Flame Retardant Selector by Polymer and UL 94 Rating: 10 Polymer Groups, Stored Dosages and Test Notes

This flame retardant selector filters 57 flame retardant records by polymer and UL 94 rating and shows the stored dosage and test note for each polymer entry word for word. Pick one of 10 polymer groups, set a target of UL 94 V-0, V-2 or HB, and the entries whose stored text mentions that class move to the top, next to their chemistry and a halogen-free badge where the record supports one.

The selector never turns a dosage into a promise: it reports what the source published for one system, at one thickness, with one set of synergists.

What the Flame Retardant Selector Does#

The selector turns the substance reference into a shortlist: one polymer in, every stored flame retardant entry for that polymer out, ranked by the UL 94 class its note mentions. Flame retardants are one family among the 43 families of plastic additives indexed on this site, and 29 of the 57 flame retardant records carry a polymer-specific entry with a dosage, a test note or both. Those 29 records hold 58 polymer entries, and each entry is shown exactly as stored.

What does the selector take, and what does it return? The inputs and outputs are listed below.

The 10 polymer groups cover the main polymers for flame retardants for plastics: PP; PE and EVA, including cable compounds; PVC; PS, HIPS and ABS; PC and PC/ABS; PA 6 and PA 66, including glass-filled and high-temperature PA; PBT and PET; epoxy and other thermosets; TPE and TPU; and a last group for PU foam and general thermoplastics. One entry can sit in several groups: "HIPS, ABS, PP, PA, PBT, PVC with halogen donor" appears under 5 of them.

How to Use the Selector in 6 Steps#

Shortlist flame retardants in 6 steps: choose the polymer, set the target, narrow the polymer, filter the chemistry, read the ranked entries, then open the profile.

1. Choose the polymer group; the number in brackets counts its stored entries.
2. Set the UL 94 target, or leave it on any rating to list the entries by substance name.
3. Narrow the group to one polymer description if the grade matters, for example "GF-PA6 (25 % GF)".
4. Tick one or more chemistry classes, or switch on halogen-free only; with nothing ticked, every class is shown.
5. Read the entries that mention the target first, with the stored dosage and test note side by side.
6. Open the substance profile from the name link, where one is published, for identity, sources and regulatory status.

The result count updates with each change and is announced to screen readers. On a narrow screen the table scrolls sideways inside its own frame.

What the Results Mean#

Each result row holds 5 fields: the flame retardant, the polymer as recorded, the stored dosage, the stored test note and the chemistry. A field the source left empty reads "not recorded in this reference", which happens for 26 of the 58 dosages and 2 of the 58 notes.

Stored dosage#

The stored dosage is the loading the cited source published for that polymer, in the unit the source used. Mineral fillers appear in wt% or phr ("160 phr (61.5 wt%)" for aluminium trihydrate in the Huber HFFR reference formulation), phosphorus systems in wt%, and 3 records carry a single ECHA mapping concentration that the note marks as "given once for all listed polymers". That is a typical concentration, not a loading for V-0.

Stored test note#

The stored test note is the published result or condition attached to the dosage, most often a UL 94 class with a thickness, an LOI value, a glow-wire temperature or a CTI value. The 4 property types the notes cite are compared below; full test procedures are on UL 94 flammability ratings.

A UL 94 class without a thickness is incomplete. The selector shows thickness only when the stored note gives it, as in "V-0 at 1.6 and 0.8 mm".

Rating markers and ranking#

A "Mentions UL 94 V-0" marker means the stored dosage or note contains that class, nothing more. Across all 58 entries, 19 mention V-0, 1 mentions V-1, 1 mentions V-2 and none mentions HB. The marker reads the text, not the chemistry: the polycarbonate note for KSS mentions V-0 for a research analogue, KTSS, and the marker appears there too, so the note always sits beside it.

Entries that mention the chosen class rank first and the rest follow by substance name; "Show only entries that mention the target rating" hides the rest. When nothing in the group mentions the target, the selector says so.

Chemistry classes and the halogen-free badge#

The selector derives 10 chemistry classes from each stored record's name, synonyms, function text and formula, and a substance can carry more than one. Melamine polyphosphate, for example, is filed under nitrogen and melamine, intumescent, and synergists, because its stored record supports all 3. The classes are compared below.

The halogen-free badge shows on 28 of the 57 records, and every badge states its basis. Two bases exist: the stored description calls the substance halogen-free (AlPi, BDP, RDP and 4 others), or the stored formula is readable and contains no fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine. A substance whose record ties it to a halogen donor, such as antimony trioxide ("Always paired with a Br or Cl donor"), gets no badge, and neither does a record without a readable formula. Background on the chemistry is on halogen-free flame retardants.

Worked Example: Halogen-Free UL 94 V-0 Polypropylene#

Set to PP and UL 94 V-0, the selector returns 13 stored entries and ranks 4 that mention V-0 first, and all 4 stay when halogen-free only is switched on. The selector opens on exactly this setting, so the rows below are what a first visit shows; the chemistry behind these systems is explained on flame retardants for polypropylene.

All values are stored entries from the substance reference, built 2026-10-24, shown as the selector displays them.

Read the 4 rows together and one pattern stands out: every V-0 entry for polypropylene is an intumescent system, the 3 entries with a stored dosage sit between 21 and 30 wt%, and the PAPP and MPP rows describe one and the same 2:1 blend. Uncompounded PP has an LOI of 17.5 to 17.8 vol % O2, below the 21 % of air, which is why the stored APP note matters: 0.25-2 wt% ZnO or MnO lifts the LOI of intumescent PP to 30-43.7 %.

Switching halogen-free only on drops 4 of the 13 entries: the 2 DBDPE rows, antimony trioxide and FR-370. FR-370 carries the only V-2 note in the reference ("UL 94 V-2 class"), so it moves to the top when the target is set to V-2 and the halogen-free switch is off.

The same settings on PA 6 and PA 66 return 13 entries, 7 of which mention V-0. AlPi leads with "about 15 wt% for UL 94 V-0 at 1.6 and 0.8 mm" in PA 6T/66 and "15-20 wt% (as Exolit OP 1312 blend)" in glass-filled PA 6 and PA 66, where the note adds GWIT 775 °C, GWFI 960 °C and CTI 600 V. The melamine cyanurate note for unfilled PA 6 and PA 66 says its dosage is "not confirmed", and the selector prints that warning rather than a number. Polyamide systems in depth are on flame retardants for nylon.

Data Source and Limits#

The data is the flame retardant family of this site's substance reference: 57 records, compiled from the sources cited on each substance profile and built 2026-10-24. The notes name their origin where the source did, for example Huber formulations, Albemarle Saytex 8010 data, Clariant Exolit grades, work by Schartel and co-authors on red phosphorus and BDP, and the ECHA plastic additives initiative mapping. Of the 57 records, 12 have a published profile, and only those names are links.

The 6 limits below apply to every result.

• Ratings are system results. Ratings depend on thickness, filler, synergists and the full formulation; a listed result is the published result for that system, not a guarantee.
• Absence is not failure. 28 records have no polymer entry and sit in a collapsed list under the results; an empty row says nothing about performance.
• HB is unpopulated. No stored note mentions HB, so the HB target always returns the warning, not a ranking.
• Mentions are textual. A marker can come from a research analogue, a blend partner or a patent range.
• Groups are text matches. The polymer description decides the group; "Polyolefins, PA, cable compounds" appears under PP, PE and PA alike.
• Regulatory status is elsewhere. Legacy records such as decaBDE, HBCD and Dechlorane Plus stay listed, and the selector shows no REACH, SVHC or POPs status; the profile and flame retardant regulations carry it.

From Shortlist to Tested Compound#

A shortlist from the selector becomes a compound only after the candidate is tested at the part's own thickness, in the part's own formulation.

Check the rating against the part#

A UL 94 class holds for the thickness it was tested at, which is why the stored AlPi note names both 1.6 and 0.8 mm. Unmodified polycarbonate already rates HB to V-2 without any additive, and glass fibre changes how a bar burns through the candle-wick effect, so a note from an unfilled grade does not transfer to a filled one. Ratings for complete compounds by polymer are collected on flame-retardant plastics.

Convert phr and wt% dosages#

Cable entries arrive in phr: aluminium trihydrate at 160 phr is 61.5 wt% in the Huber EVA/LLDPE formulation, and HFFR cable runs 160 to 180 phr of ATH or MDH. Aluminium trihydrate starts to decompose at about 200 °C, while magnesium hydroxide stays stable to about 320 °C, which sets the processing window. The PHR to weight percent calculator converts a full recipe between the two units, and flame retardants for wire and cable covers the HFFR and LSZH packages.

Source the shortlisted grades#

Stored notes name trade grades, such as Exolit OP 1230, Saytex 8010 and Martinal. The flame retardant manufacturers and suppliers directory lists who makes them, and the plastic additive supplier finder collects one quote request for a shortlisted grade.

Frequently asked questions#

Which flame retardant gives UL 94 V-0 in polypropylene?#

The stored polypropylene entries that mention V-0 are intumescent systems: formulated ammonium polyphosphate at 22-30 wt% for UL 94 V-0, and piperazine pyrophosphate with melamine polyphosphate (2:1) at 21 wt% total.

Does a V-0 result in the selector guarantee that my part passes UL 94?#

No. Ratings depend on thickness, filler, synergists and the full formulation; a listed result is the published result for that system, not a guarantee.

Why does antimony trioxide not carry the halogen-free badge?#

Its stored record says it is always paired with a bromine or chlorine donor, so the selector does not badge it, even though Sb2O3 itself contains no halogen. Its role in halogenated systems is covered on flame retardant synergists.

Why does the UL 94 HB filter return no matching entry?#

None of the stored dosage or test notes mentions HB, so the selector lists the entries for reference and shows none of them as reaching HB.

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