BYK: Plastic Additives Portfolio and Product Lines, 10 Brands for Thermoplastics and PVC

BYK sells 10 brands of additives for thermoplastics and PVC, from flame-retardant and UV concentrates to compatibilizers, restabilizers for recyclate and plastisol viscosity reducers, as the additives and instruments division of the ALTANA group. Which of those lines are plastic additives, and which belong to BYK's larger coatings and inks business, is the first thing a buyer has to sort out.

This profile covers the 5 brands BYK presents for thermoplastics (BYK, BYK-MAX, SCONA, RECYCLOBYK and CLOISITE) and the 6 brand lines it presents for PVC plastisols, compounds and dry blends (BYK, DISPERBYK, DISPERPLAST, VISCOBYK, RHEOBYK and GARAMITE). The total is 10 rather than 11 because the BYK brand appears in both groups. BYK's coatings additives, ink additives and measuring instruments are named only below the contextual border, once each.

The page maps every line to one of 14 additive jobs, separates BYK's claims from independent data, lists the documents to request, prints BYK's 18 production sites and names other producers for each job. PlasticAdditives.net is independent of BYK and ALTANA, and no company pays for inclusion.

Table 1. BYK at a glance.

Where sources disagree, we print BYK's own figure: other published profiles give 2,500, 2,600 or 2,688 employees and a different site list.

What Are BYK Additives?#

BYK additives are specialty chemicals added in small amounts to coatings, inks and plastics to change how they process and perform; for plastics, BYK makes additive concentrates, compatibilizers, restabilizers, organoclays and plastisol additives under 10 brands. BYK is the company, not a product: it is the additives and instruments division of ALTANA, headquartered in Wesel, Germany, and it makes additives in 7 product groups plus measuring and testing instruments for appearance and physical properties. Plastics are one market among those BYK serves, beside coatings and printing inks, adhesives and sealants, cleaners, floor coatings and lubricants, according to its company information page (checked 24 October 2026). Inside plastics, BYK's lines cover 14 additive jobs, such as flame retardancy, UV stabilization, compatibilization and restabilization of recyclate, and each job belongs to one of the 43 families of plastic additives in our taxonomy.

Who owns BYK?#

BYK belongs to ALTANA, the specialty chemicals group in Wesel, and ALTANA is owned by SKion, the company of Susanne Klatten. ALTANA presents BYK as one of 4 divisions, beside ECKART, ELANTAS and ACTEGA, and ALTANA reported group revenue above EUR 3 billion for 2025. BYK's own division revenue is not reported on the pages we checked, so none is printed.

No dated transaction for CLOISITE, GARAMITE, SCONA or RECYCLOBYK is verified in our sources, so this page does not say how they joined BYK; the ownership history of each brand line is tracked on our page about who owns which plastic additive brand.

Which BYK products are plastic additives?#

Six of BYK's 7 product groups appear on its plastics pages, and only surface additives are presented for coatings and inks alone. The 7 product groups, and where each one appears on BYK's thermoplastics, PVC and recycling pages (checked 24 October 2026), are listed below.

• Wetting and dispersing additives: BYK and BYK-P for compounds and solid masterbatch; BYK-1165, DISPERPLAST-1150, DISPERPLAST-1180 and DISPERBYK-2157 for PVC.
• Rheology additives: VISCOBYK, RHEOBYK and GARAMITE for PVC plastisols.
• Defoamers and air release additives: BYK-3155 for coated technical textiles in PVC.
• Processing additives: BYK-P and BYK-MAX P grades for thermoplastics, and BYK-P 4100 for PVC dry blends and masterbatches.
• Adhesion promoters and coupling agents: SCONA for polyolefin, polyamide and PET compounds.
• Wax additives: named in BYK's description of its BYK brand for PVC plastisols, with no wax grade listed.
• Surface additives: no plastics grade named on BYK's plastics pages.

BYK-MAX concentrates, RECYCLOBYK restabilizers and CLOISITE organoclays sit outside those 7 groups as separate thermoplastics brands.

BYK Plastic Additive Brands: 10 Brands at a Glance#

BYK presents 10 brands for plastics: BYK, BYK-MAX, SCONA, RECYCLOBYK and CLOISITE for thermoplastics, and BYK, DISPERBYK, DISPERPLAST, VISCOBYK, RHEOBYK and GARAMITE for PVC plastisols and dry blends. Table 2 lists each brand once, in BYK's own order, with what BYK says it does and the grades BYK names on its plastics pages. One count needs a note: BYK's PVC page says its PVC portfolio "comprises five brands" but shows 6 brand tiles, so this page counts the tiles.

Table 2. BYK plastic additive brands.

Company descriptions paraphrased from BYK's plastics pages (checked 24 October 2026), not verified properties.

BYK Additives for Thermoplastics: 5 Brands#

BYK sells 5 brands for thermoplastics, mostly for polyolefins and polyamides: BYK and BYK-P for wetting and processing, BYK-MAX concentrates, SCONA compatibilizers, RECYCLOBYK restabilizers and CLOISITE organoclays. Across those 5 brands, BYK names polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide 6, glass-fibre-reinforced polyphthalamide (PPA), PET, polystyrene and engineering plastics, plus compounds reinforced with glass, carbon or natural fibres. BYK splits the offer into industrial and transportation (automotive) applications, and the sections below follow BYK's own order, not a ranking.

1. BYK and BYK-P: wetting, dispersing and processing additives for compounds and masterbatch#

BYK and BYK-P are BYK's wetting, dispersing and processing additives for thermoplastics: BYK says they wet pigments and fillers, lower melt viscosity and lower the filter pressure value when compounds and solid masterbatches are extruded. BYK describes the BYK brand as "classic solutions" for wetting and dispersing, air release, rheology and viscosity, but names no individual BYK or BYK-P grade for thermoplastics, and no chemistry for any of them.

The filter pressure value (FPV) is the number a buyer can check: it records the pressure rise when a pigmented or filled melt passes a screen pack, so ask for the FPV of your own compound with and without the additive. The 5 types of dispersing agents for plastics and masterbatch, from PE wax to polymeric dispersants, are compared on our family page. Where BYK sells a finished additive function rather than a processing aid, it sells it as a BYK-MAX concentrate.

2. BYK-MAX: additive concentrates for polyolefins and polyamides#

BYK-MAX is BYK's brand of additive concentrates for thermoplastics, supplied as granules or pellets in 7 sub-lines: FR flame retardants, CT synergists, LS UV stabilizers, NU nucleating and clarifying agents, P processing additives, HS one-pack concentrates and OR anti-odor agents. A concentrate carries the active additive in pellet form, so the compounder doses granules instead of powder, which follows the same logic as an additive masterbatch dosed by let-down ratio. BYK states no active-ingredient chemistry, carrier resin or let-down ratio for any BYK-MAX grade on the pages we checked, so none is printed here; ask for all 3 on the technical data sheet before comparing a BYK-MAX grade with a neat additive.

BYK-MAX FR and CT: flame retardants, synergists and UL 94 claims#

BYK-MAX FR is BYK's range of flame retardants and BYK-MAX CT includes its flame-retardant synergists; BYK states that its halogen-free additives reach V0 levels in polyolefin products and UL 94 V0 in polyamides. For polyethylene film and fibre, BYK names BYK-MAX FR 4144, which it says combines flame retardancy with further properties, and it also lists clay-based synergists. BYK states neither the chemistry nor the loading of any FR grade; which chemistries act as flame retardants for plastics is set out on our family page.

What does a V-0 claim prove? A UL 94 V-0 rating means each afterflame stops within 10 seconds, the 5 specimens burn no more than 50 seconds in total, the second afterflame plus afterglow stays within 30 seconds, and no drip ignites the cotton. The rating holds only for the polymer, formulation and thickness tested.

Ask BYK for the test report in your own polymer and wall thickness; the test is explained on our page on UL 94 flammability ratings.

BYK-MAX LS and NU: UV stabilizer and nucleating concentrates#

BYK-MAX LS concentrates protect polyethylene film, fibres and extruded items against UV light, and BYK-MAX NU grades nucleate and clarify polyethylene and polypropylene; BYK sells both jobs as ready-to-dose granules. BYK says the LS concentrates come as dust-free granules or pellets, and it describes BYK-MAX LS 4122 as suited for food applications. The UV absorber or HALS class inside the LS grades is not stated; both classes of UV stabilizers for plastics are compared on our family page.

Nucleating agents raise the crystallization temperature of a semicrystalline polymer such as polypropylene, and clarifying agents also cut haze. BYK states that BYK-MAX NU 4230 complies with EU, US and Japanese food regulations, a company statement whose proof is the declaration of compliance described below. How nucleating agents raise crystallization temperature and stiffness is explained on our family page.

BYK-MAX P, HS and OR: processing, one-pack and anti-odor concentrates#

BYK-MAX P grades are processing additives that reduce friction between the polymer melt and the internal metal surfaces of the machine, BYK-MAX HS grades are one-pack concentrates for automotive parts, and BYK-MAX OR grades act against odour in polyethylene and polypropylene recovered from household waste. BYK names BYK-MAX P 4200 for thermoplastic PP compounds and, in a release dated 29 May 2024, 2 PFAS-free processing aids, BYK-MAX P 4109 and P 4110, for polyolefin extrusion against melt fracture and die build-up. The types of polymer processing aids are compared on our family page.

BYK says its HS concentrates slow thermal ageing while raising impact strength and thermal and UV stability. It also states that its thermal stabilizers keep PA6 stable for up to 2,000 hours at 150 °C (302 °F) and glass-fibre polyphthalamide compounds for up to 5,000 hours at 180 °C (356 °F), naming neither brand nor test method, so ask for the method and the property retained.

BYK names OR 4206 for PE and OR 4207 for PP from household waste, without stating the absorbent. A recyclate study in our source library found that 4 wt% zeolite cut odour intensity by 45 %, a class benchmark and not BYK data; zeolites and other odor control additives are compared on our family page.

3. SCONA: maleated polyolefin compatibilizers and coupling agents#

SCONA is BYK's line of polymeric modifiers that couple glass, carbon and natural fibres to polypropylene and polyethylene and compatibilize blends such as PA/PE, PA/PP and PP/PS; BYK names 11 grades. BYK says the coupling grades improve the elastic modulus, tensile strength and heat deflection of fibre-reinforced PP at low additive dosages. Table 3 lists the 11 grades with the function BYK states for each.

Table 3. SCONA grades named by BYK.

Functions as stated on BYK's recycling-of-thermoplastics page (checked 24 October 2026); not verified independently. Grade suffixes are BYK's codes.

SCONA appears among the maleated (maleic anhydride grafted) polyolefin brands, beside POLYBOND, FUSABOND, OREVAC, Exxelor and ADMER, although BYK states no graft chemistry, graft level, melt flow rate or dosage for any SCONA grade. How maleic anhydride grafted polyolefins bond to glass fibre and polar polymers is covered on our page about them.

Maleic anhydride, the graft monomer of PP-g-MAH, is listed in Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 as FCM 234 with a specific migration limit of 30 mg/kg expressed as maleic acid (group restriction 3), and polymeric modifiers such as PP-g-MAH are exempt from registration under Article 2(9) of REACH, Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006. Ask BYK for the residual maleic anhydride of the grade, since the EU limit applies to maleic acid migration. No US status is printed for any SCONA grade, because the per-grade FDA status of PP-g-MAH is still being verified. Silanes, titanates and maleated polyolefins, the 3 classes of coupling agents for filled and reinforced plastics, are compared on our family page.

4. RECYCLOBYK: restabilizers for recycled plastics#

RECYCLOBYK is BYK's line of stabilizer systems and concentrates for recycled plastics, mainly polyolefins: BYK names 7 grades, RECYCLOBYK 4370 to 4376, and one of them has been tested in a peer-reviewed study. Table 4 lists the 7 grades, sold as free-flowing systems or granulated concentrates.

Table 4. RECYCLOBYK grades named by BYK.

Forms and functions as stated on BYK's recycling-of-thermoplastics page (checked 24 October 2026). The 0.75 wt% figure is the level tested in one study, not a dosage recommendation.

In a 2022 study in the journal Polymers, Mihelčič and colleagues added RECYCLOBYK 4371 at 0.75 wt% to polypropylene and found that its rheology and time-dependent mechanical properties improved up to the 20th reprocessing cycle, partly through cross-linking. Is that restabilization? Cross-linking changes the polymer chains themselves, so the effect goes beyond replacing consumed antioxidant.

The standard route for recycled PP and HDPE is a phenolic antioxidant and phosphite blend at 0.1 to 0.3 wt%, a concept set out by Rudolf Pfaendner, and it is described on our page on restabilization of recycled plastics.

5. CLOISITE: organoclay (nanoclay) additives#

CLOISITE is BYK's brand of organically modified montmorillonite, a nanoclay that BYK sells for thermoplastics as a flame-retardant synergist and to improve physical properties. Montmorillonite (CAS 1318-93-0, EC 215-288-5) is a smectite clay whose silicate layers are about 1 nm thick; intercalated or exfoliated in a polymer, they raise modulus and heat deflection temperature. The identity and regulatory status of montmorillonite (organoclay) are on its substance page. BYK also presents an unbranded clay-based functional filler as a lower-dose alternative to talc.

The benchmark comes from a 1993 study of the nylon 6-clay hybrid by Kojima and colleagues, in which 4.7 wt% montmorillonite raised the heat deflection temperature to 152 °C, 87 °C above neat PA6. That study involves no CLOISITE grade, and BYK names none. How clays act among nanocomposite flame retardants is covered on our page about them.

Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 authorises modified montmorillonite as FCM 1030 up to 12 % w/w in polyolefins for dry foods at room temperature or below, and as FCM 1075 up to 4.0 % w/w in PLA for water storage, with nanoform platelets only when parallel to the surface and fully embedded. Coverage depends on the organic modifier, so ask BYK which FCM entry, if any, covers a CLOISITE grade.

BYK Additives for PVC Plastisol and Dry Blends#

BYK's PVC additives serve plastisols, thermoplastic PVC compounds and dry blends rather than rigid PVC stabilization: they shape plastisol viscosity, wet fillers and pigments, prevent air pockets, stabilize mechanical foams and support release. BYK does not sell PVC heat stabilizers on the pages we checked; those producers are listed in our PVC stabilizer directory. BYK organizes its PVC page by 6 applications, from floorings and luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) to technical textiles, and the plasticizers that form the liquid phase of a PVC plastisol are covered on our plastisol page. Table 5 lists the grades BYK names per application.

Table 5. BYK PVC grades by application.

Grades and jobs as listed on BYK's PVC page (checked 24 October 2026). The page gives no figures, so no viscosity, dosage or emission value is printed.

VISCOBYK, RHEOBYK and GARAMITE: viscosity and rheology control#

VISCOBYK grades lower the viscosity of PVC plastisols at medium to high shear rates, while RHEOBYK and GARAMITE do the opposite job and build thixotropic or pseudoplastic flow into the paste. BYK names VISCOBYK-5120 and VISCOBYK-5125 for floorings, where it says their low volatility gives few emissions, and the VISCOBYK-5000 series for low-emission wall coverings; for wallpaper plastisols with a high yield value it names BYK-1166. "Low emissions" is BYK's wording, not a VOC test result.

RHEOBYK (organic rheology additives) and GARAMITE (powdered additives based on organic sheet silicates) control paste flow in technical textiles. A thixotropic paste thins with shearing time and recovers at rest, while a pseudoplastic paste thins as the shear rate rises. BYK names no individual RHEOBYK or GARAMITE grade.

DISPERPLAST, DISPERBYK and BYK: wetting and dispersing fillers and pigments#

BYK lists 4 wetting and dispersing grades for PVC: BYK-1165 and DISPERPLAST-1180 bring fillers into plastisols, PVC compounds and dry blends, and DISPERPLAST-1150 and DISPERBYK-2157 disperse pigments in wall coverings. BYK designs BYK-1165 for highly filled plastisols at low to medium shear and DISPERPLAST-1180 for thermoplastic PVC compounds and dry blends such as luxury vinyl tiles (LVT). No filler percentage is printed, so compare grades on the filler loading reached and the viscosity at that loading. DISPERBYK is otherwise a coatings brand: its coatings grades are outside this reference, and DISPERBYK-2157 is the only DISPERBYK grade BYK lists for PVC on the page we checked.

BYK air release, foam stabilizer, antistatic and release additives for PVC#

BYK lists 5 further PVC grades for 4 single processing jobs: air release, mechanical-foam stabilization in 2 chemistries, antistatic performance and release in dry blends. The 5 grades and the job BYK states for each are listed below.

• BYK-3155, which BYK files under defoamers and says prevents air pockets that could impair the surface of coated technical textiles.
• BYK-8020, a silicone-based stabilizer for mechanical foams in floorings.
• BYK-8070, a soap-based stabilizer for mechanical foams in floorings.
• BYK-5128, which BYK recommends for antistatic applications in floorings.
• BYK-P 4100, a processing additive that BYK says supports release properties in PVC dry blends and masterbatches.

BYK states no chemistry for BYK-5128; an antistatic claim is checked by surface resistivity on the part. Migrating and permanent antistatic agents for plastics are compared on our family page.

Which BYK Line Does Which Additive Job?#

Most buyers start from the job the additive has to do, so the 14 rows below map each job to the BYK line that does it and to the page where that job is explained independently of any supplier. The table classifies and does not recommend, and rows follow our functional groups, from stabilization to PVC-specific jobs.

Table 6. Additive job to BYK line.

The table maps jobs to lines as BYK presents them; it does not say a BYK line is the right choice for the job.

Which Other Producers Make Comparable Additives?#

Every additive job BYK serves in plastics has other producers in our source library, and a buyer comparing offers shortlists them by job and polymer, never by assuming that one grade replaces another. Table 8 names 9 jobs and the verified producers for each, without ranking. The closest overlap is in maleated polyolefins: the coupling job SCONA does is also sold under the brand names POLYBOND, FUSABOND, OREVAC, Exxelor and ADMER, and no SCONA grade has a verified equivalent in any of them; the most searched of those brands is profiled on our page about Polybond.

Table 8. Other producers per additive job.

Producers are listed in plain text, in no order of size or quality. No grade in this table is equivalent to a BYK grade by default.

Grades from different producers are compared on their datasheets (active content, carrier, melt flow rate, regulatory status) in the same polymer; row 6 shows why, since the acrylic aids serve PVC while BYK-MAX P 4200 serves PP. The brands we have verified, with their producers and substances, are listed in our plastic additive trade name lookup.

What Regulatory Documents Should You Ask BYK For?#

A BYK claim becomes usable only when it comes with a document, and a plastics buyer should ask for 6: the EU declaration of compliance, the US food-contact route, the safety data sheet with the REACH basis, the UL 94 report, the PFAS statement and the test method behind any performance figure. The 6 documents are listed below.

1. Request the EU 10/2011 declaration of compliance for any grade BYK calls food-suitable or food-compliant (LS 4122, NU 4230), naming each FCM entry.
2. Request the US route separately: the 21 CFR section or effective food contact notification (FCN).
3. Request the safety data sheet and REACH basis; polymers such as maleated polyolefins are exempt, their monomers are not, and our additive regulatory status checker screens a substance first.
4. Request the UL 94 report in your polymer and thickness for any V0 claim.
5. Request a written PFAS statement for every processing additive.
6. Request the test method behind any heat-ageing or odour figure.

Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 sets an overall migration limit of 10 mg/dm² (60 mg/kg for food for infants) and a generic specific migration limit of 60 mg/kg, and a declaration of compliance names the Union-list entries that apply; the limits are set out on our page on EU 10/2011.

In the United States a clearance sits in a 21 CFR section or an effective FCN, and "FDA approved" describes neither; see our FDA food contact rules. This page states no FDA, EU or REACH status and no certification for any BYK grade, because none is recorded at grade level in our source library.

What BYK's exit from PFAS-containing additives means for plastics processors#

BYK announced a goal of offering only fluorine-free additives from the end of 2025, which matters to plastics processors because fluoropolymer processing aids count as polymeric PFAS under the EU packaging regulation that applies from 12 August 2026. European Coatings reported on 15 August 2024 that BYK aimed to deliver its last PFAS-containing products by the end of 2025, quoting BYK's Stefan Mößmer: "Our specific goal is to offer fluorine-free solutions by the end of 2025." Whether BYK met that goal is not confirmed in our sources; its 29 May 2024 PFAS-free grades are named in the BYK-MAX P section, and the alternatives are covered under PFAS-free processing aids.

Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (PPWR) applies from 12 August 2026 and, under Article 5(5), limits food-contact packaging to 25 ppb for any targeted PFAS, 250 ppb for their sum and 50 ppm for total PFAS including polymeric PFAS; 3M announced on 20 December 2022 its own exit from PFAS manufacturing by the end of 2025. Check a PFAS-free statement against the grade, since proof of PFAS or non-PFAS fluorine can be requested where total fluorine exceeds 50 mg/kg; the rules are collected under PFAS restrictions and plastic additives.

Where Does BYK Produce, and How Do You Buy BYK Additives?#

BYK produces at 18 sites in 5 countries, with Germany and the United States holding 12 of them: 5 German plants led by Wesel, 7 US plants including Wallingford and Gonzales, 3 in the Netherlands, 2 in China and 1 in the United Kingdom. Wallingford and Gonzales, the 2 US towns buyers search for with BYK, are both on BYK's list; no Indian site is, and BYK publishes no product-to-site assignment. Table 7 lists the 18 sites.

Table 7. BYK production sites.

Site list from BYK's company information page, checked 24 October 2026. It differs from the list in a widely copied encyclopedia article; we print BYK's own list.

How to request a BYK quote or a comparable grade#

A useful quote request for a BYK grade names 6 things: the grade or the additive job, the polymer, the application, the destination market with its food-contact route, the annual volume, and whether a comparable grade from another producer is acceptable. This page names no BYK distributor as authorised, because none is confirmed in our sources. The 6 items are listed below.

• Grade code or additive job, such as BYK-MAX NU 4230 or "clarifier for PP".
• Polymer and form: PP, PE, PA, recyclate, plastisol or dry blend.
• Application and process: film, fibre, injection moulding or spread coating.
• Market and food-contact route: EU 10/2011, 21 CFR or both.
• Annual volume and sample need.
• Openness to a comparable grade (Table 8).

No minimum order quantity, lead time or price is printed, because none is verified. Smaller buyers often go through plastic additive distributors.

How Did BYK Become a Plastic Additive Manufacturer?#

BYK is a plastic additive manufacturer as one business line of a company that states it has existed for more than 150 years and that serves coatings and printing inks first; a primary-source date for its first plastics additive is not in our source library. The founding and plant dates in circulation come from an encyclopedia article flagged for missing citations, so this page does not reproduce them; the earliest plastics date we can confirm is BYK's PFAS-free processing aid release of 29 May 2024. BYK is one of 57 companies in our directory of plastic additive manufacturers and suppliers, in the group of impact modifier, nucleator, peroxide and processing-additive producers.

Our ranking of the largest plastic additive companies lists BYK's additive sales as not disclosed. Scale exists only for the whole market: USD 43.5 billion for 2023 (MarketsandMarkets) to USD 63.71 billion for 2025 (Precedence Research).

BYK-Gardner instruments: what BYK measures on plastics#

BYK-Gardner and "BYK instruments" refer to BYK's measuring and testing instruments business, which assesses the appearance and physical properties of materials, and those instruments are not additives. BYK presents them on byk-instruments.com, and no model is named here. Haze and clarity decide whether a clarified polypropylene container passes, as explained under haze and clarity measurement, and colour difference decides whether a coloured part matches its standard. Delta E, CIELAB and metamerism are covered in color measurement and matching of plastics.

BYK coatings and ink additives outside the plastics border#

Most BYK products, including the surface additives, defoamers and DISPERBYK dispersants that dominate searches for BYK grade numbers, are made for coatings and inks and are outside the scope of this plastics reference. BYK-333, DISPERBYK-110 and BYK-A 530 are coatings grades not described here, and BYK-9076 (printing inks) and the ANTI-TERRA coatings line are outside scope too.

Is DISPERBYK a plastic additive?#

Mostly no: DISPERBYK is BYK's wetting and dispersing brand for liquid coatings and inks, and the only DISPERBYK grade BYK lists for plastics on its PVC page is DISPERBYK-2157, for pigments in PVC wall coverings. BYK's PVC page describes DISPERBYK as additives that optimize the incorporation of solid particles into liquid and solid media, so the brand counts as a plastics brand on this page only through that one use.

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