High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

Flexible but more rigid than LDPE. Natural color is milky white, semi-translucent depending on
density. Good impact strength and stress crack resistance. Good chemical resistance. Good vapor
barrier but poor gas barrier. Sterilizable via EtO or gamma radiation.
Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
Very flexible, natural milky color, translucent with high impact strength. Excellent for mild and strong
buffers, good chemical resistance. Good water vapor and alcohol barrier properties. Poor gas
barrier, sterilizable with EtO or gamma radiation. Good stress crack and impact resistance.
Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE)
Very flexible, natural milky color, translucent with high impact strength. Excellent for mild and strong
buffers, good chemical resistance. Good water vapor and alcohol barrier properties. Poor gas
barrier, sterilizable with EtO or gamma radiation. Good stress crack and impact resistance.
http://wheaton.com/media/pressreleases/2012PressReleases/lit/WBRO_028%20PKG%20Technical%20Data.pdf
LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) has the most excessive branching. This causes the low density to
have a less compact molecular structure which is what makes it less dense. It has a density of 0.9103
0.925 g/cm .
HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) has minimal branching of its polymer chains. Because it is denser it
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is more rigid and less permeable then the LDPE. It has a density of 0.941-0.965 g/cm .
LLDPE (Linear Low Density Polyethylene) has a significant numbers of short branches. Because it has
shorter and more branches its chains are able slide against each other upon elongation without
becoming entangled like LPDE which has long branching chains that would get caught on each other.
This gives LLDPE higher tensile strength and higher impact and puncture resistance than the LDPE. It
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has a density of 0.91-0.94 g/cm .