Specification sheets for plastic foam products and cushioning are full of abbreviations. This guide translates the dimensions, grades and tolerance classes into decisions you can actually make.
The notes below come from day to day production and export work with overseas buyers.
This category covers a family of products rather than a single item. In practice a buyer defines plastic foam products and cushioning by three things: the base resin, the format or dimension, and the performance or certification level it has to meet. Typical options in this category include moulded shapes; anti-static and flame retardant grades; sheet and roll form. Materials most often specified are Polyurethane, Ethylene Vinyl Acetate, Expanded Polystyrene, Expanded Polyethylene, and the choice between them changes stiffness, temperature resistance, chemical behaviour and price.
In the food and beverage sector the decision is usually driven by food contact compliance and migration limits, with seal integrity as a secondary requirement. Typical end uses include beverage bottles, dairy tubs, takeaway trays.
These figures are typical for commercial grades and should be confirmed against the supplier's certificate for your specific lot.
| Material | Density | Tensile strength | Service temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expanded Polystyrene | 0.01-0.05 g/cm³ | 0.2-0.8 MPa | -40°C to 75°C |
| Ethylene Vinyl Acetate | 0.93-0.95 g/cm³ | 10-30 MPa | -40°C to 70°C |
| Polyurethane | 1.05-1.25 g/cm³ | 25-60 MPa | -30°C to 90°C |
Expanded Polyethylene is frequently the default selection here: EPE foam absorbs repeated impact, which is why it protects fragile goods in transit.
Typical values for a general purpose grade are listed below; filled, stabilised and speciality compounds will differ.
When you read a supplier quotation, check that the dimension, the resin grade, the colour reference and the tolerance class are all stated. A quotation that only gives a price per piece is not comparable between suppliers.
Beyond the base resin, most suppliers offer UV stabilised, food contact, flame retardant, anti-static and recycled content versions of the same product. Ask which additive package is included, because it is often the difference between a part that lasts three years and one that lasts ten.
Each step below has its own control points, and skipping one of them is where most defects start.
Secondary operations such as printing, welding, machining and assembly are often cheaper to do in the same factory, and they reduce the risk of mismatch between components.
Use this checklist when comparing two or three supplier quotations.
Send this list to your supplier with the drawing and you will receive comparable quotations from every factory you contact.
Yes. {mat1} is one of our regular materials for this item, and we can supply virgin, modified and certified grades with full traceability. Material certificates and test reports are issued per batch.
Yes. Standard samples are normally free of charge and shipped within three working days; custom samples are charged at cost and credited against the first production order.
For standard sizes and colours the minimum is usually one pallet or one production run; for custom tooling the economic minimum depends on the tooling cost amortised over the expected volume. Send us your annual volume and we will calculate the break even point.
A new tool typically takes 25 to 45 days depending on cavity count and complexity, followed by T1 samples within one week. Existing tools can usually start production within 10 to 15 days of order confirmation.
Standard production tolerance follows the relevant ISO or DIN tolerance class for the process; tighter tolerances are possible after machining or grinding, but they add cost. Define the tolerance only on the functional dimensions.
If you are planning a new food and beverage project, send us your drawing, annual volume and target properties, and we will come back with a material proposal, a tooling plan and a budget quotation.
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