If you specify Polystyrene (PS / HIPS) for thermoformed packaging inserts and dividers, a handful of properties decide whether the part survives forming and service. These are the values worth checking on every data sheet.
Use it as a working checklist when you write your next enquiry.
This category covers a family of products rather than a single item. In practice a buyer defines thermoformed packaging inserts and dividers 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 anti-static grades; nestable designs; 2 to 48 cavity layouts. Materials most often specified are Polypropylene, Polylactic Acid, Recycled PET, Polystyrene, 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 ready meal trays, fresh produce punnets, bakery inserts.
The table below summarises the values that usually decide the material choice.
| Material | Density | Tensile strength | Service temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polystyrene | 1.04-1.06 g/cm³ | 30-50 MPa | -20°C to 70°C |
| Recycled PET | 1.35-1.40 g/cm³ | 45-65 MPa | -40°C to 70°C |
| Polypropylene | 0.90-0.91 g/cm³ | 25-40 MPa | -10°C to 100°C |
Polystyrene is frequently the default selection here: HIPS is the default thermoforming sheet for food packaging and appliance liners.
Typical values for a general purpose grade are listed below; filled, stabilised and speciality compounds will differ.
Density 1.04-1.06 g/cm³, tensile strength 30-50 MPa, continuous service temperature -20°C to 70°C and melt range 180-240°C are the four values to circle on the data sheet. Everything else is secondary for most food and beverage projects.
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.
Work through these points in order and most specification mistakes disappear.
Send this list to your supplier with the drawing and you will receive comparable quotations from every factory you contact.
Standard packing is export cartons on fumigation-free pallets, with custom labelling, barcode and retail packing available. We also handle consolidated containers and door to door delivery.
Colour is controlled with a masterbatch reference approved by the customer, and every production lot is checked against the approved sample under standard lighting before shipment.
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.
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.
We can provide ISO 9001 quality system documentation, material certificates, RoHS and REACH statements, and where applicable food contact, flame retardancy or drinking water approvals. Tell us your target market and we will match the document set.
Our team supplies thermoformed packaging inserts and dividers to food and beverage customers worldwide, with samples, material certificates and full inspection reports available before mass production.
Rubber & Plastics © 2026 All Rights Reserved. Yingnet.com — Global B2B trade platform for rubber & plastics manufacturers.
About Us | Contact Us | Help Center | Sitemap