What is Polyethylene plastic?
Polyethylene (PE) also known as Polythene (IUPAC name polyethene) is a semi-crystalline thermoplastic. PE offers high levels of toughness with low strength and hardness. Its versatility has made it one of the most popular plastics globally.
There are many variants of Polyethylene plastic – the most well-known being HDPE, LDPE, UHMWPE and HMWPE. A breakdown of these can be found in the ‘notes for designers’ tab below.
Polyethylene is a highly machinable thermoplastic from which close tolerances can be easily achieved.
You may also see Polyethylene referred to as:
- PE
- Polythene
- Polyethene
- HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) / PE300
- LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene)
- UHMWPE (Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene) / PE1000
- HMWPE (High Molecular Weight Polyethylene) / PE500
- LLDPE (Linear Low Density Polyethylene)
- MDPE (Medium Density Polyethylene)
- TECAFINE® PE
Main attributes
- High toughness
- Excellent chemical resistance
- High impact strength
- Low moisture absorption
- Very good electrical insulation
- Excellent machinability
- Most grades suitable for food contact
- Lightweight
- Good resistance to high energy radiation
- Good stability to temperature
- Lower thermal and mechanical properties (tensile stress, flexural and compressive strength) than engineering plastics
- Relatively low cost
Common Applications
- Packaging & containers
- Medical devices & equipment
- Valves & pumps
- Wear parts & rings
- Fasteners & hardware
- Die pads
- Medical implants & prosthetics
- Tanks, containers & pressure vessels
- Bearings & bushings
Note for designers
There are a number of different types of polyethylene, each with its own characteristics and properties.
An overview of each of the main 4 types:
HDPE
HDPE (high-density-polyethylene) also known as PE300 has a high strength-to-density ratio though its density is only marginally higher than LDPE (low-density-polyethylene). HDPE has stronger intermolecular forces due to minimal branching within the material and higher tensile strength than LDPE. The difference in strength exceeds the difference in density giving HDPE a higher specific strength. HDPE in natural also meets FDA/USDA food handling guidelines.
LDPE
LDPE (low-density-polyethylene) is defined as a density range of 0.910-0.940 g/cm3. LDPE has a lower tensile strength and density than HDPE. It is a cheaper alternative should the higher tensile strength and density not be required.
UHMWPE
UHMWPE (ultra-high-molecular-weight-polyethylene) also known as PE1000 is a very tough engineering plastic with the highest impact strength of any thermoplastic currently available. UHMWPE is highly resistant to chemicals, has a low moisture absorption and very low coefficient of friction. It is self-lubricating and extremely resistant to abrasion.
HMWPE
HMWPE (high-molecular-weight-polyethylene) also known as PE500 is used for wear parts in conveyors and in food preparation as it is slightly softer then UHMWPE.
UK stock sizes
Here are the standard stock sizes/colours for PE in the UK. Please note we do not supply stock material, the information provided is purely for design and research purposes.
Stock sizes vary by supplier. The following sizes are for various grades of TECAFINE PE.
TECAFINE PE300 / HDPE
- Natural, black, yellow
- Rod - 10mm to 500mm diameter (lengths of 2000mm, some 1000mm)
- Plate - 1mm to 100mm thick (1000mm x 2000mm and 1500 x 3000mm)
TECAFINE PE500 / HMWPE
- Natural, black, grey, yellow, red, green, blue
- Rod - 30mm to 200mm diameter (lengths of 2000mm)
- Plate - 4mm to 100mm thick (1000mm x 2000mm, 1250mm x 3000mm, 1500 x 3000mm, 2000mm x 4000mm)
TECAFINE PE1000 / UHMWPE
- Natural, black, blue, green, grey
- Rod - 10mm to 200mm diameter (lengths of 2000mm)
- Plate - 1mm to 100mm thick (1000mm x 2000mm, some 1250mm x 3000mm)
Technical properties
The technical properties of Polyethylene (PE) vary according to the grade in question. Below are the properties for the three main types of TECAFINE.
TECAFINE PE300 / HDPE Properties
Mechanical properties
| Mechanical Properties | Value | Parameter | Norm | Notes |
| Modulus of Elasticity (tensile test) | 1100 MPa | | DIN EN ISO 527-1 | |
| Tensile Strength at Yield | 23 MPa | | DIN EN ISO 527-1 | |
| Elongation at Yield | 9% | | DIN EN ISO 527-1 | |
| Impact Strength (Charpy) | n.b. | | DIN EN ISO 179-1 | n.b. = not broken |
| Ball Indentation Hardness | 43 MPa | | | |
| Shore Hardness | 64 | Shore D | DIN EN ISO 868 | |
Thermal properties
| Thermal Properties | Value | Parameter | Norm | Notes |
| Thermal Expansion (CLTE) | 18 10-5*1/K | | DIN EN ISO 11359-1;2 | |
| Service Temperature | +80°C | | | Found in public sources. Individual testing regarding application conditions is mandatory. |
Electrical properties
| Electrical Properties | Value | Parameter | Norm | Notes |
| Specific Surface Resistance | 1014 Ω | | DIN IEC 60093 | |
| Dielectric Strength | 50 kV/mm | | ISO 60243-1 | |
Other properties
| Other Properties | Value | Parameter | Norm | Notes |
| Flammability | B2 | Corresponding to | DIN 4102 | Corresponding means no listing. The information might be taken from resin, stock shape or estimation. Individual testing regarding application conditions is mandatory. |
| Density | 0.96 g/cm3 | | | |
TECAFINE PE500 / HMWPE Properties
Mechanical properties
| Mechanical Properties | Value | Parameter | Norm | Notes |
| Modulus of Elasticity (tensile test) | 1100 MPa | | DIN EN ISO 527-1 | |
| Tensile Strength at Yield | 28 MPa | | DIN EN ISO 527-1 | |
| Elongation at Yield | 9% | | DIN EN ISO 527-1 | |
| Impact Strength (Charpy) | n.b. | | DIN EN ISO 179-1 | n.b. = not broken |
| Shore Hardness | 66 | Shore D | DIN EN ISO 868 | |
Thermal properties
| Thermal Properties | Value | Parameter | Norm | Notes |
| Thermal Expansion (CLTE) | 18 10-5*1/K | | DIN EN ISO 11359-1;2 | |
| Service Temperature | +80°C | | | Found in public sources. Individual testing regarding application conditions is mandatory. |
Electrical properties
| Electrical Properties | Value | Parameter | Norm | Notes |
| Specific Surface Resistance | 1014 Ω | | DIN IEC 60093 | |
| Dielectric Strength | 44 kV/mm | | ISO 60243-1 | |
Other properties
| Other Properties | Value | Parameter | Norm | Notes |
| Flammability | B2 | Corresponding to | DIN 4102 | Corresponding means no listing. The information might be taken from resin, stock shape or estimation. Individual testing regarding application conditions is mandatory. |
| Density | 0.95 g/cm3 | | | |
TECAFINE PE1000 / UHMWPE Properties
Mechanical properties
| Mechanical Properties | Value | Parameter | Norm | Notes |
| Modulus of Elasticity (tensile test) | 700 MPa | | DIN EN ISO 527-1 | |
| Tensile Strength at Yield | 19 MPa | | DIN EN ISO 527-1 | |
| Elongation at Yield | 11% | | DIN EN ISO 527-1 | |
| Impact Strength (Charpy) | n.b. | | DIN EN ISO 179-1 | n.b. = not broken |
| Ball Indentation Hardness | 30 MPa | | ISO 2039-1 | |
| Shore Hardness | 60 | Shore D | DIN EN ISO 868 | |
Thermal properties
| Thermal Properties | Value | Parameter | Norm | Notes |
| Thermal Expansion (CLTE) | 18 10-5*1/K | | DIN EN ISO 11359-1;2 | |
| Service Temperature | +80°C | | | Found in public sources. Individual testing regarding application conditions is mandatory. |
Electrical properties
| Electrical Properties | Value | Parameter | Norm | Notes |
| Specific Surface Resistance | 1014 Ω | | DIN IEC 60093 | |
| Dielectric Strength | 44 kV/mm | | ISO 60243-1 | |
Other properties
| Other Properties | Value | Parameter | Norm | Notes |
| Water Absorption | 0.01% | | DIN EN ISO 62 | |
| Flammability | B2 | Corresponding to | DIN 4102 | Corresponding means no listing. The information might be taken from resin, stock shape or estimation. Individual testing regarding application conditions is mandatory. |
| Density | 0.93 g/cm3 | | | |
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