| HS Code | 850508 |
| Material | Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol (EVOH) Copolymer |
| Oxygen Transmission Rate | 0.01-0.1 cc·mm/m²/day/atm at 20°C and 65% RH |
| Ethylene Content | 32 mol% typical for bottle barrier grades |
| Density | 1.19-1.21 g/cm³ |
| Melting Point | 165-190°C depending on ethylene content |
| Melt Flow Rate | 1.6-8.0 g/10 min at 190°C and 2.16 kg |
| Processing Temperature | 210-240°C for multilayer coextrusion |
| Tensile Strength | 56-68 MPa |
| Elongation At Break | 230-450% |
| Water Absorption | 2.7-8.0% depending on ethylene content |
| Oxygen Barrier Humidity Sensitivity | Barrier performance decreases as relative humidity increases; requires moisture shield in bottle structure |
| Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate | Moderate to high compared to polyolefins |
| Food Contact Compliance | FDA 21 CFR 177.1360 and EU 10/2011 compliant |
| Typical Barrier Layer Thickness | 25-125 µm (1-5 mils) in multilayer bottles |
As an accredited EVOH for Food Barrier Bottles factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | EVOH for Food Barrier Bottles: supplied in 25 kg sealed moisture-proof bags, nitrogen-purged, ready for extrusion processing. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | EVOH for Food Barrier Bottles is shipped as a 20′ FCL, packed in sealed bags on pallets for safe, efficient transport. |
| Shipping | EVOH for food barrier bottles ships in sealed, moisture-proof packaging to prevent hydrolysis and quality loss. Keep in dry containers, away from rain, heat, and direct sunlight. Standard sea freight or truck transport is suitable with proper labeling and handling documentation. |
| Storage | Store EVOH resin in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area, away from direct sunlight and heat sources. Keep containers tightly sealed to prevent moisture absorption, as EVOH is hygroscopic. Avoid exposure to oxidizing agents and extreme humidity. Ensure proper labeling and follow the Safety Data Sheet for handling and disposal requirements. |
| Shelf Life | Shelf life: typically 2 years from manufacture when stored sealed, dry, cool, and protected from sunlight and moisture. |
Barrier bottles for hot-filled tomato sauces, ketchup and pasta toppings are produced on six-extruder coextrusion blow moulding lines with 75 mm screw diameter and L/D 30:1. The parison structure is PP / regrind / tie / EVOH / tie / PP. The EVOH layer is metered at 4–6 wt% of the total bottle weight, and maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene tie layers are set at 2–4 µm per side. EVOH pellets with 32 mol% ethylene are dried in a desiccant dryer at 80 °C for 4 h to a moisture content below 0.3 wt% before extrusion. Barrel set points for the EVOH extruder are held between 190 °C and 220 °C, while the coextrusion die is maintained at 215–225 °C. Die temperature above 235 °C or residence time beyond 25 min increases gel formation and black speck defects in the parison. Regrind content is limited to 30 wt% because reprocessed EVOH/tie material can generate interfacial gels and viscosity drift. On production lines, the pinch-off zone is the main failure point: EVOH layer thinning below 2 µm at the severing line produces a measurable increase in whole-bottle oxygen transmission. The terminal package is a 500 mL squeezable bottle hot-filled at 82–88 °C. Whole-bottle oxygen transmission is specified at ≤0.01 cm³/(package·day·0.21 atm) measured per ASTM F1307 at 23 °C and 50% RH. The EVOH layer complies with FDA 21 CFR 177.1360; the finished multilayer bottle is evaluated under EU 10/2011 for overall migration below 10 mg/dm² using EN 1186-1 contact conditions for hot fill. EVOH film oxygen transmission is characterised according to ASTM D3985 at 23 °C and 0% RH for dry-state comparison.
For vitamin-fortified citrus juice drinks, aseptic filling lines use a co-injection stretch blow moulded bottle with the layer sequence PP/tie/EVOH/tie/PP. The preform is moulded with an EVOH layer at 3–5 wt% of total preform weight and tie layers at 2–3 µm per side. EVOH with 38 mol% ethylene is selected because lower ethylene grades lose barrier too rapidly when the bottle interior reaches condensation after aseptic filling. Before co-injection, the EVOH is dried at 90 °C for 4 h to 0.2 wt% moisture; residual moisture above 0.3 wt% creates interfacial bubble voids visible at the EVOH/tie boundary. Melt temperature for the EVOH stream is held at 210–225 °C, and preform core-to-skin layer distribution is controlled to a variation below 10% of nominal EVOH thickness. Aseptic line sterilisation uses hydrogen peroxide under FDA 21 CFR 178.1005, with post-fill residual H₂O₂ below 0.5 ppm. The terminal product is a 250–400 mL single-serve juice bottle filled at 20–25 °C and stored at 20 °C. Package oxygen transmission measured per ASTM F1307 is specified at ≤0.015 cm³/(package·day·0.21 atm) at 50% RH after six months. Food contact compliance follows EU 10/2011 using food simulant B (3% w/v acetic acid) for acidic beverages; overall migration must remain below 10 mg/dm². The EVOH layer is not in direct food contact and is surrounded by PP layers meeting FDA 21 CFR 177.1520.
Residual oxygen in UHT milk and liquid breakfast bottles is controlled by EVOH layer continuity at the pinch-off, not solely by nominal layer thickness. Six-layer extrusion blow moulded HDPE/EVOH bottles use the structure HDPE/regrind/tie/EVOH/tie/HDPE. EVOH is metered at 4–6 wt% and the tie layers at 2–5 µm per side. High-ethylene EVOH grades of 38–44 mol% ethylene are used because the internal water activity of milk is near 0.99; at high relative humidity, a 32 mol% ethylene grade can show an oxygen transmission increase of an order of magnitude compared with dry-state data measured under ASTM D3985 at 0% RH. Extrusion blow moulding die temperatures are held at 210–225 °C and mould coolant at 8–12 °C. Regrind content is limited to 25–30 wt% to avoid viscosity drift in the EVOH layer caused by oxidised PE/EVOH interfaces. The terminal container is a 1 L UHT milk bottle stored at 4–7 °C for up to 120 days; bottlers specify headspace oxygen below 1.0% v/v at fill. Whole-bottle oxygen transmission after 14 days is measured under ASTM F1307 at 7 °C and 50% external RH. Compliance for the dairy contact layer is FDA 21 CFR 177.1520; the multilayer bottle is tested under EU 10/2011 with food simulant A (10% ethanol) for aqueous milk. Published data for the specific oxygen transmission recovery of aseptic HDPE/EVOH dairy bottles after hydrogen peroxide sterilisation is limited; processors therefore verify whole-package OTR at day 14 rather than relying on film coupon values.
In a two-stage injection blow moulding process, retortable liquid infant formula bottles are produced with the sequence PP/tie/EVOH/tie/PP and an EVOH layer at 6–8 wt% of total bottle weight. The higher layer percentage compensates for moisture uptake during retorting at 121 °C for 30 min, which temporarily reduces EVOH oxygen barrier. Tie layers are set at 6–10 µm per side to maintain adhesion through thermal expansion of the PP body; PP wall thickness after blow moulding is 400–600 µm. The EVOH grade is a 44 mol% ethylene copolymer, selected for lower moisture sensitivity and better post-retort barrier recovery than lower-ethylene grades. Co-injection melt temperature for the EVOH stream is 210–220 °C, and preform mould temperature is 10 °C. Production experience indicates that interfacial blistering at the tie/PP boundary is the dominant failure mode when residual moisture in conditioned preforms exceeds 0.2 wt%. Preform conditioning at 40 °C for 48 h before blow moulding is used to reduce moisture-related layer defects. The terminal package is a 180 mL retortable bottle for liquid infant formula with a 12-month shelf life at 20–25 °C. Oxygen transmission is measured per ASTM F1307 at 23 °C and 50% RH; package OTR targets are set at ≤0.01 cm³/(package·day·0.21 atm). Regulatory compliance includes FDA 21 CFR 177.1360 for the EVOH layer, EU 10/2011 overall migration below 10 mg/dm², and GB 4806.7-2016 for food-contact plastic materials in China. Published data for the specific barrier recovery rate of extruded PP/EVOH/PP retort bottles is limited; converters verify whole-package OTR after retort rather than extrapolating from film data.
Squeeze bottles for mayonnaise, mustard and thickened dressings are extrusion blow moulded on six-layer lines with HDPE/tie/EVOH/tie/HDPE and regrind incorporated in the inner HDPE layer. The nominal EVOH layer is set at 4–6 µm; however, wall thickness distribution at the shoulder and pinch-off can reduce local EVOH thickness below 4 µm. Below this value, whole-bottle oxygen transmission rises disproportionately because small layer defects and interfacial irregularities constitute a larger fraction of the barrier layer. Melt temperature at the die is maintained at 210–225 °C, die gap is set at 1.8–2.4 mm, and blow-up ratio is held at 2.2:1–2.8:1. Mould coolant is set at 12 °C. Tie layers are metered at 2–3 µm per side, and the EVOH layer is 3–5 wt% of total bottle weight. High-ethylene EVOH of 38–44 mol% ethylene is used to improve flex-crack resistance, but oxygen barrier is lower than a 32 mol% ethylene grade; the layer thickness must therefore be maintained above 4 µm in the sidewall. The terminal package is a 350–600 mL inverted squeeze bottle stored at 20–23 °C. Whole-bottle oxygen transmission is controlled to ≤0.02 cm³/(package·day·0.21 atm) per ASTM F1307 at 50% RH. Compliance testing under EU 10/2011 uses food simulant B (3% w/v acetic acid) for acidic dressing components and food simulant D2 (vegetable oil) for the oil phase; overall migration must remain below 10 mg/dm². The EVOH layer meets FDA 21 CFR 177.1360 and is not used as a direct food-contact layer.
Unlike high-moisture food matrices, edible oil packaged in one-litre HDPE/EVOH bottles keeps the internal EVOH layer relatively dry during shelf life; the oxygen barrier therefore remains close to dry-state values measured under ASTM D3985 at 0% RH. One-litre sunflower, soybean and blended edible oil bottles are extrusion blow moulded with the layer sequence HDPE/regrind/tie/EVOH/tie/HDPE. The EVOH layer is set at 3–4 wt% of the bottle weight, corresponding to 5–8 µm in the sidewall for a 1 L bottle with 350–450 µm total wall thickness. Die temperature is held at 200–220 °C, mould coolant at 8 °C, and cycle time at 8–12 s. Tie layers of maleic anhydride grafted HDPE are metered at 2–4 µm per side to prevent oil-induced delamination after prolonged storage at 40 °C. The terminal package is a 1 L cooking oil bottle stored at 20–25 °C for a 12-month shelf life. Package oxygen transmission is specified at ≤0.005 cm³/(package·day·0.21 atm) measured by ASTM F1307 at 23 °C and 50% RH. Compliance for the EVOH barrier layer is FDA 21 CFR 177.1360; the finished bottle is tested under EU 10/2011 with food simulant D2 (vegetable oil) and overall migration below 10 mg/dm². The EVOH layer is not in direct contact with the oil; direct contact is prevented by the inner HDPE tie assembly.
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Ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) for food barrier bottles is a semi-crystalline random copolymer in which the molar ratio of ethylene to vinyl alcohol controls both the dry-state oxygen barrier and the humidity-induced loss of that barrier. The product line used for rigid bottle sidewalls spans ethylene contents of 27 mol%, 29 mol%, 32 mol%, 38 mol%, and 44 mol%. The 32 mol% grade is commonly specified for coextruded blow molding because it balances oxygen barrier with layer stability. Typical specifications include a melt flow rate of 3-5 g/10 min at 210°C under 2.16 kg load measured to ISO 1133-1:2022, a density of 1.17-1.19 g/cm³, and a melting endotherm between 180°C and 185°C by differential scanning calorimetry. The resin is not designed for monolayer bottle walls; it is always embedded between polyolefin structural layers because direct contact with liquid water or high relative humidity plasticizes the polymer and reduces oxygen barrier.
EVOH derives its dry-state oxygen barrier from hydrogen bonding between hydroxyl groups on adjacent chains, which restricts free volume and suppresses oxygen diffusion. At 20°C and 0% RH, a 25 µm cast film of a 32 mol% ethylene grade exhibits an oxygen transmission rate below 0.5 cm³·25 µm/m²·day·atm when measured according to ASTM D3985. As relative humidity increases, water molecules penetrate the amorphous phase and replace polymer-polymer hydrogen bonds, producing bulk plasticization rather than a surface effect. At 85% RH, the same film may transmit 5-15 cm³·25 µm/m²·day·atm. The controlling variable is not the external relative humidity alone but the local humidity at the buried EVOH layer. In a bottle sidewall, adjacent polyolefin layers retard moisture ingress, so the EVOH layer can operate at an effective relative humidity lower than the external environment. Published data for specific beverage bottle configurations is limited, but finished-bottle oxygen ingress is generally modeled using the measured oxygen transmission rate of the complete multilayer wall at 23°C and 50-60% RH, not the dry-film datasheet value.
The moisture-limited barrier is commonly represented by the effective relative humidity at the EVOH interface. Because the barrier layer is positioned behind the inner polyolefin contact layer, the local humidity is lower than the food-contact side during early shelf life but approaches equilibrium with the packaged product after prolonged storage. Oxygen ingress modeling for a thin-wall food bottle with a 5-8% EVOH layer must account for buried-layer hydration, layer thickness, and surface area. The design target for ambient oxygen-sensitive foods frequently falls between 6 months and 12 months, though actual shelf life must be confirmed by oxygen ingress calculation using the measured oxygen transmission rate of the final multilayer structure.
In coextrusion blow molding of food bottles, the EVOH layer is processed in a dedicated barrier extruder with a screw length-to-diameter ratio of 24:1 to 30:1 and a barrel temperature profile increasing from 180°C at the feed throat to 210-230°C at the die adapter. Melt temperature must remain below 240°C; residence time at melt temperature should not exceed 10-15 min because thermal degradation generates gel particles and crosslinked specks in the parison. Moisture is the main processing bottleneck. Pellets exposed to ambient air at 23°C and 50% RH can pick up 0.3% moisture within a few hours; closed-loop hopper driers with a dew point below -40°C and a set point of 80-100°C for 4-6 h are therefore required to bring the resin below 0.2% moisture before extrusion. At higher moisture, the parison shows splay, bubbles, and fluctuating layer thickness, and the oxygen barrier of the finished bottle is reduced. These defects are observed on production-scale accumulator-head machines when dryer maintenance is deferred, making dew-point logging a critical process control point.
Start-up and shutdown procedures also influence barrier consistency. During start-up, the barrier extruder is purged with the adjacent polyolefin before the EVOH layer is introduced. During shutdown, EVOH must not remain in the extruder at melt temperature because accumulated thermal history produces gel. If a barrier line stops for more than 10 min, the barrier extruder is typically purged to prevent parison defects on restart. Injection blow molding processes impose similar thermal-residence constraints but differ in preform geometry and layer distribution. Published data for specific injection blow molded EVOH configurations is limited, and process development typically proceeds on pilot-scale equipment with layer-thickness mapping before production scale-up.
Coextruded food bottles commonly use a six-layer sequence of HDPE/tie/EVOH/tie/regrind/HDPE. The EVOH layer typically represents 3-8% of total wall thickness; for a 1.0 mm wall this corresponds to 30-80 µm. Tie layers are maleic anhydride grafted polyolefins selected to match the melt index of the adjacent HDPE and the EVOH grade. The regrind layer is positioned between the outer HDPE and the inner tie layer because it contains mixed HDPE, tie, and EVOH. Regrind levels are commonly limited to 20-30% of the total wall to prevent gel flecks and layer instability. Layer thickness ratios are measured by optical microscopy on polished bottle cross-sections and are used to verify that the EVOH layer does not thin below 20 µm at pinch-off or corner areas. If the EVOH layer becomes discontinuous, the barrier performance is governed by leakage through polyolefin-rich regions, not by the intrinsic oxygen transmission rate of EVOH.
Adhesion between EVOH and tie resin is a further control point. Insufficient adhesion produces delamination, which exposes the barrier layer to localized moisture and creates a pathway for oxygen ingress. Production-scale bottle qualification therefore includes sectioning after drop impact or environmental conditioning. The finished bottle is also tested for total package oxygen transmission rather than relying only on resin datasheet values, because the series resistance of the full wall determines the oxygen ingress rate.
Food-contact compliance for EVOH in barrier bottles is established under FDA 21 CFR 177.1360 for the copolymer and under EU Regulation 10/2011, with overall migration testing according to EN 1186-1 and specific migration testing according to EN 13130-1. Ethylene glycol, a potential hydrolysis product, is controlled by the EU specific migration limit of 30 mg/kg food simulant. In the United States, the finished bottle must meet the end-test requirements of the applicable food contact regulation or food contact notification. The EVOH supplier’s compliance statement normally specifies permitted food types, use temperatures, and maximum layer thickness. For hot-fill and retort conditions, compliance must be re-evaluated because migration kinetics increase with temperature.
Table 1 compares typical oxygen transmission ranges for the barrier resins discussed. The values are industrial ranges reported at 23°C and 0% RH for 25 µm film unless otherwise noted.
| Barrier material | Test condition | Oxygen transmission range | Reference method |
|---|---|---|---|
| EVOH 27 mol% ethylene | 23°C, 0% RH, 25 µm | 0.05-0.2 cm³·25 µm/m²·day·atm | ASTM D3985 |
| EVOH 32 mol% ethylene | 23°C, 0% RH, 25 µm | 0.2-0.5 cm³·25 µm/m²·day·atm | ASTM D3985 |
| EVOH 44 mol% ethylene | 23°C, 0% RH, 25 µm | 1-3 cm³·25 µm/m²·day·atm | ASTM D3985 |
| EVOH 32 mol% ethylene | 23°C, 85% RH, 25 µm | 5-15 cm³·25 µm/m²·day·atm | ASTM D3985 |
| PVDC | 23°C, 0% RH, 25 µm | 0.5-2.5 cm³·25 µm/m²·day·atm | ASTM D3985 |
| Polyamide 6 | 23°C, 0% RH, 25 µm | 20-40 cm³·25 µm/m²·day·atm | ASTM D3985 |
| PET | 23°C, 0% RH, 25 µm | 30-60 cm³·25 µm/m²·day·atm | ASTM D3985 |
When EVOH is compared with alternative barrier materials in bottle applications, the main difference is not the dry-state oxygen barrier but the moisture sensitivity and processing constraint. PVDC maintains an oxygen transmission rate below 2.5 cm³·25 µm/m²·day·atm at 75% RH, which is lower than many EVOH grades at that humidity, but its chlorine content creates melt-processing corrosion risk and waste-incineration constraints. Polyamide 6 provides oxygen barrier and better puncture resistance, yet its oxygen transmission rate is one to two orders of magnitude higher than EVOH at 0% RH. PET is a structural bottle resin with moderate oxygen barrier; it cannot match EVOH as a buried barrier layer but can replace the polyolefin wall in monolayer containers. Aluminum foil offers near-zero oxygen transmission but is opaque, non-microwavable, and susceptible to pinholes after flexing. The selection of EVOH is therefore specific to transparent or opaque multilayer bottles where a thin buried layer must deliver high oxygen barrier without metal or chlorine.
For hot-fill and retort applications, the operational boundary of EVOH becomes decisive. Above 80°C under high humidity, the oxygen barrier of a standard 32 mol% ethylene grade can degrade sufficiently that the bottle sidewall must be redesigned with a higher-ethylene grade, a thicker EVOH layer, or an additional desiccant additive. Retortable EVOH grades with ethylene contents of 38-44 mol% are specified when the container is processed at 121°C for 30 min, but the oxygen barrier after retort is always lower than the dry-state value. Compatibility with amine-containing masterbatches should be tested before use because discoloration has been reported in some oxygen-barrier resins at processing temperatures. These are boundary conditions that must be resolved in the coextrusion structure and in the thermal treatment cycle rather than defects of the EVOH resin itself.
