| HS Code | 413934 |
| Melt Flow Rate 190 C 2 16 Kg | 1.0 g/10 min |
| Density | 0.918 g/cm³ |
| Melting Point Dsc | 122 °C |
| Vicat Softening Point | 102 °C |
| Brittleness Temperature | -70 °C |
| Tensile Strength At Yield | 10 MPa |
| Tensile Strength At Break | 12 MPa |
| Elongation At Break | 700% |
| Tensile Modulus | 260 MPa |
| Dart Drop Impact F50 | 150 g |
| Haze | 8% |
| Gloss 60 | 62 |
As an accredited SABIC LLDPE 118NE factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | SABIC LLDPE 118NE supplied as free-flowing pellets in 25 kg heat-sealed polyethylene bags, palletized and stretch-wrapped for protection. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | 20′ FCL container loading of SABIC LLDPE 118NE: 25kg bags on pallets, shrink-wrapped, secured for safe transit. |
| Shipping | SABIC LLDPE 118NE is shipped as free-flowing pellets in 25 kg bags, octabins, or bulk flexitanks. Ensure dry, ventilated conditions, avoid direct sunlight and moisture. Transport in clean, covered containers away from incompatible oxidizers. Handle gently to prevent dust and maintain product purity. |
| Storage | Store SABIC LLDPE 118NE in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area, away from direct sunlight, heat, ignition sources, and strong oxidizers. Keep packaging sealed to prevent contamination and moisture absorption. Avoid generating dust or static electricity. Maintain good housekeeping to reduce fire risk. No outdoor storage unless protected from weather. |
| Shelf Life | Shelf life is indefinite when stored in original packaging, away from heat, sunlight, and moisture. |
In heavy-duty sack film coextrusion, SABIC LLDPE 118NE is processed as the core layer because its butene-derived short-chain branching distribution and nominal density of 0.918 g/cm³ under ISO 1183-1:2019 produce a slower crystallization rate than high-density polyethylene, permitting greater orientation at blow-up ratios from 2.5:1 to 3.5:1 without immediate bubble rupture. The melt flow rate of 1.0 g/10 min under ISO 1133-1:2022 at 190 °C/2.16 kg places the material in a range where bubble stability derives from moderately low extensional viscosity, but this also restricts gauge uniformity when the annular die gap is reduced below 1.6 mm. On three-layer blown-film lines equipped with grooved-feed extruders having screw L/D ratios from 30:1 to 33:1 and die gaps between 1.8 mm and 2.4 mm, a core-layer formulation containing 80–100 wt% 118NE, up to 20 wt% high-pressure LDPE, and up to 15 wt% HDPE is used for 60–100 µm FFS sack structures. Processing aids are added at 300–600 ppm to control melt fracture at high output, while slip and antiblock masterbatches are incorporated at 0.5–1.5 wt% to stabilize subsequent sack handling and blocking after winding. Melt temperatures are maintained at 195–215 °C, and the frost line is positioned at 0.8–1.2 die diameters above the air ring by adjusting air-jet velocity and internal bubble cooling, because excessive cooling rates reduce transverse direction dart impact under ASTM D1709A and increase MD tear under ISO 6383-2. Industry compliance for food-contact FIBC liners requires the olefin polymer to meet FDA 21 CFR 177.1520(c), while finished sacks placed on the EU market fall under EU Regulation 10/2011 migration testing when the liner contacts food, and packaging weight reporting is governed by Directive 94/62/EC. Terminal product types include 25 kg to 50 kg FFS heavy-duty sacks, FIBC inner liners, construction aggregate bags, and industrial carrier bags where high puncture resistance and low gel count are required. The main operational boundary is bubble flutter above a BUR of 3.5:1; die-lip fouling also appears when melt temperature exceeds 220 °C for extended runs, causing gauge bands at the collapsing frame.
Greenhouse cover film structures based on 118NE use the resin in the outer or middle layer where its density of 0.918 g/cm³ and low melt index reduce the rate of thermal shrinkage after field installation, but the grade alone does not resist UV embrittlement and must be formulated with a coordinated HALS and UV-absorber package. Outer-layer addition ratios on three-layer agricultural blown-film lines typically run from 60–80 wt% 118NE, 10–25 wt% metallocene LLDPE for dart impact under ISO 7765-1, 5–15 wt% EVA for low-angle light transmission and thermal retention, 0.5–1.0 wt% HALS masterbatch, 0.1–0.3 wt% UV absorber masterbatch, and 1.0–2.0 wt% anti-fog masterbatch. Stabilizer loading above 1.2 wt% HALS active concentration leads to plate-out on the collapsing frame and reduced transparency under ISO 14782, while loading below 0.4 wt% fails to retain tensile elongation after 4,000 h of accelerated weathering under ISO 4892-2. The downstream extrusion process uses a three-layer die with a gap of 2.0–2.5 mm, blow-up ratios from 2.0:1 to 2.8:1, and melt temperatures held at 180–200 °C to minimize thermal decomposition of the anti-fog component and to reduce HALS volatility at the die lip. Internal bubble cooling is commonly used at layflat widths above 2.5 m to control frost-line height and to prevent secondary bubble instability in the tent frame, while edge-trim rework is limited to 10 wt% because oxidised recyclate shortens weathering life and creates gel specks in the film. Compliance is governed by EN 13206:2017 for thermoplastic covering films used in agriculture and horticulture, with silage stretch film variants additionally tested to EN 14932:2015 and food-contact silage film assessed under EU Regulation 10/2011. Terminal product types include 150–200 µm multi-season greenhouse covers, 50–100 µm low-tunnel films, 25–50 µm mulch films, and 100–150 µm silage bag films. The limiting processing constraint is the narrow temperature window; melt temperature above 205 °C accelerates additive migration to the film surface, producing a tacky die-lip deposit and reducing film-to-film coefficient of friction under ASTM D1894.
The welding window for 118NE geomembrane seams is constrained by two competing failure mechanisms: low weld temperature gives incomplete molecular interdiffusion across the interface, while excessive heat oxidises the surface and produces a brittle skin that fails in peel below the sheet elongation limit. Flat-die sheet extrusion for smooth LLDPE geomembrane uses a base formulation of 94.0–97.5 wt% 118NE, 5.0–7.5 wt% of a 40% carbon black masterbatch to achieve 2.0–3.0 wt% final carbon black content, 0.10–0.30 wt% hindered phenolic antioxidant, and 0.05–0.15 wt% phosphite secondary stabiliser. The extrusion line is typically a single-screw flat-die configuration with an L/D of 30:1 to 36:1, melt temperature 210–240 °C, die gap 2.5–3.5 mm, and polished roll temperatures between 40 °C and 70 °C to control cooling-induced residual stress. Sheet thickness ranges from 0.75 mm to 3.0 mm for lagoon, landfill, and heap-leach applications. Hot-wedge seam welding is performed at 300–430 °C with peel and shear testing under ASTM D6392; production-scale failure modes observed include thinning adjacent to the weld track when the wedge pressure exceeds 0.6 MPa and inadequate root fusion when the sheet surface is contaminated with carbon black agglomerates. The material specification is GRI GM17 for LLDPE smooth geomembranes, with density tested to ASTM D1505, melt index to ASTM D1238 at 190 °C/2.16 kg, tensile properties to ASTM D6693, and oxidative induction time at 200 °C under ASTM D3895. Terminal products include landfill caps, slurry pond liners, canal liners, heap-leach pads, and secondary containment bunds. The critical limitation is carbon black dispersion; if the masterbatch is not compounded to a mean agglomerate size below 20 µm, weld peel strength becomes variable because carbon black particles act as interfacial stress concentrators. Published data for this specific weld-failure response is limited, and site weld trials are necessary after each masterbatch lot change.
Coextruded frozen-food bag lines using 118NE as a sealant-web blending partner rely on the grade’s low-seal-initiation temperature when combined with 10–20 wt% high-pressure LDPE, which reduces seal initiation by 5–10 °C relative to a sealant layer based on high-density polyethylene. The formulation uses 70–90 wt% 118NE, 10–20 wt% LDPE, and 0.5–1.5 wt% slip/antiblock masterbatch, processed on mono- or three-layer blown-film lines with melt temperatures from 180 °C to 205 °C, die gaps 1.5–2.0 mm, and blow-up ratios 2.0:1–3.0:1. Compliance for direct food contact is evaluated under FDA 21 CFR 177.1520(c) and EU Regulation 10/2011 Annex I and Annex V. Terminal products include frozen food pouches, carrier bags, overwrap, and laminated pouch inner plies.
Pallet unitization films run from 118NE demand a high-stalk bubble because the low melt index of 1.0 g/10 min increases extensional stress during draw and develops machine-direction orientation that improves load-holding force. High-stalk blown-film equipment is used with a die gap of 2.0–2.8 mm, blow-up ratios from 3.0:1 to 4.0:1, and melt temperatures 190–210 °C; the stalk length is held at 4–7 die diameters before radial expansion to maximise MD tear under ISO 6383-2 while retaining dart impact under ISO 7765-1. The formulation contains 60–85 wt% 118NE, 10–30 wt% VLDPE or ULDPE, 5–15 wt% EVA, 0.5–2.0 wt% polyisobutylene tackifier, and 0.1–0.3 wt% antiblock. Finished hood thickness of 100–200 µm is tested for tensile properties under ISO 527-3, and film-to-film coefficient of friction is measured under ASTM D1894. Terminal products include pallet hoods for construction materials, appliance packaging, and beverage load unitization. The operational boundary is tackifier migration after 30 days of warehouse storage, which can shift the outside-surface COF by more than 0.2 and interfere with automatic hooding equipment.
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Designated by the supplier as SABIC LLDPE 118NE, this ethylene-butene linear low-density polyethylene resin is assigned to general-purpose blown film extrusion. The two primary resin specifications are a nominal melt flow rate of 1.0 g/10 min measured according to ISO 1133-1:2022 at 190 °C under 2.16 kg, and a nominal density of 0.918 g/cm³ measured according to ISO 1183-1:2019. The butene comonomer introduces short-chain branching that reduces lamellar thickness and crystallinity relative to high-density polyethylene. At equal film gauge, this structure produces higher tear and dart impact resistance than unoriented HDPE, lower tensile modulus, and lower water-vapour barrier. The grade is supplied as pellets with a thermal stabilizer package. Because polyethylene is not hygroscopic in the bulk state, predrying is not normally required; however, resin stored in unheated silos at relative humidity above 60% or exposed to rain should be passed through a dehumidified hopper at 50 °C for 2 h before extrusion to reduce bubble pinholes caused by surface moisture.
Regulatory status must be confirmed from the supplier’s product stewardship bulletin. For food-contact applications, converters must verify compliance under EU Regulation (EC) No 10/2011 and FDA 21 CFR 177.1520 using migration testing appropriate to the food simulant and temperature condition. These standards define olefin polymer compliance but do not certify a finished package. The grade has no inherent antistatic, antifog, or slip performance unless a compounded variant or masterbatch is selected.
Molecular architecture controls the property envelope. The butene comonomer creates ethyl branches along the polyethylene backbone, which inhibit crystallization and lower density. The distribution of those branches and the molecular weight distribution determine impact toughness and optical haze. Butene-based LLDPE typically has a lower tie-molecule concentration than hexene-based or octene-based LLDPE at equivalent density; therefore, the dart impact ceiling is lower when compared with metallocene grades. Branch length and branch distribution are not captured by melt flow rate or density alone and should be assessed through gel permeation chromatography with infrared detection or crystallization elution fractionation when product substitution decisions require lot-specific data.
At 0.918 g/cm³, the semicrystalline morphology contains a lamellar stack fraction that controls modulus and gas permeability. A melting peak near 122 °C by ISO 11357-3:2018 is typical for butene LLDPE of this density, but thermal history and comonomer distribution shift the exact peak. The 1.0 g/10 min melt flow rate is an empirical viscosity index under the conditions of ISO 1133-1:2022; it corresponds to a medium-viscosity LLDPE. In a grooved-feed single-screw extruder with 24:1 to 30:1 L/D, this viscosity balances throughput and melt temperature. It is lower than fractional-melt film grades and higher than injection moulding LLDPE. The material does not exhibit the strain-hardening behaviour of high-pressure LDPE, so bubble stability is lower and must be managed through die gap, blow-up ratio, and frost-line control. A single melt flow rate point does not provide the full shear viscosity curve; capillary rheometry according to ISO 11443 is required for detailed rheological design.
Converters should not infer a specific dart impact value from density alone. ASTM D1709/A dart impact, ASTM D1922 Elmendorf tear, and ISO 527-3 tensile properties must be measured on the actual film because machine-direction and transverse-direction orientation shift the brittle-ductile transition. Property specimens should be conditioned at 23 °C and 50% relative humidity for at least 40 h per ISO 291:2008. At thicknesses below 25 µm, impact values are sensitive to gauge variation; a thickness tolerance of ±5% should be maintained. Haze and clarity are not controlled solely by density; they should be measured per ASTM D1003 on production film because die variables, air-ring temperature, and frost-line height affect optical uniformity.
| Property | Method | Nominal or typical value |
|---|---|---|
| Melt flow rate | ISO 1133-1:2022 | 1.0 g/10 min at 190 °C, 2.16 kg |
| Density | ISO 1183-1:2019 | 0.918 g/cm³ |
| Comonomer | Supplier data | Butene |
| DSC melting peak | ISO 11357-3:2018 | approximately 122 °C |
The heat-seal response is not controlled solely by resin density. Seal initiation and hot tack are determined by short-chain branching distribution and by film surface properties. For quality control, ASTM F2029 can be used to rank heat-seal initiation temperature, and ASTM F1921 can be used for hot tack; both require specification of dwell time, pressure, and sample geometry. Converters should measure the target structure because sealant layer thickness and backing layer heat capacity shift the observed seal initiation. Values obtained on laboratory film cast from resin may not represent production blown film.
On production-scale monolayer blown-film lines, the grade processes within conventional LLDPE temperature windows. A typical configuration is a 45 mm or 60 mm grooved-feed extruder with 24:1 L/D, a spiral mandrel die of 200 mm diameter, and a dual-lip air ring. Barrel set-points are staged from 170 °C at the feed zone to 210 °C at the metering zone; die zones are held at 190 °C to 220 °C. Measured melt temperature should remain between 200 °C and 230 °C. Melt temperatures above 240 °C can initiate oxidative degradation of the butene branches, forming gels and odour, especially with long residence time. The recommended blow-up ratio is 2.2:1 to 3.0:1. With internal bubble cooling, the die gap can be increased to 2.5 mm; without internal bubble cooling, a die gap of 1.8 mm to 2.2 mm is typical. Frost-line height is the primary control variable: lower frost-line height generally improves impact toughness but reduces optical uniformity.
Gravimetric dosing systems should maintain output stability within ±0.5% to avoid gauge bands. On internal bubble cooling lines, exhaust air temperature should be monitored; condensation on the die face can introduce surface defects. These process adjustments are more critical than for LDPE because the absence of long-chain branching narrows the stable bubble operating window. The material is not recommended for cast film lines with shear rates above 1000 s⁻¹ unless the screw and die are designed specifically for LLDPE. Converters with high-stalk blown film configurations may observe bubble instability at high stalk heights; a low-stalk or in-pocket configuration is more suitable. If sharkskin melt fracture appears, die-lip temperature may be raised by 5 °C or die gap increased within the recommended range.
| Parameter | Typical set-point | Equipment condition |
|---|---|---|
| Barrel zone set-point | 170–210 °C | Grooved feed, 24:1 L/D |
| Die temperature | 190–220 °C | Spiral mandrel die |
| Melt temperature | 200–230 °C | Infrared thermocouple |
| Blow-up ratio | 2.2:1–3.0:1 | Monolayer bubble |
| Die gap | 1.8–2.5 mm | Dual-lip air ring |
| Output stability | ±0.5% | Gravimetric dosing |
Relative to high-pressure LDPE, SABIC LLDPE 118NE has a linear backbone with short branches rather than a mixture of long and short branches. This structural difference reduces shear-thinning and melt strength, while solid-state tensile strength at break and Elmendorf tear per ASTM D1922 are usually higher at equivalent gauge. The grade can be drawn to lower gauges without losing film integrity and typically contains lower gel counts. High-pressure LDPE has long-chain branches that generate extensional strain hardening, which stabilizes the bubble against draw resonance. SABIC LLDPE 118NE lacks those long-chain branches, so the bubble is more sensitive to air turbulence, ambient temperature fluctuations, and frost-line disturbances. This is a fundamental material difference and not a processing defect.
Against metallocene LLDPE grades based on hexene or octene comonomers, the butene architecture of 118NE usually shows lower dart impact per ASTM D1709/A and lower puncture resistance per ASTM D5748 at equal thickness. The difference arises because hexene and octene branches are more effective at forming tie molecules at equivalent density. Puncture resistance per ASTM D5748 is often used for stretch-film and industrial-liner evaluations; for 118NE, the puncture propagation energy is therefore lower than that of a hexene metallocene grade. Tensile modulus may be measured per ASTM D882 or ISO 527-3; reported values are rate-dependent and require controlled jaw separation speed.
Against high-density polyethylene with density above 0.940 g/cm³, the 0.918 g/cm³ density lowers tensile modulus but improves flex-cracking resistance and gives better clarity in thin-gauge applications. It also reduces water-vapour barrier; converters requiring high moisture barrier should not select this grade unless a barrier layer is used. For water-vapour transmission rate ranking, ASTM E96/E96M or ISO 15106-1 should be used on the final film structure. These comparisons are directional. Exact substitution performance depends on line configuration, gauge, and orientation balance; side-by-side testing under fixed conditions is required. Published data for this specific configuration is limited when the comparison involves another proprietary grade.
Side-by-side substitution trials should hold gauge, blow-up ratio, frost-line height, and output constant to isolate material effects. Thickness variation should be measured using a capacitance gauge or micrometer per ISO 4593. A coefficient of variation above 5% can invalidate comparative impact data. Because the grade is a butene copolymer, the property balance shifts at thicknesses below 25 µm and above 80 µm. Below 25 µm, impact properties become highly sensitive to frost-line height, air-ring temperature, and ambient conditions; a change of 5 °C in air-ring temperature can change dart impact by more than a laboratory round-robin variation. Above 80 µm, flexural stiffness and heat-transfer limitations dominate the converting decision. The heat-seal range should be measured using ASTM F2029 with a dwell time of 0.5 s and pressure of 275 kPa; outside these conditions, seal initiation values shift. Additive loadings should be verified by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy if antistatic, antifog, or slip performance is required.
Replacing a 0.5 g/10 min fractional-melt LLDPE with SABIC LLDPE 118NE changes screw-work input and the output-pressure relationship. The higher melt flow index reduces die pressure at the same screw speed, but may also reduce bubble stability. The operator should first reduce screw speed by 5% to 10% and record melt temperature and motor load before restoring output. If the line has a fixed die gap, an increase in blow-up ratio from 2.0:1 to 2.5:1 may be necessary to maintain transverse-direction tear. Substitution for LDPE is more severe: melt strength decreases, and the frost line must be lowered or internal bubble cooling added. The grade is not recommended for extrusion coating lines that require LDPE-like neck-in performance; published data for this specific configuration is limited.
Material stored at ambient temperatures above 30 °C for extended periods should be assessed for stabilizer migration, though no special storage beyond dry conditions is normally required. Avoid combining the resin with amine-based additive masterbatches that may interact with the phenolic stabilizer package at melt temperatures above 240 °C; compatibility should be confirmed by torque-rheometer testing. Cleaning between resins is straightforward; a purge of medium-viscosity polyethylene should be used before and after the grade to avoid contamination. Die-lip deposits are usually low because the stabilizer package is designed for film extrusion. Pellets with fines should be screened before the feed throat to prevent die lines.
