Ji-Horng Plastic Co., Ltd. Plastic Material: Identification by Burn Test
Each plastic material has its own features, such as melting temperature, shrinkage rate, drying conditions, etc., thus it is quite important to identify different kinds of plastic material, In addition to distinguish the material by the sound of dropping down, "Burn Test" is also a effective way.
How:
1. First, pick up the plastic article with tweezers, and put the plastic article on flame source, once it begins burning, keep it away from flame source.
2. Then, observe the color of the flame, the nature of the flame, if there is soot, and whether or not the melted plastic drips.
3. After that, blow out the flame and using your hands, fan some of the smoke toward your nose to get an idea of smell.
4. If the fire extinguishes on removal of flame source, which means the plastic material is "Self-Extinguishing"
| Materials | Continues to Burn after Removal of Flame Source | Burns, but Extinguishes on Removal of Flame Source | Remarks | ||||||
| Color or Flame | Difficulty of Burning | Drips | Odor | Color or Flame | Difficulty of Burning | Drips | Odor | ||
| Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) | Yellow with Blue edges | Easy | Yes | Acrid | - | - | - | - | black smoke with soot in air |
| Acrylic (PMMA) | Blue, yellow tip | Hard | No (cast) Yes (molded) | Fruity | - | - | - | - | No smoke during burning, Flame may spurt if rubber modified |
| Polyamides/Nylon6 (PA/NY) | Blue with yellow tip | Hard | Yes | Burnt wool | - | - | - | - | - |
| Polyamides/Nylon66 (PA/NY) | - | - | - | Blue with yellow tip | Hard | Yes | Burnt wool or hair | More rigid than Nylon6 | |
| Polycarbonate (PC) | - | - | - | Phenol | Orange or Yellow | Hard | Yes | Faint, sweet aromatic ester | black smoke with soot in air |
| Polyethylene (PE) | Blue with yellow tip | Easy | Yes | Paraffin | - | - | - | - | Floats in water |
| Polyoxymethylene (POM) | Blue | Hard | Yes | Formaldehyde | - | - | - | - | No smoke during burning |
| Polypropylene (PP) | Blue with yellow tip | Hard | Yes | Acrid or Diesel Fumes | - | - | - | - | Floats in water; more difficult to scratch than polyethylene |
| Polystyrene (PS) | Yellow | Easy | Yes | Illuminating Gas or marigold | - | - | - | - | dense black smoke with soot in air |
| Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) | - | - | - | - | Yellow with green edges | Hard | No | Hydro-chloric acid | white smoke |
Thermosetting Plastic
| Materials | Continues to Burn after Removal of Flame Source | Burns, but Extinguishes on Removal of Flame Source | Remarks | ||||||
| Color or Flame | Difficulty of Burning | Drips | Odor | Color or Flame | Difficulty of Burning | Drips | Odor | ||
| Polyepoxide, Expoxy Resin (EPOXY) | Yellow | Hard | No | Phenol | - | - | - | black smoke with soot in air | |
| Melamine Resin (MF) | - | - | - | - | Yellow with blue tip | - | - | Formaldehyde and fish | Swells and Cracks |
| Phenolic Resins (PF) | - | - | - | - | Yellow | No | Phenol | Swells and Cracks | |
| Polyurethane (PU) | Yellow | Hard | No | - | - | - | - | - | black smoke |
| Polysiloxanes, Silicone (SI) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | black smoke, deforms |
| Urea-Formaldehyde Resin (UF) | - | - | - | - | Yellow with greenish blue edge | - | - | - | Swells and Cracks |
| Unsaturated Polyester (UP) | Yellow with blue edges | Easy | No | burning rubber | Yellow | - | No | Hydrochloric acida | Cracks and breaks, black smoke with soot in air |
| Related Article: | Basic Plastic Material Identification by Buoyancy Test |
**Ji-Horng Plastic is a leading plastic injection molding manufacturer since 1986, for more information, please contact us!**
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