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PVC cores: virgin and recycled rigid PVC

ROLL Lab · updated 24 October 2026 · sources at the bottom of the page

In shortRigid PVC is the most common material for returnable plastic cores: it is the stiffest of the common polymers, resists moisture and chemicals and, according to Fiaptech documentation (a company with corporate ties to ROLL), reports the highest reuse cycles (more than 35 for virgin, more than 25 for recycled). It has three limits: it weighs about 1.8 times cardboard, loses 20–30% of its strength at 50 °C and must be recycled separately at end of life.
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What rigid PVC is

The PVC (polyvinyl chloride) used for cores is the rigid grade, with no plasticisers: that is why it is also called PVC-U, for “unplasticised”. It is the same material as drainage pipes and window profiles. It is extruded from a powder mix (dry blend) or pellets, with heat stabilisers, lubricants and often mineral fillers.

No plasticisers also means no phthalates by formulation: phthalates make flexible PVC soft (garden hoses, film, cables), not rigid PVC. With recycled PVC from poorly sorted mixes, the guarantee moves from the recipe to the supplier’s declaration: ask for the REACH communication on substances of very high concern (SVHC) above 0.1% by weight (Art. 33 of Regulation (EC) 1907/2006) and compliance with Annex XVII, entry 51 for phthalates and entry 63 for lead.

The density of rigid PVC is about 1.35–1.45 g/cm³, the highest among plastics used for cores. Its short-term modulus, 2.5–3.5 GPa, is roughly twice that of PP and HDPE.

Grey rigid PVC core for film rolls, with a smooth bore

Strengths

  • Stiffness: for the same wall, a PVC core resists buckling under roll pressure better. Walls can be thinner than with PP and HDPE.
  • Limited creep: among common thermoplastics it creeps least at room temperature. EN 13476-2 allows PVC-U pipes a two-year creep ratio of up to 2.5, against 4 for PP and PE.
  • Reuse: according to Fiaptech technical documentation (a company with corporate ties to ROLL), customer experience reports more than 35 cycles for virgin PVC and more than 25 for recycled, the highest values among the plastics considered.
  • Maximum load: in the same documentation a virgin PVC core carries about 3.5 times the maximum load of a cardboard core of the same size.
  • Moisture and chemicals: it absorbs no water and resists many acids, alkalis and oils. It suits wet areas and chemical environments.
  • Self-extinguishing: thanks to its chlorine, rigid PVC tends to go out by itself away from a flame.

Limits

  • Heat: the glass transition is around 80 °C and HDT at 1.8 MPa is between 54 and 75 °C. Fiaptech documentation reports a strength loss at 50 °C of about 20% for virgin and 30% for recycled, compared with 25 °C.
  • Weight: about 1.76 times cardboard at the same size for virgin, 1.85 for recycled. On a 3" core with a 7.5 mm wall that is about 2.8 kg per metre against 1.6 for cardboard (ROLL Lab analysis).
  • Cold: below freezing it becomes sensitive to impacts and notches. A roll dropped on a frozen core can split it.
  • End of life: it must be collected separately. Mixed with PP and PE it contaminates the recyclate.

The calculation is below. For the full version, with the formulas explained, open the plastic core weight calculator.

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Virgin or recycled PVC

PVC recycles well mechanically, and many cores are made wholly or partly from recycled rigid PVC, often from profiles and pipes. The benefits are price and recycled content. There are four points to watch:

  1. Performance: at the same size the 3% strength is lower (1.23 against 1.58 relative to cardboard, Fiaptech documentation) and the loss in the heat is greater. Compensate with the wall.
  2. Consistency: quality depends on how the incoming material is sorted. Ask the supplier how batches are checked.
  3. Substances: PVC recycled from old products may contain lead stabilisers. REACH (Regulation (EU) 2023/923) restricts lead in PVC with time-limited derogations for recovered PVC; the PPWR sets 100 mg/kg for the sum of heavy metals in packaging. You need a declaration.
  4. Origin: for the PPWR only post-consumer recyclate counts. Reground extrusion scrap does not. Ask how it is documented: EN 15343 or third-party certification of recycled content. For the UK Plastic Packaging Tax, from 1 April 2027 pre-consumer waste will no longer count as recycled plastic either.
Virgin PVCRecycled PVC
Weight (cardboard = 1)1.761.85
Strength at 3% (cardboard = 1)1.581.23
Maximum load (cardboard = 1)3.52.7
Minimum cycles reportedmore than 35more than 25
Strength loss at 50 °Cabout 20%about 30%
NIAS risk indicatednonemedium
Food contactpossible with declarationnormally not

Source: Fiaptech technical documentation, Smart Book “Which core?” (a company with corporate ties to ROLL).

Cutting and finishes

Rigid PVC cuts very well with a fine-toothed circular saw: Fiaptech documentation gives it the top score with the saw and the lowest with the crush (pressure) knife, which can chip the edge. On a lathe the result is in between. PVC is easy to deburr and chamfer; the bore can be smooth or ribbed. Cutting plastic cores.

Food contact and PPWR

There are rigid PVC compounds for food contact, but post-consumer recycled PVC normally is not one of them. Many food plants prefer PP. For the PPWR, PVC carries two more unknowns than the polyolefins: the recyclability criteria by category (delegated acts to come) and the attention paid to substances. Mono-material PVC is recyclable, but only in dedicated chains. PPWR and plastic cores.

End of life: keep it separate

PVC has a density of about 1.38 g/cm³: it sinks in water, while PP and PE float. It therefore separates well from them by flotation, but badly from PET, which has a similar density. The real damage is different: at the processing temperatures of PP and PE, PVC degrades and releases hydrochloric acid. A few fragments are enough to spoil a batch of recyclate. PVC cores must be collected separately (waste code 15 01 02, PVC stream) and sent to PVC recyclers. In Europe the reference network is Recovinyl. Recycling plastic cores.

Frequently asked questions

Why is PVC so widely used for cores?

Because it is the stiffest of the common polymers, creeps little under load at room temperature, resists moisture and chemicals and handles many reuses: more than 35 cycles for virgin PVC according to customer experience reported in Fiaptech technical documentation (a company with corporate ties to ROLL).

Do PVC cores suffer in the heat?

Yes. The glass transition is around 80 °C, and already at 50 °C strength drops by about 20% (virgin) or 30% (recycled) compared with 25 °C, according to Fiaptech technical documentation (a company with corporate ties to ROLL). A summer container needs a wall margin.

Are recycled PVC cores suitable for food contact?

Normally not. Recycled plastic in contact with food is allowed only from processes compliant with Regulation (EU) 2022/1616. Food plants use PP, or virgin PVC with a declaration of compliance.

How are PVC cores recycled?

They are collected separately from PP and PE and sent to rigid PVC recyclers. PVC sinks in water and separates from polyolefins, but if it ends up in their streams it degrades and releases hydrochloric acid, spoiling the batch.

Further reading

Materials

Plastic core materials compared: virgin and recycled PVC, plain and filled PP, HDPE, PS and ABS. Density, temperature, stiffness, creep and recycling.

PP cores

Plain and CaCO₃-filled polypropylene cores: low weight, temperature, creep, cold, UV, food contact, steam sterilisation, lathe cutting and recycling.

HDPE cores

Virgin and recycled HDPE cores: toughness in the cold, UV resistance with carbon black, stiffness, creep, reuse, cutting and recycling with the polyolefins.

Recycling

Recycling plastic cores: waste codes, keeping PVC separate, PP and PE with the polyolefins, residual film, who collects, UK duty of care and PPWR.

Cutting

How to cut plastic cores: saw, crush knife and lathe for PVC, PP and PE. Edge quality, chips, tolerances, chamfering, common defects and machine safety.

Sources

  1. Fiaptech technical documentation, Smart Book “Which core?” (a company with corporate ties to ROLL)
  2. EN 13476-2, creep ratio according to EN ISO 9967
  3. SpecialChem, Heat Deflection Temperature of Plastics (rigid PVC)
  4. Regulation (EU) 2023/923 (REACH, lead in PVC)
  5. Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (PPWR), Arts. 5, 6 and 7, EUR-Lex
  6. Regulation (EU) 2022/1616, recycled plastic in contact with food
  7. Association of Plastic Recyclers, PVC in recycling streams, plasticsrecycling.org
  8. Recovinyl (VinylPlus), European network of PVC recyclers
  9. ROLL Lab analysis (weight per metre)
  10. Regulation (EC) 1907/2006 (REACH), Art. 33 and Annex XVII, entries 51 and 63
  11. EN 15343:2007 (traceability and recycled content of recycled plastics)
  12. HM Revenue & Customs, Plastic Packaging Tax: pre-consumer plastic from 1 April 2027, GOV.UK
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