How to Choose the Best PVC Plasticizers for Your Project

If you’re developing a product that includes flexible PVC, PVC films or coated fabrics, choosing the right plasticizer will be essential. While all plasticizers make PVC more flexible and less brittle, different plasticizers deliver different results. You might choose a plasticizer that remains flexible in cold temperatures, or one that stands up better to weather exposure. Some product developers are also investigating biobased plasticizers to avoid potential health concerns. Here is what you need to know to choose the right plasticizer for your product.

What is a Plasticizer and How do Plasticizers work?

Plasticizers are materials used in the manufacturing of PVC to make the end product more flexible, softer, or less brittle. Plasticizers are essential to make PVC suitable for a wide range of uses.

Plasticizers are added to PVC when it is still in the resin or powder stage before heating. This widens the distance between the polyvinyl chloride molecules, allowing the PVC to remain flexible when the PVC material returns to room temperature. This means plasticizers are not additives; they are an integral part of the final PVC product.

At Sealwerks, our product engineers help clients to select the right plasticizer based on the desired specifications and use the environment of the final product. Contact us.

Common Uses for PVC

PVC is one of the most commonly used plastics in the world. As a result, plasticizers are widely used in manufacturing. However, not all PVC-based products include plasticizers. Ridgid PVC may be used for roofing, fencing, and window frames. Many water and waste pipes are made from rigid PVC.

Adding plasticizers during the manufacturing process opens up many versatile uses for PVC. Common uses for flexible PVC include:

Containment and drainage bags
Inflatable bladders
Hospital bed deck and mattress barriers
Protective equipment covers
Food packaging
Medication packaging

Flexible or “soft” PVC can also be laminated onto fabric to create a durable and flexible fabric. This fabric is flexible, strong, water resistant, and easily cleaned. PVC coated fabrics may be used for:

Tents
Pool covers
Athletic mats
Bellows and waycovers

Different uses require different plasticizers, as each one brings specific characteristics to the final product.

Different types of Plasticizers

Today, roughly 50 different plasticizers are in commercial use. A PVC formulation may be made up of 15-50% plasticizer depending on the desired flexibility, tensile strength and hardness. For example, vinyl gloves are usually around 50% plasticizer, making them flexible and soft enough to wear.

Phthalates

Phthalates or ortho-phthalates are the most widely used plasticizers. Colorless, with a faint odor, they resist extraction, evaporation and migration. However, phthalates can leach out of plastics and into the environment.

DEHP – Diethylhexyl Phthalate
The most commonly used PVC plasticizer in the world is a phthalate known as DEHP. It has a low molecular weight. With reasonable cold strength, it displays good flexibility at low temperatures.

Listed as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. It may also mimic certain hormones that can dysregulate the endocrine system. Despite these concerns, DEHP is commonly used in medical devices like catheters and tubes

DINP – Diisononyl Phthalate
Although similar in many ways to DEHP, Diisononyl Phthalate is less volatile. It stands up well to water and weather, including both high and low temperatures.

DIDP – Diisodecyl Phthalate
Soluble in organic solvents, but not water, Diisodecyl Phthalate is used in a wide range of applications including food wrappers and cookware. When exposed to high temperatures, DIDP may oxidize. A higher concentration of DIDP is needed to deliver the same plasticizing effects as other phthalates.

Adipates

Adipates are ideal for low-temperature uses. However, they are more volatile and less compatible with PVC. The relative cost of adipates may make them unsuitable for some applications.

Adipates may be used alone, or in combination with phthalates. They are sometimes used to reduce the need for phthalates or to achieve a specific effect.

Biobased Plasticizers

Due to various health concerns, more manufacturers are seeking out biobased plasticizers. These may be made of oils from soybeans, linseed, castor, or palm as well as starches and sugars.

Generally, biobased plasticizers can be renewable sourced and are suitable for food and medical applications. They may also be the plasticizer of choice for toys and teething products for infants as well as household and consumer goods.

Barriers to wide adoption of biobased plasticizers include high relative cost and lower relative weatherability.

Questions to Help You Choose the Right Plasticizer

How will the product be used?
In what environment will the product be used? (consider heat, moisture, wear, sun exposure, etc.)
How flexible does the PVC need to be?
How soft does the PVC need to be?
What regulatory requirements might impact this project?
What health considerations might impact this project?
What is the comparative cost of different plasticizers?

Health Concerns and Regulatory Considerations

In December, 2023, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) named PVC among five chemicals for review. Some people point to health and environmental concerns related to the use, manufacture, and disposal of PVC products and plasticizers. Others point out that vinyl chloride manufacturing adheres to strict safety guidelines.

The review follows a 2022 ruling that removed 23 phthalates used as plasticizers from authorization for food contact. That left only eight plasticizers approved for food contact.

The European Union has even stricter guidelines on plasticizer usage. Several phthalates, including DEHP and DIDP are banned or restricted for use in toys and childcare products. There are also legal limits on the concentration of phthalates in products designed to come in contact with food.

Be sure to educate yourself on the health and regulatory requirements related to PVC and any plasticizers or additives you may be considering.

At Sealwerks, we not only manufacture products to your exact specifications, we can also help you choose appropriate materials based on use, desired characteristics and other considerations. Contact us to start planning your PVC manufacturing product run today.

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