High-Barrier Packaging Materials

Orientation for high-barrier packaging materials: barrier targets, test conditions, structure choices and shelf-life qualification.

Buyer summary

What it is: Films, coatings and laminates that limit oxygen and water-vapour transmission (for example EVOH, metallised films, SiOx and AlOx coatings) to protect packed products.
Main applications: Oxygen- or moisture-sensitive foods such as coffee, snacks, meat and cheese; pet food; pharmaceutical and medical packs; electronics and chemicals.
Critical purchasing specifications: OTR and WVTR targets, with temperature, relative humidity and method (ASTM F1927, ASTM F1249)
Structure and barrier-layer type
Flex and crease durability
Recyclability guideline and version
Retort, hot-fill or sterilisation limits
Qualification considerations: Humidity changes oxygen barrier, and EVOH OTR rises at high humidity. Confirm shelf life with filling and storage tests under real conditions.
First step: State the product, the target shelf life, the storage conditions and any recyclability requirement.
How PAXOMER can assist: Barrier performance depends on structure, conditioning and the product you pack. PAXOMER can help define oxygen and moisture targets, structure and recycling constraints, identify resin, film or coating manufacturers able to meet them, and coordinate samples for barrier testing. Manufacturer-level supply discussions can then address formats and volumes. Manufacturer identification, qualification support and pricing discussions depend on manufacturer confirmation, specifications, quantities and terms.

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Detailed technical guidance, data tables, FAQs and technical references follow below.

Food-contact and claim documentation. Food-contact suitability and environmental or recycled-content claims depend on the exact material, use and market. Request written documentation; this page confirms none.

General technical information published by PAXOMER Inc. to support preliminary material evaluation. It is compiled from the sources cited on this page and has not been independently reviewed or certified by a professional engineer, laboratory or certification body. Values marked typical, illustrative or requiring confirmation are not specifications. Confirm properties, standard editions, regulatory status and suitability for your specific application with the manufacturer and, where the use is regulated or safety-related, with a qualified professional or the relevant authority.

High-barrier packaging materials keep oxygen, water vapour, aroma or light from moving through a pack fast enough to spoil the product inside. The barrier is almost never one material: it is a layer (EVOH, polyamide, aluminium foil, a vacuum-deposited metal or oxide, or a coating) protected by other layers that give seal, stiffness and moisture protection. A barrier number on a data sheet describes one film, at one thickness, in one test condition. The pack’s real barrier depends on every layer, on humidity and temperature, on creases and seals, and on how long the product must last.

This page is general technical orientation for converters, brand owners, packaging engineers and buyers. It sets out the barrier families, how OTR and WVTR are measured and why humidity changes the answer, how to read grade data and what to qualify before choosing a structure. It is not a shelf-life prediction and does not state that PAXOMER stocks, represents or has qualified any film or resin.

A. Product identity and terminology

1. What counts as a high-barrier packaging material?

There is no single threshold. “High barrier” is a relative term that depends on the product, the shelf life and the climate. A comparison page rates aluminium, metallisation and aluminium oxide as “ultra-high” for both oxygen and water vapour, EVOH as “high” for oxygen but low for water vapour, and notes values vary with test method and measurement conditions (S4). The guide High-barrier polymer resins and tie-layer materials covers the resin side in general terms.

2. Which barrier families are used?

Barrier families, features and points to confirm
Family	Reported features	Points to confirm
EVOH (ethylene vinyl alcohol)	High oxygen barrier, hygroscopic so humidity-dependent; grades of 32, 38 and 44 mol% ethylene in one study (S3)	Ethylene content, layer thickness, humidity at use, retort or hot-fill exposure
Polyamide (nylon) layers	Mechanical toughness with moderate gas barrier; allowed only in limited amounts in a PE recycling guideline (S6)	Type (PA 6, 6.6, MXD6), thickness, moisture
Aluminium foil	Rated ultra-high for oxygen and water vapour; creasing and pinholes possible (S4)	Foil gauge, flex cracking, recyclability
Vacuum-metallised film (OPP, PET, PE)	Thin aluminium layer on film; example OPP grade lists OTR below 10 cc/m²/day and WVTR 0.06 g/m²/day (S5)	Optical density, base film, lamination, crease sensitivity
Oxide coatings (AlOx, SiOx)	Transparent barrier on film; AlOx very mechanically sensitive (S4)	Base film, coating thickness, handling, lamination
Polymer barrier coatings (PVOH, PVDC, others)	Applied as thin coatings; PVOH and PVDC are non-compatible in the PE guideline (S6)	Coating weight, humidity sensitivity, recycling route

Source basis: S3 to S6. Qualitative; actual values come from grade data sheets.

3. Where are high-barrier structures used?

Food and beverage (oxygen-sensitive and moisture-sensitive foods), coffee and snacks, meat and cheese, pet food, pharmaceutical and medical packaging, electronics and chemicals. The required barrier depends on the product’s sensitivity and shelf life; the comparison page reminds readers that filling and storage tests under real conditions cannot be replaced by general online information (S4).

4. When is high barrier necessary, and when over-specification?

Reasonable needs: oxygen-sensitive products with months of shelf life, moisture-sensitive powders, products stored in humid climates, and aroma-sensitive goods.

Over-specification: short-life or low-sensitivity products where a metallised or foil layer adds cost and blocks recycling without extending life. Match the structure to a measured shelf-life requirement.

5. Which terms and abbreviations will I meet?

OTR (oxygen transmission rate), WVTR (water vapour transmission rate), permeance, permeability coefficient, EVOH, PA, PVOH, PVDC, AlOx, SiOx, tie layer, metallised, optical density, retort, hot-fill, cc/m²/day, g/m²/day, mol% ethylene, MAH. Glossary: density.

B. Properties and performance

6. How is oxygen transmission measured?

ASTM F1927-14 is titled Standard Test Method for Determination of Oxygen Gas Transmission Rate, Permeability and Permeance at Controlled Relative Humidity Through Barrier Materials Using a Coulometric Detector. Its scope covers steady-state oxygen transmission at a given temperature and relative humidity level through film, sheeting, laminates, co-extrusions and plastic-coated papers or fabrics, and it notes that common practice assumes zero or an assumed humidity although humidity affects oxygen transmission in many materials. It reports oxygen gas transmission rate, permeance, a thickness-normalised permeation coefficient and, for homogeneous materials only, a permeability coefficient (S1). The data sheet read for a metallised OPP film cites ASTM “3985” with 23 °C and 0% RH (S5); the title and edition of that method were not verified here.

7. How is water-vapour transmission measured?

ASTM F1249-13 is titled Standard Test Method for Water Vapor Transmission Rate Through Plastic Film and Sheeting Using a Modulated Infrared Sensor. Its catalogue page lists the 2013 edition as historical, with F1249-25 listed as active, and describes the scope as flexible barrier sheets and films up to 3 mm thick, single or multilayer polymers, foils and coated materials, with outputs of WVTR, permeance and, for homogeneous materials, a permeability coefficient; conditions are not given on the page (S2). WVTR values must be quoted with temperature and humidity gradient, such as the 38 °C and 90% RH commonly used, but that convention was not verified in these sources and is not asserted here.

Barrier test methods as read on catalogue pages

Information is from catalogue front matter. Test conditions for F1249 were not on the page. The OTR method for the Jindal sheet is cited as 'ASTM 3985' and is not verified.

Barrier test methods as read on catalogue pages
Property	Value or range	Unit	Test conditions	Test method	Grade or construction	Source	Verification status
Oxygen transmission, controlled RH, coulometric	ASTM F1927-14	designation	Steady-state at a stated temperature and %RH	ASTM F1927	Film, sheeting, laminates, co-extrusions, coated papers	S1	Verified reference value (published source)
Water vapour transmission, modulated infrared	ASTM F1249-13 (historical); F1249-25 listed active	designation	Conditions not on catalogue page	ASTM F1249	Flexible barrier sheets and films up to 3 mm	S2	Verified reference value (published source)
Maximum specimen thickness, F1249 scope	3	mm	Scope statement	ASTM F1249	Flexible barrier sheets and films	S2	Verified reference value (published source)
Quantities reported by F1927	OTR, permeance, thickness-normalised coefficient, permeability coefficient (homogeneous only)	list	Steady-state	ASTM F1927	Barrier materials	S1	Verified reference value (published source)

8. Why does humidity matter so much?

A study of EVOH films measured OTR at 5 °C to 20 °C and 0% to 100% RH for ethylene contents of 32, 38 and 44 mol% in films of 15 to 30 µm. It reports that EVOH is hygroscopic, that its OTR increases under high humidity even at low temperature, that at low temperature and high humidity the OTR approaches the room-temperature low-humidity value, that moisture content rises with humidity but not apparently with temperature, and that OTR estimation needs only humidity, temperature and ethylene content using a modified Arrhenius equation (S3). The numeric OTR values were in a figure not reproduced in the text, so none can be quoted. Design consequence: quote barrier at the humidity the pack will see, and place EVOH where laminate layers protect it from moisture (S4).

9. What does a metallised high-barrier data sheet look like?

A Jindal Films fact sheet for a vacuum-metallised, sealable high-barrier OPP grade lists package OTR below 10 cc/m²/day at 23 °C and 0% RH (cited as ASTM 3985), WVTR of 0.06 g/m²/day without a stated method or condition, and describes excellent hot tack, a broad seal range and a barrier that is stable and craze-resistant through extrusion and adhesive lamination, with no numeric seal values. The sheet says its data come from representative samples, are not guaranteed typical values of shipped product and apply only to the named product, not to combinations with other materials (S5). Gauge and optical density are not stated.

Published barrier values for one metallised OPP grade

Published barrier values for one metallised OPP grade
Property	Value or range	Unit	Test conditions	Test method	Grade or construction	Source	Verification status
Package OTR	below 10	cc/m²/day	23 °C, 0% RH	ASTM 3985 as cited (unverified)	Metallyte 70 MET-HB2 (vacuum-metallised, sealable OPP)	S5	Manufacturer-specific value (one grade)
WVTR	0.06	g/m²/day	Conditions not stated	Not stated	Metallyte 70 MET-HB2	S5	Manufacturer-specific value (one grade)
Optical density	not provided	n/a	Not stated	Not stated	Metallyte 70 MET-HB2	S5	Manufacturer confirmation required
Seal properties	excellent hot tack, broad seal range (no numbers)	qualitative	Not stated	Not stated	Metallyte 70 MET-HB2	S5	Manufacturer confirmation required

10. How do the families compare qualitatively?

Qualitative ratings from one comparison page; no numeric values
Material	Oxygen	Water vapour	Notes on the page
Aluminium foil	Ultra-high	Ultra-high	Creasing and pinholes possible
Metallisation (ultra-high barrier)	Ultra-high	Ultra-high	Surface colour and sorting to consider
AlOx (ultra-high barrier)	Ultra-high	Ultra-high	Very mechanically sensitive, prone to creasing and pinholes
EVOH	High	Low	Barrier depends on moisture; place inside the laminate

Source basis: S4. The page itself says values may vary with test method and conditions and gives no numbers; this is a classification, not data.

11. How is a barrier structure assembled?

Typical laminates combine an outer print web, a barrier layer or coated film, an adhesive and a sealant web chosen for seal strength, hot tack and product contact. EVOH is usually coextruded between tie layers and protected by PE or PP skins, a point the comparison page makes about moisture (S4). Tie layers bond polar barrier resins to polyolefins; in a PE recycling guideline the compatible EVOH case lists PE-g-MAH tie layers with maleic anhydride above 0.1% (S6). See the mono-material page for design limits.

12. How do recyclability limits change barrier choices?

In the RecyClass guideline for natural PE flexible films (page last updated March 2026), SiOx and AlOx without additional coatings are fully compatible; EVOH up to 5% with PE-g-MAH tie layers and a ratio of EVOH to tie layer of 1 or less is fully compatible; EVOH with a higher ratio or up to 15% PA 6/6.6 under conditions is limited; and EVOH above 5%, other PA, metallisation, PVOH, PVC, PVDC, other barrier layers and aluminium are non-compatible (S6). The extraction flagged ambiguity in the barrier table, so assignments must be checked against the guideline. A pack aimed at recycling therefore often trades some barrier for compatibility. See Mono-material flexible packaging.

C. Manufacturing and processing

13. How are barrier materials made and converted?

EVOH and PA layers are coextruded in blown or cast multilayer lines; metal and oxide layers are deposited on film in vacuum; coatings are applied by roll coating and dried; foil is laminated by adhesive or extrusion. Each step affects the barrier: stretching, flexing and laminating can crack thin inorganic layers, while moisture exposure changes EVOH. Process detail is proprietary; ask the film supplier for handling guidance.

14. How does sealing interact with barrier?

The sealant layer must seal through contamination and hold hot tack on the machine, while the barrier layer sits inside the structure. Seals are weak points for barrier because oxygen and moisture can enter through channel leaks, so seal integrity is part of barrier performance. The metallised sheet above is described as having excellent hot tack and a broad seal range, but with no numbers (S5). Verify seal strength and leak testing on the real pack.

15. What barrier failures appear and how are they diagnosed?

Failures, possible causes and checks
Observed problem	Possible cause	Check
Shelf life shorter than predicted	Barrier measured dry but used humid; flex damage; leaking seals	OTR at use humidity; flex-crack test; leak test
Barrier of finished pack worse than film	Creasing or pinholes in coating or foil; lamination damage	Barrier of finished laminate and filled pack
EVOH barrier lost after retort or high humidity	Moisture uptake	Structure design; humidity exposure testing
Delamination at barrier layer	Tie layer or adhesive mismatch	Bond strength; tie-layer data
Pinholes in metallised film after converting	Handling, printing, lamination stress	Optical inspection; barrier before and after converting
Failed recyclability review	Non-compatible barrier or component	Component list against the guideline

Source basis: S3, S4, S6; causes are general practice.

D. Applications and qualification

16. How should a barrier structure be selected?

Start from the product: oxygen and moisture sensitivity, target shelf life, storage climate, fill and sterilisation method and light sensitivity. Convert these into a maximum allowable oxygen and water ingress per pack, then select layers whose measured values at the use condition meet it with margin. Compare at least two barrier families on the filled pack (guide section on selection; comparison All-PE versus multilayer packaging).

17. How is shelf life linked to OTR and WVTR?

Allowable ingress equals the product’s tolerance divided by shelf life; pack barrier equals film transmission rate times area, less leaks. An illustrative calculation (assumptions, not data): a pack of 0.05 m² surface with OTR 1 cc/m²/day admits 0.05 cc per day, or about 18 cc per year; if the product tolerates 5 cc of oxygen, that barrier alone would not reach one year. The numbers here are invented for the arithmetic and must not be used for any real product. Use measured values at your conditions and a validated shelf-life study.

Illustrative shelf-life arithmetic (hypothetical, not data)

These rows illustrate arithmetic only. All inputs are hypothetical and do not describe any material.

Illustrative shelf-life arithmetic (hypothetical, not data)
Property	Value or range	Unit	Test conditions	Test method	Grade or construction	Source	Verification status
Pack surface area	0.05	m²	Hypothetical	Not applicable	Hypothetical pouch	None	Hypothetical calculation
Assumed film OTR	1	cc/m²/day	Hypothetical	Not applicable	Hypothetical film	None	Hypothetical calculation
Oxygen ingress per day	0.05	cc/day	Area times OTR; ignores seals and leaks	Calculation	Hypothetical pouch	None	Hypothetical calculation
Oxygen ingress per year	about 18	cc/year	365 days	Calculation	Hypothetical pouch	None	Hypothetical calculation
Assumed tolerable ingress	5	cc	Hypothetical	Not applicable	Hypothetical product	None	Hypothetical calculation

18. How should a barrier trial be run?

Define the product’s sensitivity, shelf-life target and storage conditions.
Obtain barrier data with method, temperature and humidity for each candidate layer and for the laminate.
Make laminates and packs on production equipment; measure barrier before and after flexing and converting.
Test seals (strength, hot tack, leak) on filled packs.
Run storage trials at real and accelerated conditions with product quality endpoints.
Check recyclability or regulatory targets for the final structure.
Repeat with a second lot of each film.

Source basis: S1, S2, S4; trial design follows guide practice.

19. Which documents should be requested?

Data sheets with OTR and WVTR values, thickness, temperature, relative humidity and test method; layer structure and barrier layer description; gauge and optical density for metallised films; tie layer and adhesive data; flex-durability information; food-contact declarations with scope; recyclability statements with guideline and version; and any retort, hot-fill or sterilisation limits. Data sheets that say values are representative and not guaranteed (S5) are not specifications.

20. What acceptance criteria are sensible?

Criteria belong to your specification: OTR and WVTR of the finished laminate at stated conditions, seal strength and leak rate, bond strength, appearance, and shelf-life performance of filled packs. This page provides no limits.

21. How should barrier films be stored?

Follow supplier instructions. In general, store reels wrapped, away from heat and humidity, and handle metallised and oxide-coated films gently to avoid flex cracks. These are general practice statements.

E. Procurement, comparisons and decisions

22. Which commercial formats are common?

Reels of barrier film (metallised, coated, coextruded), laminated rollstock, pre-made pouches, lidding film and foil laminates. Specify structure, gauge, barrier level with conditions, width, treatment, core and packaging.

23. What information is needed to request a quotation?

Product, sensitivity (oxygen, moisture, light, aroma), target shelf life and climate.
Pack format, fill process, sterilisation, and machine type.
Barrier values wanted with test conditions; current structure.
Recyclability or regulatory targets; food-contact needs.
Quantities, trial quantity, packaging and destination.

Use the RFQ brief tool to assemble this in the browser.

24. What do purchasing teams usually ask?

What barrier is guaranteed versus typical; at what temperature and humidity; what the barrier is after converting; which layers are used and who makes them; lead time and minimum order; and what happens if a grade changes. Compare cost per pack that meets the shelf-life need, not cost per kilogram.

25. How should cost and performance be compared?

Compare cost of the whole structure per pack, including conversion yield and waste, against the shelf life delivered. Over-specified barrier raises cost; under-specified barrier raises waste. A cheaper structure that fails validation costs more.

26. What regulatory and sustainability questions arise?

Food-contact declarations by region, migration of laminating adhesives and barrier components, recyclability under named guidelines, and recycled content. Foil, metallisation and mixed polymers limit recycling routes (S6). This page makes no declaration for any product.

27. What supplier qualification questions should be asked?

Who makes each barrier layer and where; how barrier and thickness are controlled; whether data are typical or guaranteed; what technical support exists for trials; and how changes are notified. See the supplier qualification checklist. PAXOMER does not confirm any supplier’s approvals or capacity on this page.

Guide: High-barrier polymer resins and tie-layer materials
Guide: Flexible packaging films
Related page: Mono-material flexible packaging
Related page: MDO-PE and BOPE films
Related page: Solvent-free laminating adhesives
Related page: Medical and pharmaceutical lidding films

Manufacturing Regions & International Supply

Countries where public company or trade sources document manufacturing relevant to High-Barrier Packaging Materials, with the form of material made there and the date of the evidence. A listing is market context only. It does not indicate a PAXOMER relationship, availability or price.

Japan: EVOH barrier resin manufacturing. Raw material · Company product page, current · R27

If you are evaluating manufacturers abroad, list in your RFQ brief the destination market, the documents you require and the delivery terms.

Engineering and purchasing FAQs

Each answer is general technical information, not a specification or a quotation.

What is the difference between OTR and WVTR?

OTR is the rate oxygen passes through a material, and WVTR is the rate water vapour does. They are measured with different methods and conditions, and a material can be strong against one and weak against the other, as EVOH is.

Why does my EVOH pack lose barrier in humid storage?

EVOH is hygroscopic, and a study found its OTR increases under high humidity even at low temperature. It should be placed inside the laminate and protected from moisture by outer layers.

Can I compare barrier values from two data sheets?

Only if thickness, temperature, humidity and test method match. A metallised OPP sheet read here gives OTR at 23 °C and 0% RH but no condition for WVTR, so its numbers cannot be set beside another sheet’s.

Which test methods measure oxygen and water-vapour barrier?

ASTM F1927 describes oxygen transmission at controlled relative humidity with a coulometric detector, and ASTM F1249 describes water-vapour transmission with a modulated infrared sensor. Check the current edition before citing either.

Are metallised and oxide-coated films reliable barriers?

They can reach very high barrier, but a comparison page notes oxide barriers are very mechanically sensitive and aluminium can crease or pinhole. Measure barrier after converting and flexing.

Can a high-barrier pack also be recyclable?

Sometimes, within a guideline’s limits. Under the RecyClass PE guideline read, small EVOH contents and some oxide coatings are compatible, while foil, metallisation and large EVOH shares are not. Check the current guideline and your structure.

How do I estimate shelf life from OTR?

Divide the tolerable ingress by the daily ingress, which is area times transmission rate plus any leakage, but validate with real storage trials because humidity, temperature, seals and flex damage change the result.

What information is needed for a quotation?

Product sensitivity and shelf life, climate, pack format and fill process, barrier values with test conditions, current structure, recyclability and regulatory targets, quantities and destination.

Does PAXOMER supply specific barrier films or resins?

This page does not confirm stock, representation, supply or qualification for any product. PAXOMER works in technical supply and manufacturer development; describe your application in an inquiry to discuss whether a suitable qualified manufacturer can be identified.

Technical References

References below were opened on the access date shown. A source supports only the statement it is cited for. Standards are cited by number and title from public catalogue entries; their full text was not read unless stated.

S1. ASTM F1927-14, oxygen gas transmission rate at controlled relative humidity using a coulometric detector. ASTM International (via ANSI webstore), 2014. webstore.ansi.org/standards/astm/astmf192714 (opens in a new tab) standard catalogue · accessed 2026-10-27
Catalogue entry; scope read; current edition not checked.
S2. ASTM F1249-13, water vapor transmission rate using a modulated infrared sensor (page lists F1249-25 as active). ASTM International, 2013. store.astm.org/f1249-13.html (opens in a new tab) standard catalogue · accessed 2026-10-27
Catalogue entry; scope read; test conditions not on the page.
S3. Barrier Properties of EVOH at Low Temperatures and Various Humidity. Plastics, Film and Coatings (PFFC). pffc-online.com/magazine/204-paper-barrier-properties-evoh (opens in a new tab) technical literature · accessed 2026-10-27
Journal-style article; text extract; the numeric OTR values were in a figure not reproduced.
S4. Barrier films compared. Packaging Warehouse (comparison page). www.packaging-warehouse.com/en/adviser/barrier-films-compared-360 (opens in a new tab) technical literature · accessed 2026-10-27
Qualitative star ratings only; no numeric values or conditions.
S5. Metallyte 70 MET-HB2 fact sheet. Jindal Films, 2013. www.jindalfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/jindal-products/productinfo/70met-hb2_fac (opens in a new tab) manufacturer datasheet · accessed 2026-10-27
Representative-sample data, not guaranteed; gauge and optical density not stated.
S6. RecyClass design-for-recycling guideline: Natural PE flexible films. RecyClass, 2026-03. recyclass.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/RecyClass-DfR-Guidelines-Natural-PE-Film (opens in a new tab) industry body · accessed 2026-10-27
Barrier table layout ambiguous in extraction; verify against the guideline.

Regional manufacturing evidence

Company and trade publications cited in Manufacturing Regions & International Supply. Each supports only the statement it is cited for (checked 29–30 October 2026). Naming a company here does not state or imply a relationship with PAXOMER.

R27. SoarnoL EVOH (manufacturing facilities in Japan, UK and USA). Mitsubishi Chemical America. us.mitsubishi-chemical.com/company/soarnol/ (opens in a new tab) checked 2026-10-30

Evidence notes and limitations

What the information on this page does not establish. Confirm these points with the manufacturer, the current standard or the relevant authority before relying on them.

ASTM F1927 and F1249 current editions and conditions were not read; F1249 test conditions and the common 38 °C / 90% RH convention are not asserted.
The OTR method cited by the Jindal sheet (“ASTM 3985”) was not verified.
The EVOH study (S3) numeric OTR values were in a figure not available; no numbers are quoted from it.
Comparison ratings (S4) are qualitative from a distributor page; ILSI and SVC classifications named there were not read.
The shelf-life arithmetic is hypothetical and not data.
Statements on processes and storage are general practice without a specific reference.
This page has not been independently technically reviewed or certified.

Facts checked against the cited sources

F1927-14 title and scope were read in S1; F1249-13 title, status and scope in S2.
EVOH ethylene grades, thickness range, humidity statements and estimation-model statement were read in S3.
Qualitative ratings and EVOH placement advice were read in S4.
Metallyte 70 MET-HB2 OTR, WVTR, test conditions and disclaimers were read in S5.
RecyClass barrier compatibility statements were read in S6 (ambiguity flagged).

How is this material typically built?

Conceptual, generic construction for orientation. No thickness, property or performance values are given because they depend on the grade, supplier and test method.

Laminated flexible packaging

A multilayer web in which each layer contributes strength, barrier or sealing function.

Outer print web — The outer film that carries print and gives stiffness and abrasion resistance. Terms: BOPP, BOPET
Adhesive or tie layer — Bonds dissimilar layers together; bond strength and curing or migration behaviour are qualification points. Terms: Tie layer, Lamination
Barrier layer — Limits oxygen or moisture transmission. Required performance depends on the product protected. Terms: EVOH, Oxygen transmission rate, Water-vapour transmission rate
Sealant layer — The inner layer that forms the heat seal and contacts the contents. Terms: Sealant layer

More information: High-Barrier Packaging Materials · Technical guide

Where this connects to the full guide

The primary technical guide behind this page is High-Barrier Polymer Resins & Tie-Layer Materials. All its topics are indexed below.

Topics in the full guide

See all 24 topics in the guide

Glossary: Oxygen transmission rate · Water-vapour transmission rate · Adhesion · ASTM D3985 · ASTM F1249 · Change control · Delamination · EVOH · Lead time · Migration

Tools: Product Finder (High-barrier polymer resins and tie layers) · Solution Finder (Packaging barrier shortfall (moisture or oxygen)) · Manufacturer Finder

How can I submit an inquiry?

Describe your application, the specifications above and the qualification stage. The material and this page are carried into the form for you. PAXOMER replies by email; the form does not confirm stock, representation or qualification.

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