| HS Code | 860052 |
| Material | High-density polyethylene (HDPE) |
| Grade | PE100 |
| Color | Black |
| Density | 959 kg/m³ |
| Melt Flow Rate 190 C 5 Kg | 0.8 g/10 min |
| Tensile Modulus | 1100 MPa |
| Tensile Stress At Yield | 25 MPa |
| Tensile Strain At Break | >600% |
| Charpy Notched Impact Strength 23 C | 15 kJ/m² |
| Charpy Notched Impact Strength 30 C | 8 kJ/m² |
| Vicat Softening Temperature | 120°C |
| Oxidation Induction Time 200 C | >20 min |
| Carbon Black Content | 2.2% |
| Moisture Content | <0.02% |
| Minimum Required Strength Mrs | 10 MPa |
| Design Stress | 8 MPa |
As an accredited Borealis HDPE HE3490-IM factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | Borealis HDPE HE3490-IM is supplied in 25 kg polyethylene bags, palletized and stretch-wrapped for transport. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | Container loading of Borealis HDPE HE3490-IM in a 20′ FCL, palletized 25 kg bags, securely stowed for ocean transport. |
| Shipping | Borealis HDPE HE3490-IM is typically shipped as non-hazardous polyethylene pellets in moisture-resistant 25 kg bags or 1000 kg jumbo bags on pallets. Transport in clean, dry trucks or containers under ambient conditions; avoid direct sunlight, moisture, and contamination. No special dangerous goods handling required. |
| Storage | Store Borealis HDPE HE3490-IM in a cool, dry, well-ventilated warehouse. Keep original packaging closed and off the floor. Protect from direct sunlight, moisture, heat, sparks, and open flames. Keep away from strong oxidizers. Use first-in, first-out stock rotation. Maintain clean, dry handling areas to prevent pellet spills and slipping. Follow local regulations and supplier recommendations. Avoid prolonged storage above 50°C. |
| Shelf Life | Borealis HDPE HE3490-IM typically has a shelf life of 24 months when stored dry, unopened, away from sunlight and heat. |
In potable water distribution pipe extrusion, the Borealis HE3490-IM compound is processed as a bimodal high-density polyethylene with a PE100 minimum required strength classification derived from ISO 9080 regression. The production line is configured with a grooved feed bushing, a 37:1 L/D barrier screw, and a spiral mandrel die sized for outside diameters from 32 mm to 630 mm. Melt temperature set points are held between 200°C and 230°C in the metering zone, while die zones are reduced to 190–210°C to increase melt strength and reduce die swelling. For a 60 mm screw running 180–220 kg/h, melt pressure ahead of the breaker plate typically ranges from 250 bar to 350 bar. The final pipe is tested under ISO 1167 at 20°C and 12.0 MPa hoop stress; ductile failure before 100 h indicates inadequate carbon black dispersion, excessive closed-loop regrind content, or moisture-induced microvoiding. Carbon black content is maintained at 2.0–2.5 wt% and assessed by ISO 6964, while dispersion is controlled by ISO 18553. The terminal product is a black solid-wall pressure pipe used in buried drinking water networks under ISO 4427-2 wall-thickness classes and EN 12201-2 material requirements. A boundary condition for this segment is the restriction of closed-loop regrind to 10 wt% or less in many plant quality plans, because higher regrind fractions reduce slow crack growth resistance as measured by ISO 13479.
Because industrial process water and treated effluent lines normally require SDR 11 or SDR 13.6 wall thicknesses above 60 mm at outside diameters up to 1200 mm, the primary extrusion constraint shifts from throughput to thermal homogeneity and melt memory. The compound is run at metering-zone temperatures of 215–230°C and a die head set point of 200–220°C; melt temperatures above 240°C produce oxidative degradation at the pipe inner wall and cannot be accepted for pressure service. Cooling rates are controlled through multi-stage vacuum tanks, with first-stage water temperature held between 30°C and 40°C to avoid internal stress concentrations in heavy walls. The terminal pipe is subjected to hydrostatic testing at 80°C according to ISO 1167, with the hoop stress selected from the product standard regression curve and typically placed between 4.0 MPa and 5.5 MPa for PE100 batch release. Because industrial effluents may contain variable pH, material selection is governed by ISO/TR 10358 chemical resistance tables; continuous exposure to aromatic hydrocarbons or strong oxidizers above 40°C falls outside the recommended limits. Field experience in chemical park distribution networks shows that butt-fusion joints fail preferentially when heater plate temperature deviates by more than ±10°C from the pipe grade weld specification; therefore, ISO 21307 fusion procedures are applied and interface bead dimensions are recorded for every joint.
| Parameter | OD 32–110 mm | OD 160–400 mm | OD 450–1200 mm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metering zone melt temperature | 200–230°C | 210–230°C | 215–230°C |
| Die head set point | 190–210°C | 195–215°C | 200–220°C |
| Melt pressure before breaker plate | 250–350 bar | 280–380 bar | 300–400 bar |
| First vacuum calibration tank water temperature | 25–35°C | 25–35°C | 30–40°C |
| Cooling water temperature rise | 5–10°C | 8–15°C | 10–18°C |
Trenchless rehabilitation liners manufactured from HE3490-IM exploit the same slow crack growth resistance but introduce a different deformation history. The pipe is extruded to a circular profile, cooled, and then deformed into a U-shape or reduced-diameter configuration immediately before insertion into a deteriorated cast iron or concrete main. Wall thickness is often reduced to SDR 17 or SDR 21, so residual stress after deformation becomes the controlling quality parameter. The liner is pressurized after insertion to recover circularity; permanent internal strain is measured after 24 h and must remain below 3.0% of the original outside diameter for acceptance. The same compound is welded by butt fusion in field trenches, where ambient temperature is limited to 5°C minimum and relative humidity to 80% maximum. In this segment, the failure mode of concern is not ductile burst but cracking at the deformation crease; therefore, liner batches are screened with the ISO 13479 notched pipe test at 80°C and the ISO 13477 S4 rapid crack propagation test at 0°C. The terminal product is a close-fit or sliplined pressure liner installed inside a host main, and its pressure rating is derated according to ISO 11299 classifications for plastics piping systems in renovation.
For agricultural irrigation trunk lines, HE3490-IM is extruded into black pipe with blue identification stripes. The processing line uses a side extruder for stripe coextrusion; this requires matching the MFR₂ of the stripe compound within ±0.1 g/10 min of the main pipe material to prevent interfacial flow lines. Cyclic pressure testing is run at 1.0 Hz between 2.0 bar and 10.0 bar to simulate pump starts and valve closures. Because the pipe is often stored above ground before burial, carbon black content is held at 2.0–2.5 wt% to meet UV stabilisation requirements in ISO 4427-1. The main mechanical acceptance gate is slow crack growth resistance; a batch must exceed 1,000 h in the ISO 13479 test at 80°C and a stress derived from the 50-year regression curve. In the field, the limiting operational boundary is rock impingement point loading; therefore, trench bedding compaction is specified at 95% Proctor density around the lower quadrant of the pipe. The terminal product is a buried mainline pipe rated for PN 6 to PN 16 service depending on wall thickness and water hammer margin.
Desalination plants require long-run marine pipelines that operate under combined internal pressure and external hydrostatic loading. HE3490-IM is extruded into thick-walled solid-wall pipes with outside diameters up to 1600 mm; the die design uses a spiral mandrel with wall eccentricity controlled below 5% of nominal wall thickness. Melt temperature at the die head is limited to 195–215°C to avoid oxidation during long residence times. Rapid crack propagation resistance is verified by ISO 13477 at 0°C, with the critical pressure required to exceed the maximum operating pressure multiplied by 1.5. External collapse resistance is calculated from wall thickness and pipe ring stiffness; the minimum required ring stiffness for submerged installation is typically 4 kN/m² for diameters above 1000 mm. The terminal product is a marine outfall or intake line butt-fused onshore and floated into position. The main process limitation is the heat history of the outermost layer; if the pipe is stored outdoors in coastal climates above 60% relative humidity, surface condensation must be removed by pre-drying at 80°C for 4 h before welding.
| Standard | Parameter | PE100 requirement |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 9080 | Long-term hydrostatic strength at 20°C for 50 years | ≥ 10.0 MPa |
| ISO 12162 | Pipe material classification | PE100 |
| ISO 1167 | Hydrostatic pressure resistance | 20°C / 12.0 MPa ≥ 100 h |
| ISO 13479 | Slow crack growth resistance, notched pipe at 80°C | No failure before specified time |
| ISO 13477 | Rapid crack propagation at 0°C | Critical pressure > operating pressure |
| ISO 1133-1 | Melt mass-flow rate MFR₂ | 0.2–0.4 g/10 min |
| ISO 18553 | Carbon black dispersion | Plant control limit < 3.0 |
In mining slurry and tailings pipeline extrusion, HE3490-IM is specified primarily for its slow crack growth resistance under constant hydrostatic load and its ability to accept a wear allowance without brittle transition. The pipe is often produced in SDR 7.4 to SDR 9 wall thickness to accommodate abrasion of 1.0–2.0 mm/year in limestone or silica tailings service; the inner surface is not grooved or lined. Extrusion is performed on a grooved-feed single-screw extruder with a 33:1 L/D screw and a cooling bath configured for rapid quenching to 40°C surface temperature. The terminal pipe is pressure-rated for PN 10 to PN 20 but may be derated to 0.8 times the nominal pressure rating when the service fluid contains angular quartz particles above 20% by volume. Abrasion resistance is evaluated by the rotating-pipe method based on the Darmstadt procedure; published correlation data for this specific grade under all slurry particle size distributions is limited. The operational boundary in slurry service is the maximum allowable strain in the pipe wall; continuous operation above 5% hoop strain exceeds the design envelope and can lead to slow crack growth at the inner surface. The final pipeline is assembled with butt-fused joints, with weld bead displacement limited to 1.0 mm to avoid local flow restriction in abrasive service.
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Borealis HDPE HE3490-IM is a black bimodal high-density polyethylene resin produced through the Borstar loop-slurry and gas-phase reactor cascade. The product is supplied in carbon-black-pigmented granulate form and is designed for injection moulding of thin-wall rigid articles where high melt flow must coexist with slow crack growth resistance. A typical lot-average density of 0.951 g/cm³ is measured to ISO 1183-1, and the melt mass-flow rate is 22 g/10 min at 190°C/2.16 kg when tested to ISO 1133-1:2022. The IM code distinguishes this injection moulding variant from lower-flow grades within the same density class.
The bimodal molecular weight distribution is the central technical difference from conventional unimodal HDPE injection grades. The Borstar process sequences polymerisation so that the high molar mass fraction carries the majority of short-chain branching and contributes tie-molecule density to the lamellar structure, while the low molar mass fraction lowers melt viscosity under injection shear. Because of this separation, the material exhibits a steeper shear-thinning response than a unimodal HDPE of similar density when apparent shear rate is increased from 10 s⁻¹ to 1000 s⁻¹ in capillary rheometry. This response reduces fill pressure in long-flow thin-wall tools without proportionally sacrificing environmental stress crack resistance.
Representative published property data for Borealis HDPE HE3490-IM are summarised below. The values are typical lot averages and are not batch-specific specification limits.
| Property | Standard | Typical published value |
|---|---|---|
| Density | ISO 1183-1 | 0.951 g/cm³ |
| Melt mass-flow rate, 190°C/2.16 kg | ISO 1133-1:2022 | 22 g/10 min |
| Tensile modulus | ISO 527-2 | 950 MPa |
| Tensile yield stress | ISO 527-2 | 23 MPa |
| Nominal tensile elongation at break | ISO 527-2 | >600% |
| Charpy notched impact strength at 23°C | ISO 179-1/1eA | 4.5 kJ/m² |
| Vicat softening point A/50 | ISO 306 | 122°C |
| Shore hardness D | ISO 868 | 60 |
| Environmental stress crack resistance F50, 10% Igepal CO-630, 50°C | ASTM D1693-B | >200 h |
The combination of a tensile modulus of 950 MPa to ISO 527-2 and a notched Charpy impact strength of 4.5 kJ/m² at 23°C to ISO 179-1/1eA is relevant to stacking crates and industrial boxes. For parts with a 2.0 mm wall section, top-load strength to ISO 12048 is controlled by material stiffness and wall geometry. The ESCR F50 value above 200 h to ASTM D1693-B provides a laboratory measure of resistance to detergent-induced slow crack growth, but actual part performance depends on gate stress, wall thickness and mould cooling rate.
The black carbon-black pigmentation contributes to outdoor weathering resistance; however, weathering performance on finished parts should be verified to ISO 4892-2 because exposure results are geometry-specific and cannot be read directly from resin property data.
In a unimodal HDPE, raising melt flow rate from 5 g/10 min to 22 g/10 min generally shortens ESCR because lower molecular weight chains do not form a sufficient number of tie molecules across adjacent lamellae. HE3490-IM is designed to break that relationship. The high molar mass fraction is the load-bearing population that resists crack propagation, while the low molar mass fraction acts as a shear-thinning diluent during cavity filling. The result is a moulding resin with an ESCR F50 of more than 200 h to ASTM D1693-B and a melt flow rate of 22 g/10 min to ISO 1133-1, a combination that would be difficult to achieve in a monomodal reactor grade.
Compared with a Borealis PE 100 pipe grade such as HE3490-LS, the IM variant has an elevated melt flow rate for short injection cycles and is not classified to ISO 9080 for long-term hydrostatic pressure. It is therefore unsuitable for extruded pressure pipe and for fittings requiring PE 100 design stress ratings. Compared with a random copolymer polypropylene of similar melt flow, HE3490-IM has lower stiffness but higher stress crack resistance in contact with surfactants and oils. Polypropylene may be chosen for elevated-temperature stack loading, while HE3490-IM is preferred when low-temperature impact and chemical-induced slow crack growth dominate.
Thermal processing limits are defined by oxidative degradation of the high molar mass fraction. On production injection moulding machines, melt temperature at purge should be maintained between 220°C and 240°C and should not exceed 250°C. At the upper boundary, residence time should not surpass 15 min; oxidative chain scission reduces the high molar mass fraction and produces carbonyl species that can lower ESCR. Barrel temperature profiles are typically reverse-profiled with the feed zone set 10°C to 20°C below the metering zone to promote stable solids-bed compaction.
A reciprocating screw with 20:1 to 25:1 L/D and a compression ratio between 2.5:1 and 3.0:1 is suitable. A sliding check ring should be inspected for leakage because backflow reduces shot-to-shot consistency and increases effective residence time. Shot capacity should be between 30% and 70% of barrel rated capacity to avoid temperature stratification. Hold-pressure switchover should be set by cavity fill, not timer, using screw position at 95% to 98% of cushion; a residual cushion of 3 mm to 5 mm is typical.
Mould temperature should be held at 15°C to 25°C for ESCR-critical parts. Lower temperatures shorten cooling time but can freeze the highly oriented skin layer and create residual stress. Higher temperatures extend cycle time and may provoke sink marks. In thin sections, mould temperature variation across the tool should be maintained within ±5°C to avoid differential shrinkage and warpage.
Virgin granules do not normally require pre-drying when stored in sealed containers. If condensation is visible on granulate surfaces, 2 h at 80°C in a desiccant dryer removes surface moisture. Clean in-house regrind from the same grade may be added up to 20 wt% without automatic property loss. Regrind levels above that require retained impact testing to ISO 179-1/1eA and retained ESCR to ASTM D1693-B. Contamination with incompatible polypropylene or adhesive label residues must be controlled at trace levels because immiscible inclusions act as crack initiation sites.
Typical injection moulded articles include beverage crates, logistics boxes, pails and thin-wall industrial containers with wall thicknesses from 1.5 mm to 3.0 mm. For a thin-wall beverage crate, filling should be completed in 0.5 s to 1.5 s and followed by a hold-pressure phase of 30 MPa to 60 MPa hydraulic, depending on hot-runner pressure loss and wall thickness. Gate diameters should generally be at least 80% of the local wall thickness to prevent premature gate freeze-off. When multiple gates are required for long flow paths, sequential valve-gate opening reduces weld-line formation in corner sections.
Injection velocity profiling is used to prevent jetting and gate blush. A high initial velocity may create surface defects in thick sections. Transitioning to hold pressure before 95% of cavity fill can reduce gate stress. Weld-line position should be validated by instrumented Charpy impact testing to ISO 179-1 on edge-gated specimens, because weld-line impact strength is generally lower than bulk-material impact strength. If weld lines are unavoidable in load-bearing sections, the mould temperature should remain above 15°C and the knit line should be located away from maximum tensile stress.
For stacking pails with integrated handles, the handle hinge region should be designed with a radius not smaller than 0.5 mm to limit notch stress. Sharp corners reduce Charpy impact and ESCR part performance. The gate should be located away from the handle hinge and other tensile surfaces to avoid coincident orientation and load-bearing stress. Purge procedures before colour changes require a low-MFR HDPE or a commercial purging compound because the carbon-black-pigmented grade requires complete barrel and hot-runner purging before switching to natural or white products.
Environmental stress crack resistance is not an intrinsic molecular constant; it is modified by the orientation and residual stress frozen into the moulded part. If mould temperature drops below 10°C, the quench rate through the solidification interval can suppress spherulitic development and produce a highly oriented skin. Under those conditions, ESCR measured on finished parts can fall below the datasheet F50 value of 200 h even though the resin itself meets ASTM D1693-B. The operational response is to increase mould temperature above 15°C before increasing package hold time, because residual stress is driven primarily by quench history and gate flow gradients.
Gate shear must also be controlled. A gate apparent shear rate above 50 000 s⁻¹ may induce melt fracture and frozen-in molecular orientation near the gate; this can appear as gate blush or stress whitening after demoulding. If cracking occurs repeatedly near gates, gate diameter should be increased or a direct sprue-to-flow runner should replace a restricted pinpoint gate. Local melt temperature should be monitored because shear heating at small gates can raise melt temperature above the 250°C upper limit even when the barrel setpoint is lower.
HE3490-IM is not intended for extrusion blow moulding, blown film, or pressure pipe applications requiring ISO 9080 long-term hydrostatic strength design. The high melt flow rate that benefits injection moulding reduces extrudate melt strength and can produce parison sag or bubble instability in blow and film processes. For pressure pipe systems, a PE 100 grade with appropriate ISO 9080 classification should be selected. Additive packages containing migratory low molecular weight lubricants or amide slip agents should be introduced only after validation, because surface migration can alter stress crack behaviour and clamping friction.
