Purchasing · from specification to sampling
Plastic core manufacturers: how to choose and what to ask
On this page · calculators
Before you contact a manufacturer
The most common enquiries contain inside diameter, length and quantity. With these three figures a manufacturer can give a price, but cannot guarantee the core will work. Prepare the seven data points of the application instead: wound material and roll, inside diameter and shaft, length and tolerances, temperature, environment, hygiene, life cycle. The 7 data points explained.
Questions to ask the manufacturer
| Topic | Question | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | Which polymers and compounds do you use? Virgin, recycled, filled? | performance, food contact, PPWR |
| Recycled content | What share of post-consumer recycled plastic does the core contain, and how is it documented? | PPWR Art. 7: only post-consumer counts; UK PPT: 30% threshold |
| Tests | Which method do you use to measure strength (ISO 9969, speed, temperature)? | comparable numbers |
| Long term | Do you have creep data or storage test results? | the strength that counts is the one after weeks |
| Temperature | How does strength change at 40 and 50 °C? | containers, summer |
| Sizes | Which diameters do you already have tooling for? Which tolerances do you guarantee and how do you measure them? | lead times, costs, inspection |
| Cutting | Which cutting method do you use? Do you deburr the ends? | edge quality, chips |
| Hygiene | Can you provide a declaration of compliance with Regulation (EU) 10/2011? Bagged packing? | food plants and clean areas |
| Substances | Do you declare compliance with heavy metal limits and REACH restrictions? | recycled PVC |
| Take-back | Do you take back used cores or scrap? Do you support a return loop? | reuse and end of life |
| Quality | Which checks do you run in production, and with what sampling? | batch consistency |
The specification: what to write
A purchase specification for plastic cores need not be long, but it must be measurable. A minimum structure:
- Application: wound material, roll, shaft, temperatures, life cycle.
- Material: polymer, virgin or recycled, minimum post-consumer recycled share if required.
- Dimensions and tolerances: inside diameter (referring to ISO 13542 or your own values), wall, outside diameter, length, ovality, straightness or TIR.
- Finishes: smooth or ribbed bore, deburred ends, notches, colour, polymer marking.
- Performance: ring stiffness or 3% force with test method and temperature; storage test if relevant.
- Documents: declarations on substances, food contact, recycled content; batch certificate.
- Packing and delivery: pallet, protection, batch label, quantity per pack.
- Acceptance: sampling, instruments, rejection criteria.
The calculation is below. For the full version, with the formulas explained, open the calculator for how many cores fit on a pallet and a truck.
Cores per pallet, truck and containerCores 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.
Staggered rows, maximum overhang a quarter of the diameter, container door 2200 mm. ROLL loading algorithm.
Your full report is ready. Where shall I send it?
I’ll show you the full layout, pallets and weight per vehicle right here, and email you a copy. One email only, no automatic sign-up.
ROLL Lab estimate, not a test certificate. Prepare your enquiry for the manufacturer →
Sampling
A serious sample batch is worth more than any data sheet:
- a few pallets, not a few cores: you need them to see consistency;
- a trial on the most critical roll (largest diameter, most elastic material, warm season);
- bore measurement after 1, 7 and 14 days;
- unwinding and shaft extraction tests;
- for reuse, an inspection after the first return.
Record everything: the sampling measurements become the reference for subsequent deliveries.
Incoming inspection
| Check | Tool | Usual sampling |
|---|---|---|
| Inside diameter | step gauge or go/no-go plug gauge | at least 3 pieces per pallet; 100% with plain shafts |
| Outside diameter and roundness | vernier caliper, two readings | 3 pieces per pallet (bottom, middle, top) |
| Wall | caliper, four readings | as above |
| Length | caliper or end-stop gauge | 9 pieces per pallet |
| Appearance | visual check | cracks, burrs, dirt, colour |
| Documents | check | batch certificate, declarations |
The sampling follows the GMP procedures in Fiaptech technical documentation (a company with corporate ties to ROLL). The instrument must suit the tolerance: a tape measure reading 1 mm cannot check a length to ±0.3 mm. Sizes and tolerances.
Comparing quotes
Two quotes for “76 × 1,000 mm cores” can differ a lot in price and almost as much in content. To compare them, bring them to a common basis:
- price per kilo as well as per piece: it reveals different walls or densities;
- performance at the same temperature and method: a ring stiffness at 23 °C is not worth one at 40 °C;
- documented post-consumer recycled content: from 2030 it will also have regulatory value, and in the UK it already decides whether Plastic Packaging Tax is due;
- total delivered cost: packing, freight, minimum quantities, lead times;
- services: take-back of used cores, cutting to length, stock holding.
Warning signs
- data sheets without test method, speed or temperature;
- promises of “hundreds of reuses” with no data or conditions;
- recycled content declared without distinguishing post-consumer and post-industrial;
- no questions about temperature, shaft or wound material;
- tolerances declared tighter than the inspection instrument can measure.
Find who makes your core
Do you already have your application data? Describe the core you need: we will pass the request on to manufacturers suited by material, size and region.
Looking for a core manufacturer? Find one here
Describe the core you need: we show you manufacturers in your country and nearby straight away, and email you the summary. A free service by ROLL Packaging.
List source: tube and core manufacturers in the European association ECTA, plus ROLL referrals. A ROLL Packaging service.
The service is run by ROLL, the publisher of this guide. ROLL designs and supplies roll accessories and has corporate ties to Fiaptech, a plastic core manufacturer cited among the sources. We say so because the request might also reach companies we have relationships with.
Frequently asked questions
What should I ask a plastic core manufacturer?
Polymer and compound, post-consumer recycled share and how it is documented, strength test method, long-term and hot data, guaranteed tolerances and how they are measured, cutting method, documents for food contact and substances, and willingness to take back used cores.
How do I write a specification for plastic cores?
With eight measurable items: application, material, dimensions and tolerances, finishes, performance with test method, documents, packing and delivery, acceptance criteria.
How do I run a core sample trial?
With a few pallets, a trial on the most critical roll in the warm season, bore measurement at 1, 7 and 14 days, a shaft extraction test and, for reuse, an inspection after the first return.
Which checks should I make when cores arrive?
Inside diameter, outside diameter and roundness, wall, length and appearance on a sample per pallet, with instruments suited to the tolerances, plus a check of the batch documents.
Further reading
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.
Sizes and tolerances
Plastic core sizes: diameters in inches and mm, walls, ISO 13542 tolerances, ovality, TIR, smooth or ribbed bore, shafts and how to measure cores properly.
Strength
Radial strength of plastic cores: roll pressure, Lamé, buckling, creep, temperature, the ISO 9969 test and how plastic differs from cardboard under load.
PPWR
PPWR (EU 2025/40) and plastic cores: when they are packaging, 35% and 65% recycled content, exemptions, grades A–C, reuse, QR labels, dates and the UK tax.
About
Plastic Cores Guide is a project by ROLL · ROLL Lab: who writes it, why, method and sources, declared ties with companies cited and how to report an error.
Sources
- Fiaptech technical documentation, GMP quality control procedures (a company with corporate ties to ROLL)
- ISO 13542:2006 and ISO 9969:2007
- Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (PPWR), Art. 7 and Annex VII, EUR-Lex
- Regulation (EU) 10/2011 on plastic materials in contact with food
- HM Revenue & Customs, Plastic Packaging Tax guidance, GOV.UK
- ROLL Lab analysis
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