— APPLICATION
PP and HDPE for crates, boxes and luggage
PP for crates is chosen for a long working life. A returnable crate goes round the loop many times: filled, stacked, chilled, knocked, washed and filled again. Storage boxes and transit boxes live a similar life, and a suitcase shell is thrown around at every airport. This page covers impact polypropylene and HDPE for these parts and what decides between them: stiffness under a stack, impact in a cold store and how long the part has to last.
— REQUIREMENTS
What a crate goes through
A crate at the bottom of a pallet stack carries everything above it, sometimes for weeks, so its walls must not bow or creep. In a cold store it is knocked by forklifts and dropped at temperatures where standard polypropylene turns brittle. Washing lines add hot water and detergent on every trip. Handles and hinged lids flex each time the crate is used. A luggage shell takes different abuse, sharp blows on corners and edges, and it has to spring back without a white stress mark. All of these parts are expected to last for years, and that is what makes reuse pay.
— SELECTION
HDPE crate grade or impact PP
Impact copolymer PP is the common choice for crates and boxes. Nucleated, high-stiffness types resist bowing under a stack; types with more rubber phase keep their toughness in cold stores. Read stiffness and low-temperature impact together, because raising one usually lowers the other.
HDPE is tough at low temperature and resists stress cracking from detergents. It is usually less stiff than PP, so walls are thicker or more heavily ribbed. UV-stabilised HDPE suits crates and bins kept outdoors.
Luggage shells need impact strength with low stress whitening and a clean surface. Impact copolymers made for low-temperature use fit here.
Colour coding by customer or product line is common in returnable systems, so check that your masterbatch does not upset the impact balance.
— GRADES
Grades we can supply
Sheet-extrusion grades sit with the injection grades; the short description names the process.
PP impact copolymer
KeyForm
·
Velogy
PP
KeyForm E1030
PP impact copolymer
KeyForm E1030 is a nucleated heterophasic copolymer for injection moulding. It combines high impact performance with good stiffness.
Injection moulding
Industries
Consumer goods
KeyForm
·
Velogy
PP
KeyForm E0530
PP impact copolymer
KeyForm E0530 is a heterophasic copolymer developed for extrusion. It combines high stiffness with very high impact performance at room and sub-zero temperatures, dimensional stability, and creep and deformation resistance.
Sheet extrusion/thermoforming
Extrusion blow moulding
Industries
Consumer goods
Rigid packaging
KeyForm
·
Velogy
PP
KeyForm E1230
PP impact copolymer
KeyForm E1230 is a nucleated heterophasic copolymer for injection moulding. It combines high stiffness with a good impact balance.
Injection moulding
Industries
Consumer goods
Rigid packaging
HDPE
KeyForm
·
Velogy
HDPE
KeyForm H1200
HDPE
High-density polyethylene resin for general injection moulding, with good flowability, good processability and high rigidity.
Injection moulding
Industries
Consumer goods
Rigid packaging
Industrial
KeyForm
·
Velogy
HDPE
KeyForm H1100
HDPE
KeyForm H1100 is a high-density polyethylene for general injection moulding. It offers high environmental stress-cracking resistance (ESCR), good impact resistance, good flow and low warpage.
Injection moulding
Industries
Consumer goods
Rigid packaging
Industrial
KeyForm
·
Velogy
HDPE
KeyForm H1180
HDPE
KeyForm H1180 is a UV-stabilised high-density polyethylene for general injection moulding. It offers high environmental stress-cracking resistance (ESCR), good impact resistance, good flow and low warpage.
Injection moulding
Industries
Consumer goods
Rigid packaging
Industrial
— NEED HELP CHOOSING?
Not sure which grade fits?
Send us the crate or case size, stack height, lowest storage temperature and your process.
— PROCESSING
Large-part moulding and sheet
Crates are large injection-moulded parts with long flow paths through ribbed walls. Medium-flow grades balance filling against stiffness, and fast-crystallising, nucleated grades shorten a long cycle. Watch warpage on flat bases. Luggage shells and some boxes are thermoformed from extruded sheet instead, which calls for a low-flow impact copolymer with enough melt strength to form deep corners.
Injection moulding
Sheet extrusion/thermoforming
— DOCUMENTATION
Re-use and food contact
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (EU) 2025/40 sets re-use targets for transport packaging. From 1 January 2030, Article 29 requires businesses that move goods in plastic crates, boxes, pallets and similar formats to make at least 40 % of that packaging reusable within a re-use system, with exemptions. Crates for fresh food are also food-contact articles under Regulation (EU) No 10/2011: the crate maker declares the crate, supported by the producer's declaration for the grade.
— PRODUCERS
Producers for this application
Brands for this application
— FAQ
Common questions
Can I use polypropylene for luggage shells?
Which PP suits reusable transport packaging?
— RELATED
