Which plastic caps material to choose？
Material recommendation and performance analysis for plastic caps manufacturing
As a key component in the packaging industry, plastic bottle caps are widely used in beverages, food, daily chemicals, medicine and other fields. They not only bear the functions of sealing, leak-proof and theft-proof, but also directly affect the product's safety and consumer experience.
Therefore, choosing the right material is crucial to the performance, cost control and processing efficiency of the bottle cap.
These steps and the final use determine that the bottle cap grade plastic raw materials need to contain the following characteristics
- Good sealing and anti-permeation properties
- Excellent stress cracking resistance
- Good mechanical strength and toughness
- Suitable for injection molding or compression molding
- Suitable manufacturing temperature
1. Common material recommendations for plastic caps manufacturing
2.1 Polypropylene (PP)
- Material characteristics
- Cost advantage
- High strength and high rigidity
- Resistant to stress cracking
2.2 High density polyethylene (HDPE caps)
- Excellent impact resistance
- Good chemical stability
- Low temperature resistance
2.3 Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)
- Good flexibility
- Excellent sealing
| Recommended materials | Material properties | Application scenarios |
|---|---|---|
| PP | ·High rigidity and high strength ·Light weight |
Regular bottle cap |
| LDPE | Good flexibility | 20L drinking water bucket |
| HDPE | Good impact resistance | Conventional bottle caps, bottled water caps, milk bottle caps, beverage bottle caps |
| LLDPE | High flexibility Impact resistance |
Plastic push cap |
| PETG | High rigidity and high impact resistance Food grade Not resistant to high temperatures |
Drinking water bottle Cosmetic bottle cap |
3.1 Drinking water grade HDPE bottle cap
If your application scenario is bottle caps for drinking water, beverages, and carbonated beverages. In addition to good mechanical properties, you should consider the safety of the material as food contact and whether it complies with local regulatory requirements.
You can consider using the following Caps grade HDPE.
▶️DMDA-8008H, produced by PetroChina Dushanzi Petrochemical, is the designated caps grade HDPE for carbonated beverages such as Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola in China.Obtained China GB certification and complies with food contact safety standards
▶️Borouge MB5568, produced by Borealis, is a common HDPE material used in the production of drinking water bottles and carbonated beverage bottle caps in the Middle East and Northern Europe. Passed the US FDA, CFR, Title 21 certification requirements, suitable for food contact applications
▶️LG LUTENE-H ME2500 Produced by LG Chem using the latest generation of metallocene catalyst technology, this HDPE material is specifically designed for bottle cap manufacturing. With 20% improved flow properties and a lower processing temperature, it effectively boosts production efficiency and conserves energy, making it an excellent choice for reducing costs.
3.2 Flexible LDPE bottle cap
Bottle caps made of LDPE have good flexibility and are often used for large-capacity bucket bottle caps, squeeze-type sauce bottle caps, paint bottle caps, and external medicine bottle caps.
You can consider using the following Caps grade LDPE.
▶️Titanlene LDI300YY, caps grade LDPE material produced by Lotte Group of South Korea, has obtained FDA 21CFR 177.1520(C)2.1 and FDA 21 CFR 177.1520(C)2.2 food contact safety certification, and can be used for cosmetic bottle caps and food bottle caps
▶️LyondellBasell Purell 2410T LDPE is a low-density polyethylene material produced by LyondellBasell specifically for manufacturing medical caps and closures. With a melt flow index of 36 g/10 min (at 190°C, 2.16 kg), it is suitable for large-scale production and high-speed bottle cap manufacturing equipment.
3.3 Impact resistant PETG bottle cap
The final product made of PETG has excellent impact resistance and good transparency, and does not contain bisphenol A. It is a very high-quality material for drinking water bottles. It is often used to produce sports water bottles, cold water bottles, and can also be used to produce water bottle caps. PETG bottle caps still have high impact resistance.
You can consider using the following Caps grade PETG pellets
▶️Ecozen YH300, caps grade PETG material produced by SK Chemical Group of South Korea, has excellent transparency, can be metal plated, and has good appearance properties. It is used in the manufacture of cosmetic bottle caps and perfume bottles
▶️M2607 bottle cap grade LDPE pellet, extrusion and blow molding LDPE material produced by Sinopec Maoming Chemical Co., Ltd., has good flexibility and high transparency, and is used for medical bottle caps
Why PET and HDPE are popular in bottling materials