Recycled PP is one of the easiest material switches an injection moulder can make — it runs on the machines you already have. The harder questions are which parts it genuinely suits, and which grade to order for them. This guide answers both: where injection-grade recycled polypropylene earns its place on the shop floor, where it does not, and how our PP grade ladder maps to real parts.
Injection-grade recycled PP is reprocessed polypropylene pelletized to a round, uniform pellet, so it feeds, meters and plasticises on standard injection equipment. There is no retooling, no new screw and no process rebuild — for most moulders the change is a material swap and a short parameter tune, not a project.
What it gives you is classic PP: stiffness, good chemical resistance and low density. Our typical test report reads a melt flow rate of 8 g/10min (ASTM D1238, 220°C/10kg) — squarely in injection territory — with tensile strength of 23–26 MPa and a flexural modulus of 800–900 MPa, so parts hold their shape under load.
Be equally clear about the limit. Notched Izod impact sits around 8 J/m, which is modest. Recycled PP is a stiff material, not a tough one, so it is not the choice for parts that must absorb heavy repeated impact or survive drops in cold conditions. Design around stiffness, not shock absorption, and it performs well.
Crates and stackable containers. The strongest fit. Crates are dark, structural, high-volume and cost-sensitive, and stiffness — not clarity — is what makes them stack. Flexural modulus in the 800–900 MPa range is exactly what a crate wall wants.
Bottle caps and closures. Non-food closures and industrial caps are small, high-cavitation parts where PP's stiffness and chemical resistance matter and colour is usually black or grey anyway. Note the food-contact exclusion below — this applies to industrial and non-food closures.
Household goods. Pails, basins, hangers, storage boxes and furniture components such as chair bases, seat shells and frame parts. These are moulded in dark colours as standard, and the wall sections are generous enough that flow is never the constraint.
Automotive interior and under-bonnet parts. Non-cosmetic components only — clips, brackets, trim carriers, ducting, battery trays, splash shields and similar hidden parts. PP's chemical and heat resistance suits under-bonnet service; the parts are black and unseen, so recycled content costs you nothing visually.
Industrial components and fittings. Housings, spacers, pallets feet, cable spools, non-pressure fittings, agricultural and construction mouldings — anywhere the part is judged on function rather than finish.
Recycled PP does not fit everything, and pretending otherwise costs you scrap. Stay with virgin when:
If you want the full cost-versus-quality argument rather than the application map, we cover it separately in recycled vs virgin PP & HDPE.
Our recycled PP is graded by purity, and purity tracks with melt flow rate: the higher the MFR, the higher the purity, the higher the grade. That single rule is the whole logic of the ladder. A higher-purity tier means cleaner, better-sorted feedstock, which shows up as easier flow and more consistent moulding; a lower tier is still a working injection grade, just less refined and priced accordingly.
Black runs across four tiers and grey across two:
| Grade | Colour | Approx. per-piece density |
|---|---|---|
| Black MRP | Black | ≈ 0.93 kg/pc |
| Black A | Black | ≈ 0.95 kg/pc |
| Black C | Black | ≈ 0.98 kg/pc |
| Black D | Black | ≈ 1.00 kg/pc |
| Grey A | Grey | Grade A tier |
| Grey D | Grey | Grade D tier |
In practice the decision comes down to how much your part depends on flow.
Always trial before volume. No table replaces a sample on your own machine, with your own mould and cycle. Tell us the part, the wall section and the volume, and we will recommend a tier and send material to trial — then confirm it against the COA before you commit to a standing order. If you want to check the numbers yourself, our guide to reading a pellet COA walks through what each figure means.
| Property | Method | Unit | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density | ASTM D792 | g/cm³ | 0.95 ± |
| Melt Flow Rate (220°C/10kg) | ASTM D1238 | g/10min | 8 ± |
| Izod Impact Strength (⅛", notched) | ASTM D256 | J/m | 8 ± |
| Tensile Strength | ASTM D638 | MPa | 23–26 |
| Tensile Elongation | ASTM D638 | % | 60–66 |
| Flexural Strength | ASTM D790 | MPa | 25–28 |
| Flexural Modulus | ASTM D790 | MPa | 800–900 |
RoHS screening by XRF (ppm): Br 356; Hg ND; Cd ND; Pb ND; Cr 14.71.
Recycled PP ships in 25 kg woven bags for smaller runs and trials, or 1 MT jumbo bags for production volume. A Certificate of Analysis comes with every product and full test reports are available on request. Custom and made-to-spec orders are available, subject to MOQ — if your part needs a particular MFR band or a specific tier held consistently, tell us and we will quote it.
We manufacture our recycled PP ourselves. Imported flakes are crushed, washed and pelletized on our own line at our Telok Gong, Klang plant, then tested in-house for melt flow rate, impact strength and density before dispatch. Because the grading and the testing happen under one roof, the tier you order is the tier you receive — batch after batch. That consistency is what makes recycled PP a material you can build a production schedule around, and it is why our grades hold up in export markets as well as locally.
Tell us the part and we will point you at the grade. Call +60 10-976 7491 or 018-394 8577, or email sales@lsmindustries.com.
Tell us the part, wall section and volume — we'll recommend a tier, send a COA and material to trial.
