HDPE basics

Specialty Fabrics Review | August 2010

Compiled by Juli Case

We were looking at some shade fabric that said it was made from “HDPE.” What does that mean?

HDPE is the abbreviation for High Density Polyethylene. From a chemical standpoint, that means there is less branching that occurs in the molecular composition of the compound, resulting in a higher density. What that translates to in the real world is greater strength with less flexibility and slightly higher chemical resistance than another common type of polyethylene, LDPE (low density polyethylene). In addition to packaging items like plastic bottles, you can also find HDPE in applications such as tarpaulins, fabric structures, and geomembranes.

Juli Case is IFAI's information and technical services manager.

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