Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and Polystyrene (PS / HIPS) are the two most quoted sheet materials for thermoformed packaging inserts and dividers in food and beverage projects. Both run well on standard thermoforming equipment, but they differ in clarity, toughness and sealing.
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 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, Polystyrene, Polylactic Acid, Polyethylene Terephthalate, 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 takeaway containers, dairy tubs, bakery inserts.
Typical values for a general purpose grade are listed below; filled, stabilised and speciality compounds will differ.
| Material | Density | Tensile strength | Service temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polypropylene | 0.90-0.91 g/cm³ | 25-40 MPa | -10°C to 100°C |
| Polystyrene | 1.04-1.06 g/cm³ | 30-50 MPa | -20°C to 70°C |
| Polylactic Acid | 1.24 g/cm³ | 50-60 MPa | up to 55°C (HDT) |
Polyethylene Terephthalate is frequently the default selection here: High IV PET resin is the reason a 1.5 L bottle can be light yet hold carbonation pressure.
Polyethylene Terephthalate grades offer excellent barrier to CO2 and moisture, while Polystyrene brings rigid and glossy. For food and beverage service the difference shows up in impact strength and in the long term behaviour under load.
The practical decision usually comes down to the service environment: temperature, chemical exposure and expected lifetime.
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.
Processing method drives both cost and performance, so it should be fixed early in the design.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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