Transparency · method · sources
About us: a project by ROLL · ROLL Lab
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Who publishes this guide
Plastic Cores Guide (plastic-cores.info) is published by ROLL, a company based in Lombardy, Italy, that designs and supplies packaging and accessories for industrial rolls and reels: core plugs, end walls, cradles, chocks, racks and the RECYCLO machine for recovering cores at the end of the roll. ROLL’s customers work in flexible packaging, paper and tissue, aluminium, technical textiles, pharmaceuticals and food.
The texts are written and reviewed by the ROLL Lab, ROLL’s technical team, with input from specialists in plastics, packaging regulation and quality.
Why this guide
Anyone looking for information on plastic cores mostly finds product pages: a few lines, few numbers, no sources. The answers to the questions that matter are missing: when plastic really pays, how to size the wall, what changes with the PPWR and the UK Plastic Packaging Tax, how to run a return loop. We wanted a reference that answers these questions without hiding the cases in which cardboard is still the better choice.
Plastic Cores Guide is not affiliated with any company that has a similar name: it is the technical guide of ROLL · ROLL Lab.
Our method
- Primary sources first: legal texts on EUR-Lex and GOV.UK, ISO and EN standards, Eurostat statistics.
- Data with units and conditions: every number carries its source and, where needed, the test method.
- Declared analysis: when we calculate or build a table we label it “ROLL Lab analysis”, with the source of the starting data.
- Estimates, not certificates: the calculators are ROLL Lab estimates and must be confirmed by a test on the real core.
- Review: technical and regulatory pages are read by an engineer and a lawyer before publication and updated when standards and data change.
Our main sources
- Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging (PPWR), text on EUR-Lex.
- HMRC guidance on the UK Plastic Packaging Tax, on GOV.UK.
- ISO 13542 (internal diameters of cores), ISO 11093 (tests on paper cores), ISO 9969 (ring stiffness of thermoplastic pipes), EN 13476 and EN ISO 9967 (creep of thermoplastic pipes).
- EU regulations on food contact materials: 1935/2004, 2023/2006, 10/2011, 2022/1616.
- Eurostat packaging waste statistics.
- CONAI circular on tubes and rolls (Italy, 2013).
- Technical documentation from Fiaptech, a company with corporate ties to ROLL (Smart Book “Which core?”, GMP quality control procedures).
- Technical literature on polymers and industry publications cited page by page.
Declared ties
In fairness to our readers:
- ROLL sells core plugs, end walls, cradles, chocks, racks and the RECYCLO machine. When these products are useful to the reader we point them out in a clearly marked box.
- Fiaptech, a plastic core manufacturer cited as a source, is a company with corporate ties to ROLL. Every figure taken from its documentation is labelled as such.
- We do not name competing manufacturers or publish opinions on individual companies.
How we update the content
Regulatory pages are rechecked when the European Commission publishes delegated or implementing acts under the PPWR, when HMRC changes Plastic Packaging Tax rates or rules, and when Eurostat statistics or national EPR rules change. Technical pages are updated when we have new test data, our own or published. Every page shows its update date.
Limits of this guide
The information is for general technical and educational purposes. It does not replace supplier data sheets, tests on real materials or legal advice. The standards cited may be amended or supplemented by delegated acts and guidance after the page’s update date.
Report an error
If you find a wrong or outdated figure, write to us via the contact page of roll-packaging.com, stating the page and the correct source. We correct it and update the page date.
Frequently asked questions
Who publishes plastic-cores.info?
ROLL, an Italian company specialising in packaging and accessories for industrial rolls and reels. The texts are edited by its technical team, the ROLL Lab.
Is the guide independent?
It is a technical guide with declared sources, published by a company in the industry. That is why we declare our ties: ROLL sells roll accessories and has corporate ties to Fiaptech, a plastic core manufacturer cited among the sources.
Do the calculators give guaranteed results?
No. They are ROLL Lab estimates based on models and declared assumptions. Every result must be confirmed by a test on the real core and roll.
Further reading
Guide
Plastic cores for rolls: PVC, PP or HDPE, sizes, strength, reuse, hygiene, moisture and PPWR. A technical guide with data, standards and calculators.
How to choose
How to choose a plastic core: roll, bore and shaft, length, temperature, environment, hygiene and reuse. A decision tree, common mistakes and calculators.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions on plastic cores: materials, sizes, strength, reuse, hygiene, moisture, PPWR, UK tax, recycling, cutting and choosing a supplier.
Glossary
Glossary of plastic cores for rolls: materials, sizes, tests, shafts, plugs, recycling, PPWR and UK tax. Over 50 terms explained in plain English.
Manufacturers
How to choose a plastic core manufacturer: data to send, questions to ask, specification, sampling, incoming inspection, PPWR and UK tax documents.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (PPWR), EUR-Lex
- HMRC, Plastic Packaging Tax guidance, GOV.UK
- ISO and EN standards cited on each page
- Eurostat
- Fiaptech technical documentation (a company with corporate ties to ROLL)
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