mPP
PP produced using single-site metallocene catalysts rather than conventional Ziegler-Natta systems, giving a narrower molecular-weight distribution, improved clarity, lower extractables and better sealing performance, favored for films and medical-grade parts.
Reference datasheet — mPP is not in the instant-quote catalog. Upload your part and an engineer will quote it in this grade or suggest the closest stocked equivalent.
Values for the UNF condition
mPP grades and fills
mPP is supplied in 11 conditions, soft to hard. UNF is the default FabDigit quotes; the values on this page are for it.
Compare all 11 grades and fillsHide
| Grade · open for datasheet | Best for | Yield MPa | Tensile MPa | Elong. % | Hardness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Propylene-based elastomer / plastomer | Very soft, low-crystallinity metallocene propylene copolymer used as modifier, elastic film and soft-touch TPO component. | 12 | 900 | 25 Shore D | |
Impact-modified | Choose for sub-zero drop-impact requirements in housings, thin-wall crates and automotive interior parts. | 22 | 24 | 500 | 60 Shore D |
Flame-retardant, UL 94 V-0 | Required for electrical enclosures and appliance parts; FR package cuts impact strength and clarity. | 25 | 26 | 30 | 70 Shore D |
Metallocene random copolymer | Pick when you need high transparency, low-temperature seal initiation and better low-temp toughness (film, thin-wall containers, medical packaging). | 26 | 28 | 600 | |
Antistatic / conductive | For electronics trays and dust-sensitive packaging needing controlled surface resistivity. | 27 | 28 | 15 | 72 Shore D |
Talc / mineral filled | Cheap stiffness and dimensional stability boost for housings and automotive parts where clarity is not needed. | 29 | 30 | 25 | |
Fiber / nonwoven grade | High-MFR narrow-MWD resin for fine-denier spunbond and meltblown webs with stable spinning and soft handfeel. | 32 | 34 | 300 | 69 Shore D |
Heat-stabilized | For hot-air/hot-water contact and under-hood-adjacent parts requiring 1000+ h oven aging. | 32 | 34 | 400 | 68 Shore D |
UNFDefault Unfilled / natural | Baseline clear/natural mPP homopolymer for injection molding, sheet and CPP film where stiffness and clarity matter. | 33 | 35 | 400 | |
Clarified / nucleated | Use for glass-clear thin-wall injection parts and faster cycles; clarifier raises stiffness and HDT slightly. | 33 | 34 | 350 | 70 Shore D |
30 % glass-fiber reinforced | Structural mPP compound for brackets, pump housings and hot-water fittings needing stiffness and creep resistance. | 80 | 3 |
Supply forms, finishes and certifications
Ways mPP is supplied — form, process route, surface or paperwork — without a datasheet of their own. The property values above apply.
| Option | What it is | Type |
|---|---|---|
FILM | Film grade | Supply form |
MED | Medical / FDA / pharma grade | Certification |
UV | UV-stabilized | Grade option |
What is mPP?
PP produced using single-site metallocene catalysts rather than conventional Ziegler-Natta systems, giving a narrower molecular-weight distribution, improved clarity, lower extractables and better sealing performance, favored for films and medical-grade parts. mPP has a density of 0.9 g/cm³ (0.0325 lb/in³), lighter than 82% of polymer grades. Its glass-transition temperature is -5°C (23 °F). mPP has a yield strength of 33 MPa (4.79 ksi) and a tensile strength of 35 MPa (5.08 ksi) — weaker than 68% of polymer grades. Elongation at break is 400% and the elastic modulus is 1.3 GPa (0.189 Msi).
What is mPP used for?
- Flexible packaging film
- Medical device components
- Non-woven fibers
- Retort packaging
- Heat-seal layers
Advantages
- Low moisture uptake — 0.01%, better than 97% of polymer grades
- Low embodied carbon — 2 kg CO₂/kg, better than 96% of polymer grades
- Readily welded — 85/100, better than 89% of polymer grades
- Ductile — tolerates forming and impact — 400%, better than 86% of polymer grades
- Lightweight — 0.9 g/cm³ (0.0325 lb/in³), better than 82% of polymer grades
Limitations
- Degrades in UV without stabilisers — 25/100, worse than 76% of polymer grades
mPP properties
Typical room-temperature values for mPP-UNF; bars are the position among polymer grades.
Physical7
mPP has a density of 0.9 g/cm³ (0.0325 lb/in³), lighter than 82% of polymer grades. Its glass-transition temperature is -5°C (23 °F).
Mechanical15
mPP has a yield strength of 33 MPa (4.79 ksi) and a tensile strength of 35 MPa (5.08 ksi) — weaker than 68% of polymer grades. Elongation at break is 400% and the elastic modulus is 1.3 GPa (0.189 Msi).
Thermal11
mPP is rated for continuous service to 95°C (203 °F). It conducts heat at 0.2 W/m·K (0.116 BTU/hr·ft·°F), worse than 56% of polymer grades. Thermal expansion is 100 µm/m·K (55.6 µin/in·°F).
Electrical7
mPP is an electrical insulator with a dielectric strength of 30 kV/mm (762 V/mil) and a resistivity of 1×10¹⁴ Ω·m.
Chemical & Environmental3
Corrosion resistance is excellent (90/100), better than 82% of polymer grades. UV resistance is poor.
Sustainability4
Producing a kilogram of mPP takes about 78 MJ of energy and emits 2 kg of CO₂ — less than 88% of polymer grades. Typical recycled content is 0%.
Manufacturability8
mPP's machinability is good (60/100, better than 51% of polymer grades); weldability excellent (85/100); formability very good (80/100).
Common Calculations5
Values are nominal handbook figures for design screening. Certified mill or lot data ships with every FabDigit order on request.
Strength versus weight in the polymer family
Yield strength against density for every polymer grade FabDigit runs. mPP is highlighted; hover a dot for its name, or open the interactive family chart.
Working with mPP
Is mPP easy to machine?
Machines easily with sharp positive-rake tools, high speed and low feed; use coolant/air blast to avoid gumming and expect springback on tight tolerances.
Can mPP be welded?
Excellent hot-plate, hot-gas, ultrasonic, IR and spin welding with PP filler rod; no solvent bonding — surface must be flame/corona/plasma treated before adhesive or print.
Can mPP be formed, bent or molded?
Narrow MWD gives low melt elasticity: high-clarity injection molding is easy (melt 200–250 °C, mold 20–40 °C), but blow molding, extrusion foaming and deep thermoforming need higher melt strength or a broadened blend.
mPP chemical composition (wt %)
Limits by weight percent from the governing specification, written the way the spec states them — a single maximum for impurities, a range for alloying elements, and the base element as balance. Nominal is the typical mid-range value.
| Element | Spec limit (wt %) | Nominal |
|---|---|---|
| ethylene (comonomer)random-copolymer / plastomer grades; 0 for homopolymer | 0 – 12 | 3.5 |
| 1-butene / higher alpha-olefin (comonomeused in some terpolymer seal-layer grades | 0 – 8 | 0 |
| stabilizer & process additive packagephenolic/phosphite AO, acid scavenger, slip/antiblock, optional clarifier | 0.05 – 0.6 | 0.25 |
| metallocene catalyst residue (Zr, Al)ppm-level; lower ash than Z-N PP | 0 – 0.01 | 0 |
| propylenemetallocene-catalyzed polypropylene backbone; homopolymer = 100 % propylene | ≥ 88 (balance) |
What surface finishes work on mPP?
Not paintable or platable as-molded; requires corona/flame/plasma activation or adhesion primer, and dyeing is not possible — use masterbatch coloring or in-mold texture/film decoration.
How much does mPP cost?
mPP is a standard-cost polymer ($$), cheaper than about 71% of the materials FabDigit quotes. Part price depends far more on geometry, tolerance and quantity than on the raw stock — upload a CAD file for a live quote.
mPP — frequently asked
What is mPP used for?
mPP is typically used for flexible packaging film, medical device components, non-woven fibers, retort packaging and heat-seal layers. In short: clearest polypropylene class; low-extractable medical PP; best heat-seal PP.
What is the yield strength of mPP?
mPP has a typical yield strength of 33 MPa (4.79 ksi) and a tensile strength of 35 MPa (5.08 ksi) — weaker than 68% of polymer grades. Strength varies by condition: see the 11 listed tempers.
Is mPP easy to machine?
Reasonably — machinability is rated good (60/100, better than 51% of polymer grades). Machines easily with sharp positive-rake tools, high speed and low feed; use coolant/air blast to avoid gumming and expect springback on tight tolerances.
Can mPP be welded?
Yes — weldability is rated excellent (85/100). Excellent hot-plate, hot-gas, ultrasonic, IR and spin welding with PP filler rod; no solvent bonding — surface must be flame/corona/plasma treated before adhesive or print.
What surface finishes work on mPP?
Not paintable or platable as-molded; requires corona/flame/plasma activation or adhesion primer, and dyeing is not possible — use masterbatch coloring or in-mold texture/film decoration.
Can mPP be formed, bent or molded?
Narrow MWD gives low melt elasticity: high-clarity injection molding is easy (melt 200–250 °C, mold 20–40 °C), but blow molding, extrusion foaming and deep thermoforming need higher melt strength or a broadened blend.
What is the maximum service temperature of mPP?
mPP is rated for continuous use to about 95°C (203 °F), and briefly to 120°C. Strength falls off well before that limit — check the elevated-temperature data for load-bearing parts.
What is the difference between mPP UNF and mPP IM?
UNF is the default condition — baseline clear/natural mPP homopolymer for injection molding, sheet and CPP film where stiffness and clarity matter. IM: choose for sub-zero drop-impact requirements in housings, thin-wall crates and automotive interior parts. Yield strength is 33 MPa in UNF versus 22 MPa in IM.
How much does mPP cost?
mPP is a standard-cost polymer ($$), cheaper than about 71% of the materials FabDigit quotes. Part price depends far more on geometry, tolerance and quantity than on the raw stock — upload a CAD file for a live quote.
Sources
- Lumicene metallocene polypropylene product range — TotalEnergies Polymers (2023)
- Achieve / Vistamaxx performance polymers technical data — ExxonMobil Chemical (2023)
- Metocene metallocene PP grade data — LyondellBasell (2022)
- CAMPUS plastics — polypropylene ISO 10350 datasheets — CWFG / CAMPUS consortium (2024)
- ISO 1873-1/-2 Plastics — Polypropylene (PP) moulding and extrusion materials — ISO (2019)
- GB/T 12670 (PP) (2008)
- Engineered Materials Handbook Vol. 2: Engineering Plastics — ASM International (1988)
Property data is compiled from published supplier and standards handbooks and normalised for comparison; hardness values on non-Brinell scales are converted approximately for charting only. Manufacturability limits are FabDigit quote-engine defaults and may be relaxed by engineering review. Nothing on this page is a certification — request mill certs, CoC or material test reports with your order.