PURPOSE: To cheaply provide a molded and foamed inorganic fibrous piece which has small weight and excels in heat-insulating property etc., by primarily shaping slurry which contains inorganic fibers, thermally-expansible minute hollow balls and a thermoplastic resin binder and by heating the shaped material above the expansion starting temperature of the minute balls to foam the material.

CONSTITUTION: Slurry, which comprises (a) inorganic fibers which is made of asbestus, glass, ceramic, steel or the like and has a diameter of preferably 2W200μ, (b) a thermally-expansible minute hollow balls which consist of capsules of thermoplastic resin such as vinylidene chloride with a mean grain size of 10W30μ and low-molecular-weight hydrocarbon such as propane, butane, pentane or hexane contained in the capsules, and (c) a thermoplastic resin binder such as acrylic ester resin, is primarily molded into a desired shape. The primarily molded material is heated above the expansion start temperature of the minute balls (b) so that the material is foamed. A desired shaped piece is thus provided.