PCR Recycled Resins
Post-consumer recycled resins for converters and moulders: lot consistency, contamination, recycled-content documents and processing trials.
Buyer summary
- What it is
- Resins reprocessed from post-consumer waste. Feedstock, sorting and reprocessing determine melt flow, contamination, colour, odour and gels.
- Main applications
- Packaging (food packaging only where documented), bottles, films and bags, strapping, fibres, sheet, automotive and appliance parts, construction products and pallets.
- Critical purchasing specifications
- Polymer, feedstock source and process
- Melt flow rate (ASTM D1238), with lot acceptance limits
- Contamination, gels, colour and odour limits
- Recycled-content statement with category, calculation and verification
- Food-contact documentation for the exact grade and process, where needed
- Qualification considerations
- Plan for lot-to-lot variation with blend ratios, acceptance limits and processing adjustments. Food-contact use is regulated separately in each market.
- First step
- State the application, the processing method, the recycled-content target and the documentation you need.
- How PAXOMER can assist
- Post-consumer recycled resin is qualified lot by lot against a processing and end-use window. PAXOMER can help define acceptable melt flow, contamination, odour, colour and recycled-content documentation, identify recyclers with suitable feedstock and quality control, and coordinate trial lots. Manufacturer-level supply discussions can then address lot consistency and volumes. Manufacturer identification, qualification support and pricing discussions depend on manufacturer confirmation, specifications, quantities and terms.
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.
Post-consumer recycled (PCR) resins are polymers recovered from used products and packaging, then sorted, washed, reprocessed and often re-pelletised for use in new films, bottles, sheet, moulded parts and fibres. The most common are recycled PET (rPET), HDPE (rHDPE), LDPE and LLDPE (rLDPE), and polypropylene (rPP). Their properties vary with feedstock, sorting, washing, decontamination and compounding, so a PCR grade is qualified lot by lot against a processing window and an end-use requirement.
This page is for converters, moulders, brand packaging teams and purchasing teams planning to use PCR. It explains how to define acceptable variation, which properties and documents to request, how recycled-content claims should be supported and how to plan processing trials. It does not state that PAXOMER stocks, manufactures or has qualified any recycled resin, and its tables are a framework rather than confirmed values.
A. Product identity and terminology
1. What are PCR resins, and how do they differ from PIR or regrind?
Post-consumer recycled material comes from products used by consumers and discarded. Post-industrial (or pre-consumer) recycled material comes from manufacturing scrap that never reached a consumer. In-house regrind is a converter's own scrap returned to its process. Each has a different history, contamination risk and claim basis. Recycled-content definitions used by certification bodies distinguish these categories (S1).
2. Which PCR resin types and forms are available?
| Resin | Typical sources | Points to evaluate |
|---|---|---|
| rPET | Bottles, thermoforms | Intrinsic viscosity, colour, acetaldehyde, decontamination |
| rHDPE | Bottles, containers | Melt flow, colour, odour, polypropylene contamination |
| rLDPE / rLLDPE | Films, bags, stretch wrap | Gels, odour, ink and label residues, melt flow |
| rPP | Containers, caps, automotive parts | Melt flow range, odour, colour, PE contamination |
| Compounded PCR | Blends with additives and fillers | Property consistency, additive package |
Forms include washed flake, re-pelletised resin, and compounded pellets with stabilisers or colour correction.
3. Which terms appear in PCR specifications?
Post-consumer, post-industrial, recycled content, mass balance, chain of custody, feedstock, flake, pellet, melt flow rate (MFR or MFI), intrinsic viscosity (IV), gels, contamination, odour, volatile content, colour (L*a*b*), ash content, moisture, decontamination, letter of no objection. Glossary: melt flow rate.
B. Properties and performance
4. What drives lot-to-lot variation?
Changes in collected products, seasonal mix, sorting efficiency, washing performance, filtration of the melt, and degassing. Even with good process control, PCR varies more than virgin resin. Define which properties matter for your product and the acceptance limits that your process can handle.
5. Which properties should be specified, and how are they measured?
Melt flow rate of thermoplastics is measured by ASTM D1238 (S2) or ISO 1133; intrinsic viscosity for rPET by agreed methods; density, ash and moisture by standard methods referenced in the ASTM plastics family (S4); colour by spectrophotometry; gels by film-casting tests; odour by sensory panels or volatile analysis. State the method, conditions and sampling frequency with each.
PCR resin parameters to specify
Illustrative framework only. Values and limits must be agreed with the recycler for the exact grade.
| Property | Value or range | Unit | Test conditions | Test method | Grade or construction | Source | Verification status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melt flow rate | target and range | g/10 min | Temperature and load stated | ASTM D1238 or ISO 1133 | Polyolefin PCR | S2 | Manufacturer confirmation required |
| Intrinsic viscosity | target and range | dL/g | Method stated | Agreed method | rPET | None | Manufacturer confirmation required |
| Gel count | maximum agreed | gels per area by size class | Cast-film method stated | Agreed method | Film-grade PCR | None | Application-specific verification required |
| Colour | range agreed | L*, a*, b* | Illuminant and geometry stated | Spectrophotometer | Pellet or plaque | None | Application-specific verification required |
| Moisture | maximum | % | Method stated | Agreed method | Pellet | None | Manufacturer confirmation required |
| Recycled-content basis | stated by recycler | % and category | Certification scheme stated | Third-party verification where required | Grade | S1 | Manufacturer confirmation required |
6. How is recycled content calculated in a blend?
Converters often blend PCR with virgin resin. The recycled share of the product follows from the mass of each component; if the PCR material itself is less than 100 % recycled (for example a compound with additives), only its recycled fraction counts. The example shows the arithmetic only; claim rules depend on the scheme and market used.
Hypothetical recycled-content blend calculation
Hypothetical example to show the arithmetic. Claim rules and allowable calculation methods depend on the certification scheme and market.
| Property | Value or range | Unit | Test conditions | Test method | Grade or construction | Source | Verification status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batch size | 10000 | kg | Example production batch | Input | Hypothetical product | None | Hypothetical calculation |
| PCR compound added | 3500 | kg | Example blend | Input | Hypothetical PCR compound | None | Hypothetical calculation |
| Recycled fraction of the PCR compound | 90 | % | Example compound with additives | Input | Hypothetical PCR compound | None | Hypothetical calculation |
| Recycled mass in batch | 3150 | kg | 3500 × 0.90 | Arithmetic | Hypothetical | None | Hypothetical calculation |
| Recycled content of product | 31.5 | % | 3150 / 10000 × 100 | Arithmetic | Hypothetical | None | Hypothetical calculation |
7. How should recycled-content claims be supported?
Ask for the recycled-content basis in writing: the category (post-consumer or post-industrial), the calculation method, the chain-of-custody approach and any third-party verification. UL describes how recycled content can be defined and verified (S1). Claims made to consumers may also fall under advertising and environmental-claim rules in each market.
C. Manufacturing and processing
8. How are PCR resins produced?
Collection, sorting (manual, optical, density), size reduction, washing (cold or hot, with detergents), drying, melt filtration, degassing and pelletising. For food-contact rPET and some polyolefins, additional decontamination steps such as solid-state polycondensation or super-clean processes are used. Each step affects contamination, odour and property consistency.
9. Which quality controls support qualification?
Per-lot certificates with melt flow, moisture, colour and other agreed properties; retained samples; feedstock and process records; gel or contamination testing for film grades; and documented corrective action when a lot falls outside limits. Ask how often each property is tested and how out-of-specification lots are handled.
10. Which processing problems are common?
| Problem | Possible causes | First checks |
|---|---|---|
| Gels or specks in film | Contamination, cross-linked material, filtration | Gel test on the lot; screen pack condition |
| Output or pressure fluctuation | Melt flow variation between lots | MFR certificates; blend control |
| Odour in product | Residual contaminants, volatiles | Odour assessment; degassing; storage |
| Colour shift | Feedstock mix, degradation | Colour certificates; processing temperature |
| Brittleness or low impact | Degradation, incompatible polymer contamination | Contamination analysis; processing history |
| Bubbles or splay | Moisture or volatiles | Moisture; drying |
11. How can incoming-lot variation be separated from a processing problem?
Keep the virgin resin, settings and line constant while changing only the PCR lot, or run two PCR lots side by side under the same settings. Record lot numbers, MFR certificates and process data. If the defect follows the lot, investigate the lot; if it persists across lots, investigate the process.
12. How should PCR be stored and handled?
Store bags or bulk containers dry and protected from contamination; observe any odour-sensitive storage instructions; dry hygroscopic resins such as rPET before processing; and keep lots separated and labelled for traceability.
D. Applications and qualification
13. Where is PCR used?
Non-food and food packaging (where documented), bottles and containers, films and bags, strapping, fibres, sheet and thermoformed products, automotive and appliance parts, construction products and pallets. Each application decides acceptable contamination, appearance and documentation.
14. What applies to food-contact use?
Food-contact use of recycled plastics is regulated separately in each market and usually depends on the recycling process and its decontamination efficiency, not only on the resin. Ask for written documentation that names the exact grade, the recycling process and the market's regulatory basis. This page does not provide regulatory advice.
15. How should a buyer select a PCR source?
- Define the product, process and the PCR share targeted.
- Set acceptance limits for melt flow, contamination, colour, odour and other critical properties.
- State recycled-content claim requirements and any food-contact need.
- Ask recyclers for data, certificates, process descriptions and documentation.
- Run processing trials with several lots before committing.
16. How should a PCR trial be run?
Run at least two or three lots if available, at the target blend ratio and above, with the virgin-only product as a control. Record line behaviour, defects, product properties and appearance. Agree in advance how many lots must pass and which limits apply.
17. Which documents should be requested?
Technical data sheet; lot certificates; recycled-content statement with category, calculation and verification; food-contact documentation where applicable; safety data sheet; feedstock and process description; and change-notification commitment covering feedstock or process changes.
E. Procurement, comparisons and decisions
18. How does PCR compare with virgin and other recycled sources?
| Source | Where it may be preferred | Trade-offs to evaluate |
|---|---|---|
| Virgin resin | Tight property control, regulated uses | No recycled-content benefit |
| Post-industrial recycled | Cleaner, known history | May not count towards post-consumer targets |
| Mechanically recycled PCR | Recycled-content targets, cost | Variation, contamination, odour |
| Chemically recycled or mass-balance feedstock | Near-virgin properties, some regulated uses | Claim basis, certification, cost |
19. What determines total cost?
Resin price, yield and scrap, line speed, additional filtration or screen changes, colour correction, testing, and the value of recycled-content claims to the customer. A cheaper lot that increases scrap can cost more overall.
20. What should a PCR RFQ include?
- Resin type, form and target application.
- Required properties with methods and acceptance limits.
- Recycled-content category and verification requirement.
- Food-contact or other regulatory documentation.
- Lot size, annual volume, packaging and delivery location.
Prepare and submit these through the RFQ brief.
21. Which recycler qualification questions should be asked?
Feedstock sources and consistency; process steps and filtration; testing frequency and laboratory capability; certifications for recycled content; food-contact documentation if needed; capacity; and how out-of-specification lots are handled. PAXOMER does not confirm any recycler's certifications on this page.
22. Which related pages should be read next?
- Guide: Recycled plastics and PCR raw materials
- Related page: Mono-material flexible packaging
- Related page: PE shrink film and industrial bundling film
- Related page: Engineering plastic compounds
Manufacturing Regions & International Supply
Countries where public company or trade sources document manufacturing relevant to PCR Recycled Resins, 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.
- Thailand: Integrated PET bottle recycling and recycled-PET production in Nakhon Pathom and Rayong. Product manufacturing · Trade report · R38
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.
Can PCR replace virgin resin one for one?
Sometimes, at limited ratios and for tolerant applications. Usually blend ratios, process settings and acceptance limits must be adjusted and validated with trials.
What is the difference between PCR and PIR?
PCR comes from products used by consumers; PIR (post-industrial) comes from manufacturing scrap. Recycled-content claims and some targets treat them differently.
Is melt flow rate enough to accept a PCR lot?
No. Melt flow helps control processing but does not show contamination, gels, odour or colour. Agree the set of properties that matter for your product.
Can PCR be used for food packaging?
Only where the market's regulations allow it for the specific recycling process and grade, with written documentation. Ask for it before use.
How should recycled content be calculated in a blend?
From the mass of each component and the recycled fraction of each, following the rules of the certification scheme and market you rely on.
Can PAXOMER help source PCR resin?
This page does not confirm supply or certification. Send your resin type, application, limits and documentation needs, and PAXOMER will review whether a suitable manufacturer-development opportunity exists.
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. Defining Recycled Content. UL Solutions. www.ul.com/resources/defining-recycled-content (opens in a new tab) industry body · accessed 2026-10-28
Resource page opened 2026-10-28; cited for the existence of recycled-content definitions and verification. Content not read claim by claim. - S2. ASTM D1238: Standard Test Method for Melt Flow Rates of Thermoplastics by Extrusion Plastometer. ASTM International, 2023. store.astm.org/d1238-23.html (opens in a new tab) standard catalogue · accessed 2026-10-28
Catalogue entry opened 2026-10-28 to confirm number and title; full text not read. - S3. APR Design Guide Overview. Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR). plasticsrecycling.org/apr-design-hub/apr-design-guide-overview/ (opens in a new tab) industry body · accessed 2026-10-28
Overview page opened 2026-10-28; cited for the existence of design-for-recyclability guidance only. - S4. Plastics Standards. ASTM International. store.astm.org/products-services/standards-and-publications/standards/plastics-s (opens in a new tab) standard catalogue · accessed 2026-10-28
Catalogue page opened 2026-10-28; cited for the ASTM plastics standards family. - S5. Recycled plastics and PCR raw materials (PAXOMER guide). PAXOMER Inc., 2026-10-28. /products/recycled-plastics-pcr-raw-materials/ technical literature · accessed 2026-10-28
PAXOMER’s own guide; not an external source and not independently reviewed.
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.
- R38. Indorama Ventures PET bottle recycling, Thailand. Recycling Today. www.recyclingtoday.com/news/indorama-thailand-pet-plastic-bottle-recycling-lohia (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.
- ISO 1133 is named from general practice; its catalogue page was not opened.
- Recycled-content definitions were not summarised from S1 claim by claim.
- Food-contact rules for recycled plastics were not checked for any market; the FDA and Health Canada pages could not be opened on 2026-10-28.
- Resin-type considerations are general practice and not supported line by line by a recorded source.
- This page has not been independently technically reviewed or certified.
Facts checked against the cited sources
- The ASTM D1238 title and the ASTM plastics standards page were confirmed on 2026-10-28.
- The UL recycled-content resource and the APR Design Guide overview were confirmed to exist on 2026-10-28.
- The blend arithmetic (3500 × 0.90 = 3150 kg; 31.5 %) was checked.
Where this connects to the full guide
The primary technical guide behind this page is Recycled Plastics / PCR Raw Materials. All its topics are indexed below.
Topics in the full guide
- Quick answer
- What does this material system do in an industrial application?
- What do the product names and technical terms mean?
- What product types and classifications are available?
- How does material composition affect performance?
- How is the material manufactured and converted?
- Which technical properties affect application performance?
- Which grades, dimensions and specifications should buyers compare?
- Where is this material used in industry?
- Which requirements depend on the intended application?
See all 33 topics in the guide
Related guides, comparisons and tools
Glossary: Post-consumer recycled input · Pre-consumer recycled input · Recyclate · Chain of custody · Recycled content
Tools: Product Finder · 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.