| Polyethylene Terephthalate |
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Properties: toughness, strength, heat resistance, barrier to moisture and gas.
Description: PET, also referred to as polyester, is a popular packaging material for food and non-food products because it is inexpensive, lightweight, resealable, shatter-resistant and recyclable. PET is clear and has good moisture and gas barrier properties.
Packaging applications: Soft drink bottles, water bottles, mouthwash bottles, peanut butter containers, salad dressing containers, juice bottles, vegetable oil bottles |
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| High Density Polyethylene |
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Properties: toughness, strength, stiffness, ease of forming, ease of processing, resistance to moisture and chemicals, permeability to gas.
Description: Bottles made from HDPE come in both pigmented and unpigmented resins. The unpigmented resin is translucent. It also has good stiffness and barrier properties. HDPE's good chemical resistance allows it to be used in containers holding household or industrial chemicals. The pigmented resin has even better crack resistance and chemical resistance than the unpigmented resin.
Packaging applications: Milk containers, juice bottles, water bottles, bleach, detergent, and shampoo bottles, motor oil bottles, household cleaner bottles. |
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| Polyvinyl Chloride |
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Properties: toughness, strength, ease of blending, ease of processing, resistance to grease, oil, and chemicals, clarity.
Description: Vinyl, or polyvinyl chloride, has stable physical properties. It has excellent chemical resistance and good weatherability. It’s stability makes it very suitable for household chemicals and its clarity for food and toiletry products.
Packaging applications: Window cleaner bottles, cooking oil bottles, detergent bottles, shampoo bottles, clear food packaging, wire and cable jacketing, medical tubing, with additional significant usage in household products and building materials, particularly siding, piping, and windows |
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| Low Density Polyethylene |
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Properties: toughness, strength, flexibility, ease of sealing, ease of processing, barrier to moisture.
Description: Because of its toughness, flexibility, and transparency, LDPE is commonly used in applications where heat sealing is necessary. It is also widely used in injection moulding of snap on closures.
Packaging applications: Squeezable bottles, snap on closures, squeeze tubes. |
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| Polypropylene |
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Properties: toughness, strength, resistance to heat, grease, oil, and chemicals, barrier to moisture.
Description: Polypropylene has the lowest density of the resins used in packaging. It is strong and is resistant to chemicals. Since it has a high melting-point it can be utilized in applications requiring that a container be filled with a hot liquid. Clarified PP is ideal for household chemicals that require good clarity and chemical resistance.
Packaging applications: Yogurt containers, syrup bottles, ketchup bottles, caps, and medicine bottles. |
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| Polystyrene |
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Properties: ease of forming, clarity, low heat transfer, good thermal insulation.
Description: Polystyrene can be made into rigid or foamed products. It has a relatively low melting point.
Packaging applications: M eat trays, egg cartons, take-out containers, compact disc jackets. |
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| Other |
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Properties: varies according to constituent resins.
Description: The category of "Other" includes any resin not specifically numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, or combinations of one or more of these resins such as in multi-layer bottles. |
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| NOTE: |
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The acronym PETE was adopted by manufacturers to identify packaging made from PET primarily in response to a potential trademark dispute. |
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| NOTE: |
Plastic bag manufacturers have adopted a somewhat different symbol identification for HDPE, LDPE as shown above. |
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