Choosing a sandwich panel starts with questions about the building: what will be inside, whether it will be heated and what conditions the surfaces will be exposed to. Only then is it worth comparing cores, thicknesses and prices. The same material does not have to be the best for a cold store, a workshop and a sports equipment warehouse. Each application requires its own set of characteristics. A wall separates the interior from the weather or from another zone of the building. A roof must additionally drain water efficiently and carry the anticipated loads between supports. An internal ceiling has yet another structural behaviour. A panel should not be chosen solely because its surface looks similar to the required solution.

In a panel described as fiberglass, glass fibre usually reinforces the plastic facing. It is not then the material filling the entire panel. This solution is sometimes used on the inner side of roofs on agricultural buildings. When choosing, a distinction must be made between a finished roof panel and a lightweight element for insulating an existing interior. The laminate may consist of polyester resin reinforced with glass fibre. It forms a compact surface on the room side. Between it and the outer facing there is a thermal insulation core, for example PIR or PUR. This is a different construction from a panel with a mineral wool core.