quickly in specifications and submittal approvals (USGBC EPD Guide, 2025).
- Flooring adhesives. Even after divesting the Flooring market segment, installers still lean on branded adhesives for resilient and wood. Prioritize the adhesives that ride along with large multi‑site interiors programs, since repeatability amplifies impact.
- HVAC and mechanical insulation coatings and mastics under the Foster brand. Healthcare and labs often ask for complete documentation packs. A set of targeted EPDs reduces friction in these compliance‑sensitive environments.
Smart operator choices shorten the path
Pick a program operator familiar with your product families and target geographies, then anchor on the PCR your competitors already use. That keeps reviewers comfortable and compresses timelines. Publishing with operators commonly used in your market also helps specifiers find your documents alongside familiar peers, which lowers the chance of being overlooked in a rush submittal.
Bottom line for commercial teams
H.B. Fuller’s construction portfolio is broad, yet its public EPD footprint is currently narrow and strongest in glazing. Closing the gap in tile and key adhesives would unlock more consistent shortlist placement across interiors and MEP scopes. Dont wait for perfect data across every SKU. Prioritize best‑sellers, match the prevailing PCR, and publish fast so estimators and specifiers can use your numbers where it counts.
References cited in-line: H.B. Fuller FY2024 Results, 2025; EPD International, 2024; Sika EPD Downloads, 2025; USGBC LEED v5, 2025; USGBC EPD Guide, 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which H.B. Fuller products currently have publicly visible product-specific EPDs for construction?
A small set centered on insulating glass and glazing accessories tied to Kömmerling systems. These cover an IG spacer system and secondary sealants published with a North American operator. Exact counts vary by region and are not enumerated here.
Are older EPDs a problem during bids?
Not usually. As long as the EPD is valid, most project teams accept it. Attention rises only when a declaration is nearing expiry within months.
If H.B. Fuller publishes EPDs for tile adhesives, which PCR should be used?
Follow the PCR used by leading competitors in the target market, typically EN 15804+A2 based programs for tile adhesives in Europe and aligned North American operators for the U.S. This improves comparability and review comfort.
Does LEED v5 still recognize product-specific EPDs?
Yes. LEED v5 maintains materials transparency pathways where product‑specific EPDs contribute, and USGBC guidance continues to underscore EPD structure and scope (USGBC LEED v5, 2025; USGBC EPD Guide, 2025).
About the Author
With a passion for sustainability and a love for complex data, Toby helps manufacturers efficiently collect data from across their organization and get their EPDs done right. He’s especially interested in how AI can support human expertise, helping R&D and factory teams work faster, smarter, and with less friction.
