| HS Code | 796016 |
| Product | ELVAX 3182 Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Copolymer |
| Chemical Type | Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Copolymer |
| Vinyl Acetate Content | 28 wt% |
| Melt Flow Index | 3 g/10min |
| Density | 0.95 g/cm3 |
| Melting Point | 74 °C |
| Vicat Softening Point | 57 °C |
| Tensile Strength At Break | 19 MPa |
| Elongation At Break | 750% |
| Shore Hardness A | 88 |
| Shore Hardness D | 25 |
| Brittleness Temperature | -80 °C |
| Flexural Modulus | 28 MPa |
As an accredited ELVAX 3182 Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Copolymer factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | ELVAX 3182 EVA copolymer is supplied as free-flowing pellets in 25 kg polyethylene-lined paper bags, ensuring safe handling. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | 20′ FCL of ELVAX 3182 EVA copolymer: bagged, palletized, and securely stowed to prevent shifting, ensuring safe container transport. |
| Shipping | ELVAX 3182 is shipped as solid pellets in multi-walled paper bags or FIBCs. Keep dry, away from heat sources and direct sunlight. Store below 30°C to prevent clumping. No hazardous classification; however, avoid dust inhalation. Transport in clean, covered vehicles to prevent contamination and moisture uptake. |
| Storage | Store ELVAX 3182 in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight, heat, and ignition sources. Keep the original container tightly closed to prevent moisture pickup and contamination. Ideal storage temperature is below 30°C. Under these conditions, the material remains stable and maintains its properties for at least two years. |
| Shelf Life | Shelf life is typically two years from shipment date when stored in original, unopened packaging under dry, cool conditions. |
ELVAX 3182 is metered into hot-melt adhesive compounding at loadings of 25–35 wt% in formulations intended for medium-open-time packaging, bookbinding, and profile wrapping. The resin carries a nominal vinyl acetate content of 28 wt% when tested per ASTM D5594, a melt index of 25 g/10 min per ASTM D1238 at 190°C/2.16 kg, and a density of 0.950 g/cm³ per ASTM D792. In a representative carton side-seam compound, the formulation contains 30 parts ELVAX 3182, 45 parts fully hydrogenated C5/C9 hydrocarbon tackifier, 25 parts paraffin wax with a congealing point of 65–70°C, and 0.5 phr hindered phenolic antioxidant. Pellets are pre-melted in a grid melter at 150–165°C, transferred through heated gear pumps, and applied through a slot nozzle at 175–180°C onto clay-coated SBS carton board at line speeds of 30–60 m/min. Open time for bead diameters of 0.5–1.0 mm typically falls between 15 s and 25 s. Application viscosity is measured per ASTM D3236 and commonly remains in the 800–1,500 mPa·s range at 180°C, depending on wax-to-tackifier ratio. T-peel adhesion is evaluated per ASTM D1876; values below 2.0 N/mm across the 5–25°C range frequently indicate cold-climate adhesion failure on freezer-grade carton stock. Heat resistance is screened by shear adhesion failure temperature per ASTM D4498. Process observations from production-scale tanks show that residence times above 4 h at 180°C produce acetic acid via deacetylation, causing viscosity drift and char particles that blind 100–200 µm hot-melt filter screens. For indirect food packaging, the finished formulation must satisfy FDA 21 CFR 177.1350 and EU Regulation 10/2011, with overall migration verified on the specific coating grammage and food simulant.
The 28 wt% vinyl acetate content places the resin in the higher-acetate segment of hot-melt EVA grades. Sub-ambient adhesion is retained more effectively than with low-acetate copolymers, but heat resistance is correspondingly lower. Replacing part of the paraffin wax with microcrystalline wax raises the shear adhesion failure temperature while shortening open time; increasing the tackifier level from 40 parts to 50 parts shifts T-peel failure mode from adhesive to cohesive on difficult clay-coated surfaces. Production lines that switch from 18 wt% VA grades to ELVAX 3182 commonly require a 5–10°C reduction in application temperature to compensate for lower melt viscosity.
Corrugated board impregnated with EVA-modified paraffin is used for wet-pack poultry, meat, and produce boxes. ELVAX 3182 is blended into a paraffin/microcrystalline wax base at 110–130°C in low-shear agitated tanks at addition levels of 5–20 wt%. The 28 wt% vinyl acetate content stiffens the wax matrix on cooling and shifts the effective solidification range upward. Curtain coaters and dip tanks operate at bath temperatures of 120–135°C; at ELVAX 3182 additions above 20 wt%, viscosity rise retards curtain drainage and produces heavy edges on fluted board. Coat weight is controlled between 80 g/m² and 120 g/m² depending on fluting depth. Water absorption is measured per TAPPI T441, and moisture vapour transmission rate is measured per ASTM E96 desiccant method; boards intended for high-humidity transport are often specified at ≤5 g/m²/24 h. High EVA fractions remain concentrated near the liner surface because the modified wax solidifies quickly in the cooling section, controlling fibre wetting but increasing susceptibility to surface scuffing. The process boundary at 20 wt% is a practical upper limit for curtain coating without heated doctor blades or secondary smoothing rolls.
In footwear midsole production, ELVAX 3182 is compounded into crosslinked foam sheet when a gel fraction between 55% and 75% is required after compression molding. The compound normally contains 3–6 phr azodicarbonamide blowing agent, 0.8–1.2 phr dicumyl peroxide crosslinking agent, 1–2 phr zinc oxide, and 0.5–1.0 phr zinc stearate. Compounding takes place in an internal mixer at 100–120°C, below the peroxide decomposition onset, followed by two-roll milling at 80–90°C and sheet calendering to the required pre-foam thickness. Expansion and peroxide cure are carried out in a press or hot-air tunnel at 150–180°C. The critical process window is narrow because peroxide decomposition and blowing gas evolution overlap in this temperature range; a plateau tolerance of ±5°C is common on production lines to avoid partial cure or cell collapse. Foam density is measured per ISO 845 and is typically reduced to 0.14–0.20 g/cm³ for midsole applications. Compression set is evaluated per ISO 812 at 50% compression, and split tear is evaluated per ASTM D3574. Pellets exposed to relative humidity above 60% require pre-drying at 60–70°C for 2–3 h; surface moisture otherwise generates pinholes at the foam surface during gas expansion.
Dimensional stabilization after demolding is a further production control point. The higher vinyl acetate content increases shrinkage relative to low-VA EVA foam grades, and sheet stock is typically stored at 25°C and 50% RH for 48 h before die cutting. Density variation measured across sheet thickness by ISO 845 should remain within 0.02 g/cm³ to avoid inconsistent compression set in die-cut parts.
ELVAX 3182 is used as a heat-seal layer in coextruded polyethylene films for lidding, form-fill-seal pouches, and overwrap. Melt temperature at the flat die is held at 200–215°C because deacetylation accelerates above 230°C, producing acetic acid and gel specks in the sealant layer. Coextrusion lines typically use a three-layer feedblock and a flat die with deckle rods; screw compression ratio is kept between 2.5:1 and 3.5:1 to limit shear heating in the transition zone. To improve blocking resistance and lower coefficient of friction, 10–30 wt% LDPE or LLDPE is dry-blended with ELVAX 3182, and synthetic silica antiblock masterbatch is dosed at 2–5 wt%. Heat seal initiation temperature for a 30 µm sealant layer is measured on a laboratory heat sealer with 0.275 MPa jaw pressure and 0.5 s dwell; values commonly fall between 85°C and 105°C. Seal strength is evaluated per ASTM F88 using 25 mm strip specimens at 300 mm/min. Haze is measured per ASTM D1003, and static/kinetic coefficient of friction is measured per ASTM D1894. For food-contact structures, the finished sealant layer must meet FDA 21 CFR 177.1350 and EU Regulation 10/2011; migration testing is conducted using the appropriate food simulant and temperature-time condition for the intended packaging category. Residence-time alarms on extruder barrels and adapter sections are often set at 10 min above 220°C to avoid autocatalytic degradation and black specks.
For polyolefin masterbatch manufacturing, ELVAX 3182 functions as a carrier resin where its 25 g/10 min melt index reduces motor load during twin-screw extrusion of high filler loadings. The carrier is used primarily in LDPE and LLDPE letdown systems at addition rates of 2–4% of the film or moulding compound. Typical masterbatch formulations contain 40–60 wt% pigment or functional filler, with ELVAX 3182 carrier making up the remaining polymer fraction plus 0.2–0.5% processing stabilizer. Compounding is performed on a co-rotating twin-screw extruder with an L/D ratio of 40:1, barrel temperatures from 120°C to 180°C, and a die plate temperature of 180°C. Underwater pelletizing is preferred over strand pelletizing because the lower crystallinity of EVA produces soft strand surfaces that can stick on water-bath guide rolls. Dispersion quality for carbon black masterbatch is assessed per ASTM D2663 or ISO 18553; screen-pack pressure rise across a 200 µm screen is monitored as an early indicator of agglomerate buildup. The carrier is not used in polypropylene-only formulations because EVA forms a dispersed phase in PP and reduces film impact strength. Plate-out on die lips is observed when the same masterbatch contains more than 1,000 ppm of migrating slip additive such as erucamide combined with low-molecular-weight terpene tackifier.
Halogen-free cable sheath compounds based on ELVAX 3182 use the 28 wt% vinyl acetate content to increase polarity and permit high loadings of alumina trihydrate or magnesium hydroxide. Typical compound formulations include 120–180 phr metal hydrate filler, 5–15 phr zinc borate, 0.5–1.0 phr hindered phenolic antioxidant, and 0.5–1.5 phr vinyl silane coupling agent. Compounding is performed in a Buss co-kneader or an intermeshing twin-screw extruder at 140–170°C; a low-shear screw configuration is selected because shear heating from high filler loading can push melt temperature above 200°C at the die. Atmospheric venting is required to remove moisture released by ATH above 180°C; filler pre-drying at 80–100°C for 4–6 h is standard in high-humidity production environments. Limiting oxygen index is measured per ISO 4589-2; values above 30% O₂ generally require total metal hydrate loading above 150 phr. Smoke density is measured per ASTM E662, and tensile properties are evaluated per ISO 527-2. Ageing is performed at 100°C for 168 h per IEC 60811-401; elongation retention above 70% is common only when silane coupling is properly reacted during extrusion. The main process bottleneck is porosity caused by filler moisture, which is detected in cable jackets as surface roughness and reduced elongation; this defect is controlled by vacuum venting at −0.06 MPa to −0.08 MPa rather than by increasing screw speed.
Gas evolution during combustion of EVA cable jackets includes acetic acid, which is neutralised by the metal hydrate filler; acid gas emission is measured per IEC 60754-2. Formulators using ELVAX 3182 therefore balance acetic acid release against filler loading and silane coupling efficiency. Compounds with insufficient coupling show tensile strength loss after water immersion at 80°C for 168 h, a condition used to screen hydrolytic stability of the filler-matrix interface.
At 4–7 wt% addition, ELVAX 3182 is milled into oxidised bitumen for torch-applied and self-adhered waterproofing membranes. A high-shear rotor-stator mixer operating at 2,500–3,500 rpm and 180–190°C disperses the polymer until fluorescence microscopy shows no visible EVA phase separation. Softening point increases relative to unmodified bitumen and is measured per ASTM D36; cold bend is evaluated per EN 1109. Storage stability is tested per EN 13399, with the difference in softening point between top and bottom after 48 h at 180°C maintained below 5°C. The 28 wt% vinyl acetate content provides sufficient polarity to interact with asphaltenes while limiting water uptake, but addition above 7 wt% raises mixing viscosity to the point that membrane calendering at 160°C becomes unstable. In mineral-filled formulations, the same high-viscosity boundary appears earlier, and higher melt flow EVA grades or extender oils are required to maintain coat weight uniformity on production lines. Published data for this specific grade in some high-styrene butadiene styrene bitumen blends is limited; proportional screening trials are used to define the exact phase stability window.
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ELVAX 3182 is an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer resin characterized by a nominal vinyl acetate comonomer content of 28 wt% and a melt mass-flow rate of 3.0 g/10 min determined at 190 °C under 2.16 kg load in accordance with ASTM D1238 / ISO 1133-1:2022. The resin has a solid-state density of 0.950 g/cm³ at 23 °C per ASTM D792 / ISO 1183-1:2019, a differential scanning calorimetry peak melting temperature of 73 °C per ASTM D3418, and a Vicat softening temperature of 48 °C under 10 N load per ASTM D1525. The vinyl acetate content lowers crystalline order relative to ethylene homopolymers and lower-VA ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, producing a polar, flexible resin used in hot melt adhesives, wax modification, and polymer blending. Because the melt index places ELVAX 3182 in the lower-flow portion of the 28 wt% VA series, melt strength and cohesive set are retained during open-time extension, while the softening point remains sufficiently low for low-temperature application equipment. The product is supplied as standard pellets and is handled with ambient storage at ≤ 30 °C and ≤ 60 % RH to prevent moisture pickup; drying at 60–70 °C for 2–4 h is required when visible surface condensation is present.
The copolymer is typically formulated rather than processed as a neat resin. In hot melt adhesive production, ELVAX 3182 is plasticated in jacketed sigma-blade mixers or corotating twin-screw extruders with L/D ≥ 32:1. Barrel temperatures are staged from 120 °C to 180 °C, with the metering zone held at 150–180 °C to limit thermal load. A vacuum vent at −0.08 MPa gauge removes residual moisture and low-molecular-weight volatiles. Because the copolymer contains no acid functionality, amine-catalyzed degradation pathways are not active; however, oxidative chain scission at sustained temperatures above 230 °C is measurable by melt flow increase. Steady-state residence time in heated reservoirs should be held below 30 min at 180 °C to limit color shift and viscosity drift.
Melt uniformity is governed by resin pre-melt temperature, addition sequence, and shear history. Formulated hot melt systems containing ELVAX 3182 are measured by rotational viscometry per ASTM D3236 at 175 °C; viscosity is typically held between 800 mPa·s and 2,500 mPa·s for slot-die coating. For cartridge dispensing at 150 °C, viscosity may be adjusted to 1,500–5,000 mPa·s through tackifier selection. On 200 L sigma-blade mixers, the resin is pre-melted at 110–130 °C before wax and tackifier are added. Direct addition of cold resin pellets to a fully charged melt can create localized cooling and produce unmelted gel particles that persist through 100 µm screen packs and appear as coating defects. Batch-to-batch viscosity variation is minimized by maintaining resin pellet feed temperature at 20–25 °C and by controlling mixer wall temperature differentials below 5 °C. Capillary rheometry per ISO 11443 can be used to generate shear viscosity curves at 190 °C; these curves typically show pseudoplastic behavior with a decreasing apparent viscosity as shear rate increases from 100 s⁻¹ to 1,000 s⁻¹. Published data for this specific configuration is limited; pilot-scale rheology trials are required before fixed line-speed commitments are made.
Formulated hot melt adhesives containing 30–40 wt% ELVAX 3182 are evaluated for adhesion to polyethylene, aluminum, and corrugated board using ASTM D1876 T-peel tested at 23 ± 2 °C and 50 ± 5 % RH. Peel values on corona-treated low-density polyethylene are formulation-dependent; published formulations with similar vinyl acetate content report T-peel values from 4 N/cm to 12 N/cm depending on tackifier softening point and open time. Lap shear on aluminum adherends per ASTM D1002 is used for packaging applications requiring load-bearing adhesion; cohesive failure is preferred over adhesive failure at the substrate interface. The 28 wt% vinyl acetate content increases specific adhesion to polar substrates and improves low-temperature flexibility relative to 18 wt% VA grades. Cold flexibility is evaluated by mandrel bend at −20 °C without fracture of the adhesive layer. In packaging lines, open time is controlled by crystallinity development; paraffin wax at 10–20 wt% reduces melt viscosity and shortens set time, while microcrystalline wax at 5–15 wt% extends tack and improves low-temperature adhesion. The lower melt index of ELVAX 3182 relative to ELVAX 240 provides higher melt tension and improved fibre-tear resistance on paperboard, but requires longer plastication time in the melt tank and may reduce line speed on narrow slot dies.
ELVAX 3182 is added to paraffin and microcrystalline wax blends at 1–20 wt% to reduce brittleness, improve adhesion to paperboard, and increase gloss retention as measured by ASTM D523 at 60° specular gloss. In polyolefin modification, the resin is compounded on corotating twin-screw extruders with L/D 40:1 and side feeders; the EVA component is metered into the main feed throat while polyolefin pellets are starve-fed. Melt temperatures at the die are held below 220 °C to limit acetic acid evolution from vinyl acetate thermal decomposition. Differential scanning calorimetry per ASTM D3418 confirms a broadened polyethylene crystallization exotherm when ELVAX 3182 is present at 10 wt%. In blown film modification, the lower melt index contributes to bubble stability during coextrusion; die pressure measured at 30 kg/h throughput on a 70 mm single-screw line can increase by 15–30 % relative to a 18 wt% VA, 8 g/10 min grade. Pilot-scale extrusion trials are required to confirm die pressure and melt temperature profiles for a specific line configuration.
| Grade | Nominal vinyl acetate | Nominal melt mass-flow rate | Nominal density |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELVAX 3182 | 28 wt% | 3.0 g/10 min | 0.950 g/cm³ |
| ELVAX 240 | 28 wt% | 43 g/10 min | 0.950 g/cm³ |
| ELVAX 450 | 18 wt% | 8 g/10 min | 0.940 g/cm³ |
The difference in melt mass-flow rate between ELVAX 3182 and ELVAX 240 denotes a substantially higher melt viscosity for ELVAX 3182 at equivalent temperature and shear rate. This difference is relevant in hot melt adhesive coating where low-viscosity grades wet porous substrates rapidly but may sacrifice cohesive strength and fibre-tear resistance. The difference in vinyl acetate content between ELVAX 3182 and ELVAX 450 reduces crystallinity, lowers the peak melting point, and shifts the polarity balance toward polar substrate adhesion. Lower-VA grades such as ELVAX 450 exhibit higher crystalline melt temperatures and reduced low-temperature flexibility, but also lower affinity for polar packaging substrates. Selection between ELVAX 3182 and higher-MFR grades therefore involves a balance of melt viscosity, open time, cohesive strength, and substrate adhesion.
Slot-die coaters operating with die gaps below 0.5 mm can exhibit melt fracture and die-line buildup when ELVAX 3182 formulations exceed 2,500 mPa·s at 175 °C. Reducing coat weight below 20 g/m² may require melt pump pressure above 80 bar in 1.2 m wide dies, which can exceed the seal limits of standard hydraulic hose assemblies. The lower melt index of ELVAX 3182 relative to ELVAX 240 increases residence time in heated tanks and char formation on tank walls if temperature stratification exceeds 10 °C. For high-speed packaging lines above 200 m/min, formulators typically substitute a portion of the resin with a higher-MFR grade or reduce resin loading to 25–30 wt% to maintain coatability. Pre-drying at 60–70 °C for 2–4 h is required at RH > 60 %; undried pellets can cause moisture-induced blister defects and reduce T-peel values by up to 40 % at the adherend interface. Avoid combination with amine-based additives or free-acid functionalized tackifiers that can destabilize vinyl acetate ester groups at processing temperatures above 200 °C.
Compliance status is established under 21 CFR 177.1350 for ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers used in contact with food, subject to the extraction limitations specified in that section. EU food-contact conformity is determined under Regulation EU 10/2011 using overall migration testing per EN 1186, with specific migration limits for vinyl acetate monomer evaluated by EN 13130-1. The resin is not formulated with heavy-metal-based heat stabilizers; RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU substance restrictions apply to finished articles rather than polymer feedstock but are used as a screening threshold for lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, PBB, and PBDE at ≤ 1000 ppm homogeneous material for lead and ≤ 100 ppm for cadmium. Verification of these limits requires downstream formulation testing because tackifier, wax, and additive contributions are not captured in resin-only certificates.
