What is the difference between EVA & PE foam

There are many forms and types of plastic (polymeric) foams available. Quite commonly these are referred to as Polyethylene foam, PE or EVA foams. These descriptions are rather generic and do not differentiate the technical features of the material.

It could be like using the generic term “timber “or “lumber “of which there are a very wide variety of products available with specific usage applications and specifications. There is no centralised method of standardisation on the nomenclature of foam description and often a signification by one manufacture does not translate directly to another manufacturers description. A customer should always be aware of the complete specification when making comparisons. If a company cannot supply a specification sheet, and understand what it means, they probably are not a company you should trust.

In terms of foam, they can be firstly split between open and closed cell products

When we talk about closed cell foams, we generally refer to PE (polyethylene) and EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) The end properties of these foams are partly determined by the base resin and partly as a result of the method of manufacture.

The Difference between PE and EVA

Polyethylene is derived as a by-product of petrol onium production, the gas is removed for the distillation process and synthesised back to a solid. Polyethylene is part of the polyolefin family of plastic resins, these include low density polyethylene high density polyethylene, polypropylene and several others.

Foam is manufactured from a particular grade of low-density polyethylene known as linear low density  This is a highly refined grade of material that is mainly used for high quality packaging and sealing of foods and pharmaceuticals. Its molecular structure is very linear which makes it very tough, highly flexible and pliable with great tear strength and highly adaptable for compounding with other materials.

Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)  is one such compound. This product consists of a majority of polyethylene but with the addition of vinyl acetate, to make the compound more rubbery and elastic whilst enhancing its softness. There are many different grades of this base polymer & it can also be blended with filler. These factors, along with the manufacturing process/techniques of different foam producers can produce very different products in terms of quality, longevity & price. If you deal with Gardiner Foam Technology you are guaranteed to get the high quality foam that we claim to make which always conforms to our published specifications.