Irish Food Packaging Information Service
Plastics
Irish Food Packaging Information Service
Plastics
 Common abbreviations associated with plastics |
| Properties |
| Properties
of major packaging films |
| Applications |
| Major suppliers of polymeric packaging materials |
| Trade names and manufacturers |
Common Abbreviations Associated with Plastics
Abbreviation
Polymer name
ABS acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene EVA ethylene vinyl acetate EVOH ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer EPS expanded polystyrene GPPS general purpose polystyrene HDPE high density polyethylene HIPS high impact polystyrene LDPE low density polyethylene LLDPE linear low density polyethylene OPP orientated polypropylene PA polyamide = nylon PA 6 nylon 6 PA 6,6 nylon 6,6 PC polycarbonate PE polyethylene PET or PETP polyethylene terephthalate PETg PET copolymer PP polypropylene PS polystyrene PVA polyvinyl acetate PVC polyvinylchloride PVdC polyvinyldichloride SBR styrene-butadiene rubber TPS toughened polystyrene = HIPS
| Standard Test | Test Method Reference Number |
| Tear strength | BS 2782, part 3, methods 360A, 360B & 360C |
| Tensile strength | BS 2782, part 3, methods 321, 322, 326A, 326B & 326C |
| Impact strength | BS 2782, part 3, methods 352D, 353A, 353B, 354A & 354B |
| Co-efficient of friction | BS 2782, part 8, method 824A |
| Haze and gloss | BS 2782, part 5, methods 520A & 521A |
| Water vapour transmission | BS 2782, part 8, methods 820A & 822A |
| Gas permeability | BS 2782, part 8, method 821A |
| Polymeric Material | Physical Properties |
| ABS | Rigid, opaque, glossy, tough, good low temp properties, low creep, very good resistance to dilute acids, dilute alkalis, oils and greases |
| EVA | Flexible, rubbery, transparent, good low temp flexibility (-70 ° C), very good chemical resistance to dilute acids, dilute alkalis and alcohols, good resistance to oils and greases, high friction co-efficient |
| PA | Rigid, translucent, tough, fatigue and creep resistant, resistant to fuels, oils, fats and most solvents, poor resistance to dilute acids and alcohols, steam sterilisable |
| PC | Rigid, transparent, outstanding impact resistance (to -150° C) good weather resistance, dimensional stability, resistant to flame, good resistance to dilute acids and alcohols, very good resistance to oils and greases |
| PET | Rigid, clear, extremely tough, good creep and fatigue resistance, wide range temperature resistance (-40 to 200° C), does not flow on heating, very good resistance to dilute acids, dilute alkalis, alcohols, oils and greases. |
| HDPE | Semi-rigid, translucent, very tough, very good chemical resistant to dilute acids, dilute alkalis and alcohols, moderate resistance to oils and greases, low water absorption, easily processed by most methods, low cost. |
| LDPE/LLDPE | Flexible, translucent/waxy, weatherproof, good low temperature toughness (to -60° C), easy to process by most methods, low cost, very good chemical resistance to dilute acids, dilute alkalis and alcohols, moderate resistance to oils and greases. |
| PP | Semi-rigid, translucent, good chemical resistance, tough, good fatigue resistance, integral hinge properties, steam sterilisable, good heat resistance, very good resistance to dilute acids, dilute alkalis and alcohols, moderate resistance to oils and greases. |
| GPPS | Brittle, rigid, transparent, low shrinkage, low cost, excellent X-ray resistance, free from odour and taste, easy to process. |
| HIPS | Hard, rigid, translucent, impact strength (7x greater than GPPS), low shrinkage, low cost, excellent X-ray resistance, free from odour and taste, easy to process, very good resistance to dilute acids, dilute alkalis, alcohols, oils and greases. |
| Butadiene | Elastic, translucent, high resilience, good abrasion resistance and low temperature properties. |
| PVC | Rigid or flexible, clear, durable, weatherproof, flame resistant, good impact strength, good electrical insulation properties, limited low temperature performance, very good resistance to dilute acids, dilute alkalis, good resistance to alcohols, oils and greases. |
Properties of major packaging films
| HDPE | LDPE | LLDPE | EVOH | OPP* | OPS* | PET* | PVC | PVdC | PC | |
| Density (g/cm3) |
0.945-0.967 | 0.91-0.925 | 0.918-0.923 | 1.14-1.19 | 0.9 | 1.05 | 1.4 | 1.22-1.36 | 1.6-1.7 | 1.2 |
| Yield (m2/kg 1mil) |
41.2 | 42.6 | 42.5 | 32.7-34.7 | 44 | 38 | 28.4 | 28 | 24 | 32.5 |
| CO2 perm. (cm3/m2.24h.atm)a |
9,100 | 42,500 | - | 8,500 | 14,000 | 240 | 500 | - | 17,000 | |
| O2 perm. (cm3/m2.24h.atm)a |
2,900 | 7,900 | 2 | 2,500 | 5,500 | 95 | 120 | 10 | 4,700 | |
| WVTR (g/m2.24h) 40° C, 90% RH |
22 | 24-48 | 30 | 3-5 | 110-160 | 20-24 | 5-6 | 2 | 170 | |
| Tensile strength (kpsi) |
2.5-6 | 1.5-5 | 3-8 | 1.2-1.7 | 20-30 | 8-12 | 25-33 | 4-8 | 8-16 | 9-11 |
| Tensile modulus 1% secant (kpsi) |
125 | 20-40 | 25 | 300-385 | 350 | 400-475 | 700 | 350-600 | 50-150 | 320 |
| Elongation At break (%) |
200-600 | 200-600 | 400-800 | 120-280 | 50-275 | 2-30 | 70-130 | 100-400 | 50-100 | 100-150 |
| Tear strength (Elmmendorf (g/mil) |
200-350 | 100-200 | 150-900 | 400-600 | 340 | 2-15 | 20-100 | 400-700 | 10-90 | 20-50 |
| Haze (%) |
3 | 5-10 | 6-13 | 1-2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1-2 | 1-5 | 1 |
| Light transmission (%) |
- | 65 | - | 90 | 80 | 92 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 89 |
| Heat seal temp. range (° C) |
135-155 | 120-175 | 100-175 | 175-200 | 100-150 | 120-175 | 135-175 | 140-175 | 120-150 | 200-215 |
| Service temp range (° C) |
-40-120 | -60-80 | -30-120 | 0-150 | 4-120 | -60-80 | -70-150 | -20-65 | 0-135 | -150-140 |
Data based on film thickness of 1 mil
*Biaxially orientated
Note ranges are shown as processing conditions, additives (e.g. plastizers or monomers),
density, molecular weight and other variables have significant effects on many properties.
a permeability and WVTR values based on a film of 1 mil or 25 mm in thickness
| Polymeric material | Applications |
| EVOH | High barrier material to oxygen and carbon dioxide, low moisture vapour barrier material. Barrier properties to oxygen, carbon dioxide and moisture vapour decrease when EVOH is stored in a moist/humid environment. Widely used as the barrier film in a laminate. It is an expensive packaging material. |
| GPPS | A very brittle material, widely used in disposable party glasses, it’s a cheap material. It has poor barrier properties. It is recyclable. |
| HIPS | Used in thermoformed trays. Not suitable for use at high temperatures (i.e. microwave heating or conventional ovens). It’s a cheap material. Widely used to store fresh produce (e.g. mushrooms, strawberries etc.). It has poor barrier properties. It is recyclable. |
| EPS | Foam type material. Brittle, not suitable for use at high temperatures. Widely used to contain fresh meat or fast foods. Poor barrier properties. |
| PP | If biaxially orientated it has moderate barrier properties to oxygen and carbon dioxide. It is a good barrier to water vapour. When thermoformed it is suitable for use at temperatures up to 110° C, therefore it is suitable for use in the microwave oven. It is often micro-perforated, in this instance it is widely used to store bakery/confectionery products. It is easy to recycle. It has poor heat sealing characteristics. PP is also used to make closures. It is a very versatile packaging material. It is moderately expensive. |
| LDPE | It has moderate barrier properties to oxygen and carbon dioxide. It is a good barrier to water vapour. Widely used for its heat sealing properties in a laminated material. Typically, laminates used in vacuum packaging and modified atmosphere packaging are composed of 20mm LDPE and 70mm of a high barrier film. It is not suitable for use at temperatures above 100° C. Suitable for use at low temperatures. It is a relatively cheap material. |
| HPDE | It has moderate barrier properties to oxygen and carbon dioxide. It is a good barrier to water vapour. It has poor heat sealing properties and not suitable for use at high temperatures. It is widely blow moulded to form containers, e.g. to store milk, detergents, etc. It is a cheap packaging material. |
| PVC | It has good barrier properties to oxygen, carbon dioxide and moisture vapour if not highly plastisied. When plastisied it is a poor barrier material and in this situation is used to over-wrap fresh produce. It can be thermoformed. It has good heat sealing characteristics. In the past it was widely used to contain bottled water. There are many environmental concerns associated with PVC, consequently its use has decreased in recent years. Furthermore, migration of the vinyl chloride monomer form the packaging material into the food has safety implications associated with it which are presently being investigated. |
| PVdC | The barrier properties depend on the degree of plastisier added during manufacture. Widely used to over-wrap foods. Saran wrap is a commonly used trade name for PVdC. |
| Nylons (PA) | High barrier material to oxygen and carbon dioxide. Moderate barrier to moisture vapour. Widely used as the barrier component in a laminate. It has poor heat sealing characteristics. It is an expensive material to purchase. |
| PET | Normally oriented to improve its barrier properties to oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapour and is referred to as, C-PET. It has excellent clarity and is often used as a glass replacement. C-PET is widely used to contain carbonated beverages. C-PET can be thermoformed and is often laminated onto paperboard to improve the mechanical properties of the film. C-PET can withstand temperatures up to 220° C. C-PET is an expensive plastic |
| PC | Not often used as a food packaging material as it is extremely expensive to purchase. It has excellent clarity and good barrier properties. |
Major Suppliers of Polymeric Packaging Materials
| Alcan Rolled Products UK |
| 321 Ailcenhead Road |
| Glasgow GL 420PE |
| Tel +44-141-531-2800 |
| Fax +44-141-531-2801 |
| Foil coated paper or plastic, trays, films and lids |
| Alert Packaging |
| Sandyford Industrial Estate, |
| Foxrock |
| Dublin 18. |
| Tel +353-1-295-2521 |
| Fax +353-1-295-7700 |
| Printing, films, laminates, coatings |
| Cannings Packaging Ltd |
| Unit 15 |
| Deansgrange Industrial Estate |
| Kill Lane, Blackrock |
| Co. Dublin |
| Tel +353-1-289-2111 |
| Fax +353-1-289-2345 |
| Films and laminates (e.g. PE, PP, PVdC and cellophane) |
| Celtic Sales Co. Ltd., |
| 26A St. Patricks |
| The Woolen Mills |
| Douglas |
| Cork |
| Tel +353-21-894145 |
| Thermoformed trays (e.g. PP and C-PET) |
| ClarePak Ltd., |
| Raheen, Tuamgraney, |
| Co. Clare |
| Tel +353-61-923133 |
| Fax +353-61-923135 |
| PET bottles |
| Corona Packaging Ltd., |
| Moor Farm Road West, |
| The Airfield, Ashbourne |
| Derbyshire, DE6 1HA |
| Tel +44-133-534-5544 |
| Fax +44-133-534-4562 |
| Lidding and printing of foil coated paper, foil coated plastics, plastics (e.g. OPP, PE, PS & C-PET) |
| Cryovac Europe |
| Cryovac UK Ltd., |
| Clifton House |
| 1 Marston Road, St. Neots |
| Cambs, PE19 2HN |
| Tel +44-148-022-4000 |
| Fax +44-148-022-4066 |
| Films, laminates, shrink wrap |
| Derivados Del Propileno S.A. |
| Ramirez de Arellano |
| 37 Edificio G.A.N. |
| 28043 Madrid |
| Spain |
| Tel +34-1-337-7040 |
| Fax +34-1-337-7042 |
| OPP Film |
| Dolphin Packaging Ltd., |
| Greenore, |
| Co. Louth |
| Ireland |
| Tel +353-42-73222 |
| Fax +353-42-73179 |
| Thermoformed trays |
| DuraPak Ltd |
| Unit 17, |
| CityLink Park |
| Forgehill |
| Kinsale Road |
| Cork |
| Tel +353-21-311-842 |
| Films, trays and laminates |
| Fispak Ltd., |
| Carmanhall Road |
| Sandyford Industrial Estate |
| Dublin 18 |
| Tel +353-1-294-0800 |
| Fax +353-1-294-0770 |
| Casings, laminates and films |
| Grace W.R. (Ire) Ltd., |
| Unit 400, Western Industrial Estate, |
| Naas Road, Dublin 12 |
| Tel +353-1-4565303 |
| Fax +353-1-4506208 |
| Films, laminates, shrink wrap |
| Harrison Europac Ltd., |
| 3 Butter Hill |
| Carshalton, Surrey, |
| SM5 2TH, England |
| Tel +44-181-773-3400 |
| Fax +44-181-773-8824 |
| Dual ovenable trays, thermoformed PP, PS, C-PET trays, PS cones and cups |
| Holseld Plastics Ltd., |
| Kilmananogue, |
| Bray, Co. Wicklow |
| Tel +353-1-286-0922 |
| Fax +353-1-286-0546 |
| Thermoformed trays |
| Insulpak Ltd |
| Tower Close |
| St. Peters Industrial Park |
| Huntingdon Cambs |
| PE18 7BZ |
| Tel +44-148-045-9413 |
| Fax +44-148-045-9274 |
| Thermoformed trays (e.g. PVC, PP, EPS) |
| IPEL Ltd |
| Speke Hall Industrial Estate |
| Speke Hall Avenue |
| Liverpool L24 1UU |
| Tel +44-151-486-9666 |
| Fax +44-151-448-1152 |
| Micro-perforated films & bags, shrink wrap-films. |
| Len-Pak Ltd., |
| Unit 3-4 Stag Industrial Estate, |
| Ballyboggan Road, |
| Glasnevin |
| Dublin 11 |
| Tel +353-1-830-7899 |
| Fax +353-1-830-7762 |
| Sole agents for Cubitainer (bag in box) |
| Miller G.B. & Sons Ltd., |
| Beechwood Close |
| Boghall Road |
| Bray, Co Wicklow |
| Ireland |
| Tel +353-1-286-4811 |
| Fax +353-1-286-4801 |
| Films, laminates, shrink wrap, foil laminates, deep-draw films and trays, casings. |
| Mono Containers Ltd., |
| Dragonville Industrial Estate, |
| Durham DH1 2RL |
| Tel +44-191-386-5171 |
| Thermoformed pots and containers (HIPS and PP) |
| Multivac UK Ltd., |
| Multivac House |
| Rivermead Drive |
| Swindon SN5 7UY |
| Tel +44-179-342-5800 |
| Fax +44-179-361-6219 |
| Films, laminates and trays |
| National Flexible Ltd., |
| Unit H3-4 |
| Gilderstone Spur Distribution Centre |
| Gilderstone, Leeds, LS27-7JZ |
| Tel +44-113-253-2442 |
| Fax +44-113-252-2786 |
| Micro-perforated films, antimist films, laminates |
| NJB Packaging Ltd., |
| Robinhood House, |
| Dublin 22. |
| Tel +353-1-460-0488 |
| Films, laminates and shrink-wrap |
| Packaging Industries Ltd., |
| Fox & Geese |
| Naas Road, Dublin 22. |
| Tel +353-1-4508759 |
| Fax +353-1-4566772 |
| Plastic containers, bottles and jars |
| Packex Industries Ltd., |
| Unit 34, Beechwood Close, |
| Boghall Road, Bray, |
| Co. Wicklow, Ireland |
| Tel +353-1-286-3188 |
| Films, laminates shrink wrap, casings and EPS trays |
| PanPak Ltd., |
| Greencore, |
| Dundalk, Co. Louth, |
| Ireland |
| Tel +353-42-73184 |
| Fax +353-42-73274 |
| PET bottles |
| Parker T.W. Ltd., |
| Farriers Way, |
| Liverpool, L30 4XL |
| Tel +44-151-523-7308 |
| Fax +44-151-530-1318 |
| Labelling of plastic coated paper and plastic coated foil |
| PET Power Head Office |
| Hermelijnweg 2 |
| 4877 AE Etten Leur |
| Holland |
| Tel +31-76-503-8283 |
| Fax+31-76-503-6455 |
| PET containers |
| Polarcup Ltd., |
| 180 Gilford Rd, |
| Portadown, Co Armagh |
| Tel +08-01762-333161 |
| Fax +08-01762-351479 |
| Thermoformed containers |
| Prime Packaging Ltd., |
| Unit 2, Win Business Park, |
| Canal Quay, Newry |
| Co Down, BT35 6PH |
| Tel +08-01693-251919 |
| Fax +08-01693-251851 |
| Plastic jars, HPDE, PVC, PET, PETG Bottles |
| Pro-Pac Ltd., |
| Unit 4, Turnpike Industrial Estate |
| Ballymount, Dublin 22 |
| Tel +353-1-450-0757 |
| Fax +353-1-456-8379 |
| Barrier foils, PE films, antistatic films, desiccants |
| Tenneco Packaging., |
| Caerpilly |
| Mid-Glamorgan |
| South Wales |
| Tel +44-(0)1222-885-881 |
| Fax +44(0)1222-860-010 |
| Thermoformed trays |
| Wicklow Custom Packaging Ltd., |
| Newtownmountkennedy |
| Co. Wicklow |
| Tel +353-1-281-0234 |
| Fax +353-1-281-0133 |
| Injection moulded containers and thermoformed trays |
| Wrapid Packaging Systems Ltd., |
| 250 Thornton Road, Bradford, |
| West Yorkshire, BD1 2LB |
| Tel +44-127-422-0220 |
| Fax +44-127-473-6195 |
| Thermoformed trays, films and laminates |
| Polymeric material | Trade name | Resin Manufacturer |
| LDPE | BP polyethylenes | BP chemicals |
| Dowlex | Dow | |
| Eltex | Solvay Chemicals | |
| Eraclear | Enichem | |
| HDPE | Hostalen | Hoechst |
| Lacqtene | Atochem | |
| Loctrene | Orchem | |
| Lupolen | BASF | |
| Rigidex | BP Chemicals | |
| PET | Beetle (PET) | BIP Chemicals |
| Melinar | ICI | |
| Melinex | ICI | |
| Polyclear | Hoechst | |
| Impet | Hoechst | |
| Rynite | DuPont | |
| Mylar | DuPont | |
| PP | EltexP | Solvay Chemicals |
| Hostalen | Hoechst | |
| Moplen | Montell | |
| Novolen | BASF | |
| StamylanP | DSM | |
| VestolenP | Huls | |
| PS | BP Polystyrene | BP Chemicals |
| Lacqrene | Atochem | |
| Polystyrol | BASF | |
| Styron | Dow | |
| Butadiene-styrene | K-Resin | Philips Petroleum |
| Styrolux | BASF | |
| PVC | Benvic | Solvay Chemicals |
| Solvic | Solvay Chemicals | |
| Evipol | EVC | |
| Evicom | EVC | |
| FRILA | HydroPolymers | |
| Lacovyl | Atochem | |
| PA | Beetle/Jonylon | BIP (nylon 6,66) |
| Durethan | Bayer (nylon 6,66) | |
| Grilamid/Grilon | EMS Grilon (nylon 6,66) | |
| Zytel | DuPont (nylon 6,66,12) | |
| Stanyl | DSM (nylon 4,6) | |
| PC | Calibre | Dow |
| Lexan | GE Plastics | |
| Makrolon | Bayer |
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