Nanoclay (Organoclay) in Plastics: 4 Types, Exfoliation, Loading and Regulation

Nanoclay is a layered silicate filler, usually montmorillonite, whose platelets are about 1 nanometre thick and, once surface-modified and separated in the polymer, raise stiffness, heat deflection temperature and gas barrier at a few weight per cent: 4.7 wt% of montmorillonite lifted the heat deflection temperature of nylon 6 by 87 °C in the Toyota nylon 6-clay hybrid. Why does so little clay change so much, and why does the same clay often change nothing at all?

The answer is geometry. A fully separated, or exfoliated, montmorillonite platelet reaches an aspect ratio of 100 to 1,000 and spreads a small mass of clay into a very large interface with the polymer, while a platelet left in its stack behaves like a coarse mineral particle. Nanoclay is one of the functional fillers among the plastic additives on this site, and the only common one whose effect depends more on how it is dispersed than on how much is added.

This page covers what nanoclay (also written nano clay) and organoclay are, the 4 types used in plastics, how exfoliation decides the result, the documented property effects, the 2 compounding routes, the polymers and loadings on record, testing, the EU and US rules, and suppliers. The full filler family, from calcium carbonate to carbon fillers, is compared on fillers for plastics.

In brief:

• Platelet thickness: about 1 nm per montmorillonite layer
• Aspect ratio: 100 to 1,000 when exfoliated, against 5 to 40 for talc
• Benchmark result: 4.7 wt% montmorillonite gave a heat deflection temperature of 152 °C in nylon 6, 87 °C above the neat polymer (Kojima et al., Toyota Central R&D Labs, 1993)
• EU food-contact maxima: 12 % w/w in polyolefins for dry foods (FCM 1030) and 4.0 % w/w in PLA for long-term water storage (FCM 1075)

What Is Nanoclay?#

Nanoclay is a layered silicate clay, in plastics almost always montmorillonite, that is used as a nanofiller: its platelets are about 1 nanometre thick, and when they are surface-modified and separated in the polymer they add stiffness, heat deflection temperature, gas barrier and char formation. So is nanoclay a mineral, a chemical or a compound? It starts as a natural mineral and becomes a chemically modified product, organoclay, before it reaches a compounder, which is why the same clay appears under 4 names and 3 legal identities.

Why is nanoclay called a nanofiller?#

A filler counts as a nanofiller when at least one of its dimensions is below 100 nanometres, and nanoclay qualifies through its thickness: a single montmorillonite platelet is about 1 nanometre thick, while its width stays far larger. The criterion describes the separated platelet, not the powder in the bag: a poorly dispersed clay sits in the polymer as micrometre-scale stacks of layers, and a stack of that size acts as a conventional mineral particle whatever the product is called. Conventional platy fillers sit on that micrometre scale, with talc particles at a mean size of 0.5 to 20 micrometres (µm) and kaolin particles at 0.2 to 8 µm.

Nanoclay, organoclay, montmorillonite and bentonite: what each name means#

Montmorillonite is the mineral, bentonite is the clay that contains it, organoclay is the montmorillonite after its surface has been modified for a polymer, and nanoclay is the trade name for the result. The 4 names and the step from mine to compound that each one marks are listed below.

• Montmorillonite (MMT): the smectite clay mineral, CAS 1318-93-0, EC 215-288-5.
• Bentonite: the natural clay rich in montmorillonite, CAS 1302-78-9, EC 215-108-5, the identity used in EU food-contact entry FCM 393.
• Organoclay (OMMT): montmorillonite whose surface has been made organophilic with a quaternary ammonium salt, also called organically modified montmorillonite or organo-montmorillonite.
• Nanoclay: the market and research name for the filler, used when the exfoliated, nanometre-thick state is the goal.

The legal identities follow the names. The EU authorises bentonite and two modified montmorillonites as separate entries in Regulation (EU) No 10/2011, and the US lists bentonite and a quaternary-ammonium-modified bentonite separately in 21 CFR 178.3297, so a buyer who asks for "nanoclay" has not yet named a regulated substance. The mineral's identity, properties and full regulatory record are on montmorillonite (organoclay).

How is organoclay made from montmorillonite?#

Organoclay is made by exchanging the small inorganic cations that sit between the montmorillonite layers for quaternary ammonium ions with long alkyl chains, which turns the hydrophilic clay surface organophilic so that polymer chains can enter the gaps between the layers. Why is that step needed at all? A silicate platelet is hydrophilic and a polyolefin is not, so an untreated clay stays in its stacks in polyethylene or polypropylene. The modification works in 3 linked steps: ion exchange replaces the interlayer cations, the alkyl chains make the layer surfaces organophilic, and the polymer then enters the interlayer space during compounding.

The modifier is also what the law names. The 3 surface modifiers that appear in EU and US food-contact law are compared in the table below.

The organic modifier, not the silicate, sets the upper processing temperature of an organoclay, and suppliers state it per grade, so changing the modifier changes both the processing window and the food-contact entry.

What Are the 4 Types of Nanoclay Used in Plastics?#

The 4 types of nanoclay used in plastics are natural montmorillonite and bentonite, organoclay made from them, tubular halloysite, and a group of other clays that includes hectorite, sepiolite and hydrotalcite-type layered double hydroxides; organoclay is the form a compounder actually buys for a thermoplastic. The table below compares the 4 types by identity, particle shape, aspect ratio, role in plastics and EU food-contact position.

Aspect ratios are typical filler-table values, not grade data. Halloysite carries two CAS numbers in public databases; ECHA uses 12068-50-7.

1. Montmorillonite and bentonite (natural smectite clay)#

Montmorillonite, CAS 1318-93-0, is a smectite clay built from silicate layers about 1 nanometre thick, and bentonite, CAS 1302-78-9, is the natural clay rich in it; both are hydrophilic, so in their natural form they stay as stacks in a polyolefin and behave like an ordinary mineral filler. What does the natural clay offer a compounder, then? Mainly a starting material, since every organoclay begins as montmorillonite.

The regulatory identity of the natural clay is the simplest of the 4 types. Neither carries a REACH dossier (Annex V of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006, ECHA CHEM checked 22 September 2026), bentonite is authorised as FCM 393 under Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 and listed in 21 CFR 178.3297, and the U.S. Geological Survey lists bentonite among the substitutes for talc in plastics (Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025).

2. Organoclay (organically modified montmorillonite)#

Organoclay is montmorillonite whose interlayer cations have been exchanged for quaternary ammonium ions, and it is the nanoclay that compounders use in thermoplastics, sold under trade names such as Cloisite from BYK and Nanomer. Its 4 recorded functions, stiffness, heat deflection temperature, gas barrier and char formation, all depend on the modification, because only a surface the polymer can wet lets the platelets separate.

The modification is also a legal line: an organoclay is a chemically modified substance, so the REACH Annex V exemption does not cover it by default. The EU food-contact entries draw the same line: FCM 1030 and FCM 1075 both name the modifier, so a grade made with a different quaternary ammonium salt is covered by neither.

3. Halloysite nanotubes#

Halloysite is a clay whose layers roll into hollow tubes rather than flat platelets, with a density of 2.54 g/cm³, a particle size of 1 to 20 micrometres, an aspect ratio of 5 to 20 and a specific surface area of up to 117 m²/g. Its identity carries two numbers that must be kept apart: the ECHA entry is CAS 12068-50-7 with EC 686-506-8, while PubChem holds a separate record under CAS 12298-43-0. Its Mohs hardness is 2.5.

Geometry sets halloysite's ceiling: a tube with an aspect ratio of 5 to 20 obstructs diffusion and stiffens a matrix far less than an exfoliated platelet at 100 to 1,000. Its regulatory position is open as well: halloysite carries no REACH dossier (Annex V, ECHA CHEM checked 22 September 2026), it is not on the Union list of Regulation (EU) No 10/2011, and our sources record no US food-contact entry, so no packaging use is established.

4. Other clays: hectorite, sepiolite and hydrotalcite-type layered double hydroxides#

Beyond montmorillonite and halloysite, three more clays appear in plastics literature: hectorite, a smectite like montmorillonite; sepiolite, a fibrous clay; and the layered double hydroxides such as hydrotalcite, which exchange anions rather than cations and are better known in plastics as acid scavengers. Hectorite and sepiolite appear in our filler taxonomy as a platy and an acicular silicate, but our verified sources hold no identifiers, loadings or grades for them in plastics, so this page names them only.

Hydrotalcite is the one member of the group with a full record: a magnesium-aluminium carbonate layered double hydroxide, CAS 12304-65-3 (EC list 602-916-1), also registered under REACH as CAS 11097-59-9 (EC 234-319-3), used mainly to scavenge hydrogen chloride in PVC and acid residues in polyolefins. A Mg2Al-CO3 layered double hydroxide replaced 95 % of the laser absorber Iriotec 8815 in epoxy in 2024 work by Chen, Wang, Evans and O'Hare at the University of Oxford. Its identity and PVC stabilizer role are on hydrotalcite.

How Does Nanoclay Work in a Polymer? Intercalation and Exfoliation#

Nanoclay works only when the polymer gets between its silicate layers: intercalation pushes the layers apart, exfoliation separates them completely, and the separated platelets then stiffen the polymer and slow diffusion through it at a few weight per cent. A polymer with exfoliated or intercalated clay dispersed through it is what the literature calls a polymer-clay nanocomposite, a field reviewed by M. Alexandre and P. Dubois in *Materials Science and Engineering R• in 2000 and by D.R. Paul of the University of Texas at Austin with L.M. Robeson in Polymer in 2008.

The 3 dispersion states: agglomerated, intercalated and exfoliated#

One organoclay can give 3 different materials, and which one you get is decided in the extruder: an agglomerated clay is a coarse mineral filler, an intercalated clay is a partly opened stack, and only an exfoliated clay delivers the nanometre-thick platelets that every nanocomposite result depends on. The 3 states, read from the property and processing side, are listed below.

• Agglomerated: micrometre-scale stacks with a low aspect ratio; stiffness barely moves, and large stacks behave like coarse particles, which in other fillers are known crack initiators.
• Intercalated: polymer chains enter between the layers while the stack stays ordered, so properties move part of the way.
• Exfoliated: layers about 1 nm thick separate and reach an aspect ratio of 100 to 1,000, the state every published stiffness, heat deflection and barrier result assumes.

The state cannot be bought; it can only be processed. Two compounds made from the same organoclay at the same loading can sit at opposite ends of this list, so the dispersion has to be measured on the finished compound.

Aspect ratio and the constrained polymer interphase#

Exfoliated montmorillonite reaches an aspect ratio of 100 to 1,000, against 20 to 100 for mica, 5 to 40 for talc and 1 to 3 for calcium carbonate, and modulus rises with aspect ratio as well as with filler volume, which is why a few weight per cent of exfoliated clay can do the work of a much larger mineral loading. The Halpin-Tsai equations published by J.C. Halpin and J.L. Kardos in Polymer Engineering and Science in 1976 model composite modulus from volume fraction and aspect ratio, with a shape factor of about twice the aspect ratio for aligned platelets, a value no conventional mineral reaches.

The second mechanism sits at the surface: polymer close to a platelet loses mobility, and with platelets 1 nm thick and closely spaced, a large share of the matrix becomes this constrained interphase, which the Toyota team named as the reason for their gains at a few per cent. How aspect ratio is measured and reported on a datasheet is explained under filler properties: particle size, aspect ratio and surface area.

What Does Nanoclay Do to the Properties of a Plastic?#

Exfoliated nanoclay changes 4 groups of properties in a plastic: stiffness, strength and heat deflection temperature; gas barrier; fire behaviour, through char and a lower peak heat release rate; and secondary effects on laser marking and melt flow. The table below labels each documented effect by the kind of evidence behind it.

Single-study results are research findings, not grade specifications.

Stiffness, strength and heat deflection temperature#

Nanoclay's best-documented effect is on heat deflection temperature: in the nylon 6-clay hybrid reported by Kojima, Usuki, Kawasumi and Okada of Toyota Central R&D Labs in the Journal of Materials Research in 1993, 4.7 wt% of montmorillonite lifted heat deflection temperature to 152 °C, 87 °C above neat nylon 6, while strength and modulus rose and impact strength stayed comparable. The paper, in volume 8 at pages 1185 to 1189, remains the reference result because it moved a bulk property by tens of degrees at a loading below 5 wt%.

The result proves the scale at which an exfoliated clay changes bulk properties. It does not prove a typical commercial gain, a gain in other polymers, or that a melt-compounded grade matches it, since the 1993 hybrid was made by in-situ polymerization. Heat deflection is measured to ASTM D648 or ISO 75 at 0.455 or 1.82 MPa on specimens at least 3 mm thick. The test, its two loads and why its value is not a design temperature are covered under heat deflection temperature.

Gas barrier in packaging film and bottles#

Exfoliated nanoclay slows the passage of oxygen, water vapour and carbon dioxide by forcing each molecule to detour around impermeable platelets, the tortuous-path mechanism, and it does so without reacting with anything. No permeability-reduction factor for nanoclay is established in our sources, so none is given here; the barrier effect depends on exfoliation and on platelet orientation in the film. Nanoclay is compared with MXD6, EVOH and platy minerals, with every package type and recycling threshold, on barrier additives for plastic packaging.

Fire behaviour: char and lower peak heat release#

Nanoclay does not make a plastic pass a flammability test on its own; it builds a clay-rich surface layer as the polymer burns, which lowers the peak heat release rate, and it is therefore used as a synergist next to a primary flame retardant. Organoclay, layered double hydroxides, carbon nanotubes, POSS and silica all seldom pass a UL 94 flammability test without a primary flame retardant. The route was developed by groups including Jeffrey Gilman at NIST, Charles Wilkie at Marquette University and Serge Bourbigot at the University of Lille, and by B. Schartel and co-workers at BAM (Polymers for Advanced Technologies, 2004).

One flame-retardant package published in Polymers in 2023 shows the synergist role: in PA6 with 25 % glass fibre, 20 wt% of expandable graphite, aluminium diethylphosphinate, melamine polyphosphate and montmorillonite reached UL 94 V-0, a limiting oxygen index of 32 % and a peak heat release rate of 103 kW/m², with the clay's own share not reported in our sources. Clay, LDH and nanotube synergists are compared on nanocomposite flame retardants.

Laser marking and melt processing#

Two smaller effects of organoclay are documented in single studies: it raises laser-mark contrast in ABS, and it steadies extrusion pressure in HDPE when it is combined with a fluoropolymer processing aid. For laser marking, Lu and co-workers reported in ACS Omega in 2020 that organically modified montmorillonite at 1 to 8 wt% in ABS raised the colour difference ΔE from 7 to 25 at a laser current of 7 A, a research result on one polymer at one setting. Absorber types and loadings are compared on laser marking additives.

Neither effect is a reason to choose a nanoclay on its own; both are side effects.

For melt processing, Adesina, Nasser and Hussein reported in 2015 that in HDPE a fluoropolymer processing aid alone at 0.05 wt% did not remove stick-slip melt fracture, while combining an organoclay with the fluoropolymer reduced pressure fluctuations more than either additive alone. Organoclay can support a fluoropolymer aid in that study; it does not replace one. Clays and other alternatives to fluoropolymer aids are covered under PFAS-free processing aids.

How Is Nanoclay Compounded into a Plastic?#

Nanoclay reaches a plastic by one of 2 routes: in-situ polymerization, where the monomer is polymerized between the clay layers, or melt compounding, where an organoclay is sheared into the molten polymer, often supplied as a masterbatch and with a compatibilizer in polyolefins. The first route belongs to the polymer producer and the second to the compounder. The equipment side, from feeding to screw design, is covered under plastic compounding.

In-situ polymerization: the Toyota nylon 6 route#

In-situ polymerization builds the polymer inside the clay: in the nylon 6-clay hybrid, the Toyota Central R&D Labs team of Usuki, Kojima, Kawasumi, Okada and Kurauchi polymerized nylon 6 in the presence of modified montmorillonite and described the synthesis and the properties in two papers in the Journal of Materials Research in 1993. Because the chains grow between the layers, the route separates the platelets as the polymer forms, so the 4.7 wt% result is a benchmark for exfoliation rather than for a twin-screw extruder.

Melt compounding with a maleic anhydride compatibilizer#

Polar matrices such as nylon accept an organoclay more readily than polyolefins, which is why the polyolefin route adds a compatibilizer: an organoclay on the particle side and a maleic anhydride grafted polyolefin on the matrix side. In polyethylene or polypropylene the modifier on the clay is necessary but not sufficient, because the silicate still meets a non-polar matrix.

The polymer-side fix is a maleic anhydride graft such as PP-g-MAH or PE-g-MAH. The same grafts that bond glass fibre and talc to a polyolefin anchor clay platelets; grades are compared under maleic anhydride grafted polymers.

Four choices decide whether a melt-compounded organoclay exfoliates.

1. Match the modifier to the polymer, because the regulated modifiers differ by polymer (FCM 1030 for polyolefins, FCM 1075 for PLA).
2. Add a maleic anhydride grafted polyolefin when the matrix is polypropylene or polyethylene.
3. Feed the clay as a pre-dispersed masterbatch rather than as a loose powder where the line allows it.
4. Confirm the dispersion state on the finished compound, not on the recipe, with the tests described further down this page.

A masterbatch moves part of the dispersion work upstream and leaves the compounder with a let-down step instead of a powder-feeding step. Carrier choice and let-down are covered under additive masterbatch.

Which Plastics Use Nanoclay?#

Nanoclay is documented in 4 polymer groups: nylon 6, where the nanocomposite effect was first shown; polypropylene and polyethylene, where an EU food-contact entry allows it for dry foods; PLA, where a second entry allows it for water storage; and EVA cable compounds and ABS, where it acts as a fire synergist and a laser-marking aid. The table below lists every documented polymer with the basis of each number.

A regulatory maximum is not a recommended dose, and a research loading is not a datasheet value.

Need a nanoclay masterbatch for PP, PA6 or PLA? Send one request to more than one supplier.

Nylon 6 and other polyamides#

Nylon 6 is the polymer in which nanoclay was proven: the 1993 Toyota nylon 6-clay hybrid reached a heat deflection temperature of 152 °C with 4.7 wt% montmorillonite, where mineral-reinforced polyamides use wollastonite, calcined kaolin or mica at typically 30 to 40 %. The comparison shows the difference in scale, not that a nanoclay grade replaces a mineral grade used for warpage control, since the 1993 result came from an in-situ hybrid. The full polyamide additive package is on additives for nylon (polyamide).

Polypropylene and polyethylene#

Polypropylene and polyethylene need two additions before nanoclay does anything, an organoclay on the particle side and a maleic anhydride grafted polyolefin on the matrix side, and in return they are the only commodity polymers with an EU food-contact entry for organoclay: up to 12 % w/w for dry foods at room temperature or below. No polyolefin property gain for a named nanoclay grade is recorded in our sources, so the case rests on the mechanism and the food-contact entry.

FCM 1030 adds two conditions that shape the compound: a specific migration limit of 0.05 mg/kg for the sum of 1-chlorohexadecane and 1-chlorooctadecane, and platelets that lie parallel to the surface and stay fully embedded. Recycling is the milder constraint, since the Association of Plastic Recyclers starts testing polyethylene film only when its density approaches 0.996 g/cm³. The stabilizer, nucleator and filler package around a clay is on additives for polypropylene (PP).

PLA and other biopolymers#

PLA has its own EU entry for organoclay, FCM 1075, which allows a hexadecyltrimethylammonium-bromide-modified montmorillonite at up to 4.0 % w/w for long-term water storage at ambient temperature or below, about a third of the polyolefin ceiling and for a single use. The entry carries the same platelet conditions as FCM 1030.

Organoclay appears among PLA fillers next to calcium carbonate, talc and natural fibres, but no PLA property result for a named grade is recorded in our sources. Nucleation, plasticization and chain extension are covered under additives for PLA (polylactic acid).

EVA cable compounds and ABS#

In low-smoke, zero-halogen cable compounds based on polyethylene or EVA, nanoclay is one of the synergists added next to 50 to 65 wt% of aluminium trihydrate or magnesium hydroxide, where it reinforces the oxide or char layer that the hydroxide leaves rather than replacing the hydroxide. No clay loading for a cable compound is recorded in our sources, and buyers searching for layered nano flame retardants for low-smoke EVA cable compounds are asking about this synergist role. Hydroxide loadings and CPR classes are on flame retardants for wire and cable.

In ABS, 1 to 8 wt% of organically modified montmorillonite raised laser-mark contrast in the single 2020 study covered above.

How Much Nanoclay Goes into a Plastic?#

The documented nanoclay levels in plastics run from 1 wt% in a laser-marking study to the EU maximum of 12 % w/w in polyolefins, and they are of three different kinds: research loadings, research formulations and regulatory maxima, none of which is a datasheet recommendation. The table below lists every documented level in ascending order with the kind of number it is.

No supplier loading window for a named grade in a named polymer is recorded in our verified sources, so the page gives none; a real loading is set by trial against the property target and, in food contact, against the ceilings above. Loadings are in wt% of the compound, and % w/w appears only where the EU entries use it.

How Is Nanoclay Dispersion and Performance Tested?#

A nanoclay compound is tested on two questions, whether the clay is dispersed and whether the property moved: X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy answer the first, and heat deflection, tensile, cone calorimeter and permeation tests answer the second. The 6 test questions and the method behind each are compared in the table below.

X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy are the methods used throughout the layered-silicate literature reviewed by Alexandre and Dubois in 2000 to tell an intercalated stack from exfoliated platelets; no peak positions or layer spacings are recorded in our verified sources. Ash content needs one correction: ISO 3451 and ASTM D5630 burn off the polymer in a muffle furnace (procedure A, 5 to 50 g) or by rapid ashing (procedure B, 2 to 10 g), and the organic modifier burns off with it, so the ash reports the silicate, not the organoclay as weighed in.

Is Nanoclay Allowed in Food-Contact Plastics? Regulatory Status#

Nanoclay is allowed in EU food-contact plastics only as two named organoclays with narrow conditions, FCM 1030 in polyolefins for dry foods and FCM 1075 in PLA for water storage, plus unmodified bentonite as FCM 393, while the US lists bentonite and a quaternary-ammonium-modified bentonite in 21 CFR 178.3297. Every other nanoform of clay is excluded from EU food contact unless it is explicitly authorised. How these entries fit into a complete packaging recipe is covered under additives for food packaging.

EU: Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 entries and the nanoform rule#

Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 authorises two organoclays: FCM 1030, a dimethyldialkyl(C16-C18)ammonium-modified montmorillonite at up to 12 % w/w in polyolefins for dry foods at room temperature or below, and FCM 1075, a hexadecyltrimethylammonium-bromide-modified montmorillonite at up to 4.0 % w/w in PLA for long-term water storage. FCM 1030 also sets a specific migration limit of 0.05 mg/kg for the sum of 1-chlorohexadecane and 1-chlorooctadecane, with dry foods tested by simulant E. Bentonite, CAS 1302-78-9, is listed separately as FCM 393, Ref 37280, and the general limits of the regulation, which applies since 1 May 2011, sit on top: an overall migration limit of 10 mg/dm² and 0.01 mg/kg behind a functional barrier.

The nanoform condition turns dispersion quality into a legal requirement. Both organoclay entries permit the nanoscale platelets only if they are oriented parallel to the surface and fully embedded in the polymer, and Article 9(2) closes the route for every other nanoform, which may be used only where it is explicitly authorised and specified in Annex I. Kaolin, FCM 410, is the one platy mineral with its own nano condition: particles thinner than 100 nm only at less than 12 % w/w in an EVOH inner layer behind a functional barrier. How Union list entries, restrictions and nanoform conditions work is explained on EU 10/2011.

REACH: the Annex V exemption and nanoform registration#

Natural montmorillonite, bentonite and halloysite need no REACH registration because REACH Annex V exempts naturally occurring minerals that are not chemically modified, and the ECHA database shows no dossier under any of their EC numbers; an organoclay is chemically modified, so the exemption does not carry over to it. The check of EC 215-288-5, 215-108-5 and 686-506-8 dates from 22 September 2026, and organoclay registrations are verified case by case with each supplier. Since 2020, Regulation (EU) 2018/1881 has required registrants to describe nanoforms, which brings nanoclay identities into scope. Montmorillonite is not on the SVHC Candidate List (253 entries, last update 4 February 2026). Registration duties and the Annex V exemption are explained under REACH and plastic additives.

United States: 21 CFR 178.3297#

In the United States, bentonite and bentonite modified with the dimethyldioctadecylammonium ion are listed in 21 CFR 178.3297, the section for colorants used in food-contact polymers, and our sources record no 21 CFR entry for halloysite. Because 178.3297 is a colorant section, use is limited to what the colouring effect requires, and the listing does not authorise nanoclay as a barrier or reinforcing filler. Food contact notifications for specific organoclays are not covered by our verified sources. Every mineral in the colorant section and its limits is listed on 21 CFR 178.3297.

Health, CLP classification and handling: what is established#

No harmonised CLP classification and no toxicological assessment of nanoclay is covered by our verified sources, so this page states neither that nanoclay is safe nor that it is hazardous; what the law does say is that, in food contact, the platelets must stay oriented and fully embedded in the polymer.

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes show what a harmonised entry looks like: Carc. 1B H350i and STOT RE 1 H372 (lung, inhalation) under index 006-104-00-2, applicable from 1 May 2026, while no comparable entry for clay is recorded in our sources. Mineral dust is a workplace matter covered on the fillers hub, and no exposure limit for clay is given here. The carbon nanotube entry and other harmonised classifications are tracked under CLP classification of plastic additives.

No product promotion.

Who Makes Nanoclay for Plastics? Suppliers and Trade Names#

The nanoclay brands verified in our sources are BYK's Cloisite organoclays, the Nanomer organoclay line and, among layered double hydroxides, Kisuma's DHT-4 hydrotalcites and Nabaltec's Actilox CAH. The companies and trade names in our source library are compared below.

Only companies and names recorded in our source library; no ranking, share or endorsement. Halloysite: no supplier recorded.

Request quotes for nanoclay and organoclay: state the clay type (montmorillonite organoclay, halloysite or hydrotalcite), the surface modifier, the target polymer, powder or masterbatch, the food-contact market, annual volume and country, and send one request to more than one organoclay producer with the plastic additive supplier finder.

No nanoclay price or verified market size is recorded in our sources, so neither is given. Buyers should specify the clay type, the modifier and the target polymer rather than a brand name, because the EU food-contact entries are written by modifier. Producers of the platy and blocky minerals are listed with the mineral filler suppliers for plastics.

─── The sections below compare nanoclay with neighbouring fillers and separate it from products that share its name outside plastics. ───

How Does Nanoclay Compare with Other Fillers and Nanofillers?#

Nanoclay sits between two filler families: it shares its platelet shape with talc, mica and kaolin but reaches an aspect ratio an order of magnitude higher than mica's, and it shares its nanoscale with carbon nanotubes and graphene but is not used as a conductive filler and carries no harmonised hazard classification in our sources. The two comparisons below explain where each neighbour wins.

Nanoclay versus talc, mica and kaolin#

Talc, mica and kaolin change stiffness and barrier through the same platelet geometry as nanoclay, but at aspect ratios of 5 to 100 they need loadings measured in tens of per cent where an exfoliated clay works at a few per cent. The 4 platy fillers by aspect ratio are listed below.

• Exfoliated montmorillonite: 100 to 1,000
• Mica: 20 to 100, EU food contact FCM 597
• Talc: 5 to 40, EU food contact FCM 615
• Kaolin: 10 to 30, EU food contact FCM 410

The conventional minerals win on simplicity, because they need no exfoliation. Grades, loadings and the talc antioxidant interaction are on talc in plastics. Kaolin is the one platy mineral whose nanoform has its own EU condition, explained on kaolin in plastics. The loading difference also matters for recycling, since the Association of Plastic Recyclers treats polyethylene film above 1.00 g/cm³ as non-recyclable. Float-sink density limits are explained under design for recycling.

Nanoclay versus carbon nanotubes and graphene#

Carbon nanotubes and graphene are the conductive nanofillers, and they differ from nanoclay in law as much as in function: neither has an EU food-contact entry, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes carry a harmonised Carc. 1B classification from 1 May 2026. Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/2564 sets that classification for tubes of 30 nm to less than 3 µm in diameter and at least 5 µm long. Percolation levels and the 2026 classification are on carbon nanotubes (CNT) in plastics. Graphene, CAS 1034343-98-0 and EC 801-282-5, has 9 active REACH dossiers (ECHA CHEM, 22 September 2026) and is recorded as a conductive, barrier and reinforcing nanofiller. Nanoplatelet grades are covered under graphene in plastics.

Nanoclay outside plastics#

Three products share the word nanoclay or organoclay without being plastic additives: liquid nanoclay for soil, organoclay filter media for water treatment, and the modelling material sold as polymer clay.

What is liquid nanoclay?#

Liquid nanoclay is a clay-and-water mixture sprayed onto sandy soil to help it hold water, an agricultural use that has nothing to do with plastic compounding and that this reference does not cover. It shares only the clay and the name with the plastics filler.

Is organoclay used in water treatment?#

Yes, organoclay is also sold as a filter medium that adsorbs oil from water, and as a thickener in paints and drilling fluids; these grades are made by the same quaternary ammonium exchange as plastics organoclays but are outside the scope of a plastic additives reference.

Is nanoclay the same as polymer clay?#

No: polymer clay is a modelling compound for crafts, while nanoclay is a mineral filler compounded into engineering and packaging plastics.#

Every figure on this page is checked against primary sources; see our methodology and fact-checking process.

Byline: PlasticAdditives.net Editorial Team

---