Overview
ISO 18263-2:2015 specifies how to prepare test specimens and which standard test methods to use for mixtures of polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) recyclate derived from PP and PE intended for flexible and rigid consumer packaging (moulding and extrusion). The part covers handling, conditioning, and property determination of recyclate blends, with explicit exclusions (recyclate from packaging used for hazardous goods transport is not allowed). Because recyclate stabilizer levels are typically unknown, the standard requires adding stabilizer as needed.
Key topics and requirements
- Specimen preparation: Follow ISO 1873-2 procedures; specimens must be made consistently using the same processing conditions for repeatable results.
- Conditioning: Mechanical-property and density specimens conditioned in standard atmosphere per ISO 291 for 40–96 hours at 23 °C ± 2 °C.
- Property testing: Uses established ISO test methods (see Table 1/2). Key properties include:
- Melt mass‑flow rate (MFR) - ISO 1133‑1 (typical condition: 230 °C, 2.16 kg)
- Tensile properties - ISO 527‑1 / ISO 527‑2 (moulding/extrusion specimens)
- Flexural modulus and strength - ISO 178
- Charpy impact (notched / unnotched) - ISO 179‑1 / ISO 179‑2 and ISO 20753 specimen definitions
- Density - ISO 1183 series (immersion, density gradient, gas pyknometer)
- Visual checks - colour and form (per ISO 18263‑1)
- Composition (PP/PE ratio): Determination should be traceable using supplier documentation (EN 15343, ISO/IEC 17050 recommended). Annex A describes an FTIR ATR method (A(1370 cm‑1)/A(1464 cm‑1) correlation) as an informative technique - useful for estimation but not definitive due to recyclate complexity.
- Data presentation: Apply ISO 10350‑1 rules for acquiring and presenting comparable single‑point data.
Practical applications and users
Who benefits:
- Recyclers and compounders - quality control and formulation of PP/PE recyclate blends for moulding and extrusion.
- Test laboratories - validated procedures for specimen prep, conditioning, and mechanical/physical testing.
- Material suppliers & specifiers - establishing material specifications and supplier declarations of recyclate content.
- Product designers and brand owners - assessing suitability of recycled PP/PE for rigid and flexible consumer packaging.
- Regulators and compliance teams - verifying recyclate properties and traceability (excluding hazardous‑goods recyclate).
Typical uses:
- Acceptance testing of incoming recyclate batches
- Material comparison and selection for packaging applications
- Development of compound specifications and stability protocols (addition of stabilizer)
- Generating comparable property datasets for technical datasheets
Related standards
Keywords: ISO 18263-2:2015, polypropylene, polyethylene, PP/PE recyclate, test specimens, MFR, FTIR, conditioning, tensile, flexural, Charpy, density, packaging recyclate.