ROLL Lab · calculators
The plastic core lab
The free apps give you the full result straight away. The Prof apps give you the verdict straight away and email you the full report. Every calculation states its model and sources.
Free, instant result
Plastic core weight
Tell me material, diameter and wall: I’ll tell you the weight per metre, per piece and how many pieces make a tonne.
Weight per metre and per piece of a PVC, PP, HDPE, PS or ABS core, compared with cardboard.
base🧪Which plastic for your core?
Three questions on heat, food and priorities, and I’ll tell you which plastic to start from. Then you run the test, on the real roll.
From maximum temperature, food contact and your priority to the recommended core material.
base🇪🇺PPWR: is your core ready for 2030?
Give me the material and the post-consumer recycled share: I’ll tell you how far you are from the 2030 and 2040 targets.
Material, post-consumer recycled share and type of contact: PPWR 2030 and 2040 targets and the gap to close.
Prof: instant verdict, report by email
Cardboard or plastic for your case
Tell me the environment, reuses and pressure: I’ll put cardboard and plastic in the ring and tell you which costs less per use, with the wall each one needs.
Environment, number of reuses and required strength: cardboard or plastic verdict, estimated wall and cost per use.
prof🔁Does reuse pay?
Reuse is a promise until you do the sums. Give me prices, returns and the cost of the trip: I’ll tell you after how many trips plastic breaks even.
Plastic and cardboard core prices, return rate and return cost: break-even threshold, average trips and cost per use.
prof🧱Minimum plastic core wall
Plastic doesn’t break: it gives in slowly, with heat and with time. Tell me film, roll and temperature and I’ll estimate the minimum wall with the right margin.
From film and roll to the pressure on the core, then to the minimum wall by material and temperature, with creep and buckling.
prof🚚Cores per pallet, truck and container
Cores are tubes full of air: give me sizes and vehicle, and I’ll tell you how many you can load and whether you run out of space or payload first.
How many cores per pallet, per articulated trailer and per container, with the volume and weight limit.
How to read the results
The calculators use simplified ROLL Lab models, based on typical polymer values and published standards. They are for comparing solutions and preparing an enquiry. Guaranteeing performance takes a test on the real core, at the service temperature.