Trademarked and manufactured by American chemical company DuPont, Styrofoam is a brand of closed–cell, general–purpose polystyrene foam. It is formed by heating and expanding tiny beads of polystyrene with steam. It is most commonly white in colour, with a hard but brittle texture.

Styrofoam is at its most manageable and functional when it is shaped into blocks or sheets by a CNC foam cutter. Foam is a popular material choice because it is lightweight and easy to manoeuvre, resistant to bacterial growth, noise and temperature changes (making it fantastic for insulation) and it has great shock absorption qualities.