18% VA EVA: foam and film grades, 18-150 and 18-500 hot-melt grades, and close substitutes

Two buyer groups, one VA number

At 18% VA, EVA is a soft, flexible copolymer that still has some crystallinity, so it sets faster and holds heat better than 28% VA grades. Melt index (MI) decides who buys it. A foam compounder and a hot-melt formulator can both ask for "18% EVA" and need completely different products. Start the request by saying which group you are in. For how EVA lines up across the whole VA range, see EVA by vinyl acetate content.

Typical values from public producer data sheets. DSC values vary with the producer's method. Confirm the exact grade on its data sheet and lot COA.

18% VA EVA grades by melt index

Most producers that make EVA list a ladder of grades near 18% VA. At the same VA, MI tracks molecular weight. Low MI is tough with more melt strength, which film, foam and cable need. High MI flows easily and gives low melt viscosity, which hot melts need. The table lines up the steps we found on public producer data sheets. All MI values are at 190°C / 374°F, 2.16 kg.

Typical values from public data sheets of several producers. Actual VA on grades sold as "18%" runs from about 18% to 18.7%. Confirm the exact grade on its data sheet and lot COA.

How to read names like EVA 18-150 and EVA 18-500

"EVA 18-150" and "EVA 18-500" are a naming habit, not a standard. Some producers put the VA first, some put the MI first, and some use series codes that tell you neither. Read the name as a clue, then check both numbers on the sheet. Trade names below are examples only and belong to their owners. We use them to explain naming, not to offer a brand.

Examples from producers' public grade lists and data sheets. Families, names and availability change; confirm the current data sheet.

VA and MI tolerance: what to expect and what to write

Data sheets show typical values. The producer's sales specification sets the range a lot can fall in, and that range is often not public. Ask for it, and write the range your process actually tolerates on the RFQ.

• VA. Write a nominal and a range, for example "18 wt% VA, accept 17.5–19, ASTM D5594 or producer method". Foam and film buyers often care more about a tight VA range than hot-melt buyers do, because hardness and seal temperature follow it closely.
• MI. Write a nominal, a range and the condition, for example "MI 2.5 g/10 min at 190°C / 374°F, 2.16 kg, ASTM D1238". For 150 and 500 MI grades, ask how the producer measures MI. One producer's current 18-150 and 18-500 sheets say the MI is extrapolated from a test at 125°C / 257°F, 325 g, not measured at 190°C / 374°F, 2.16 kg.
• Melt viscosity, for hot melts. If your formula depends on it, ask for Brookfield viscosity of the neat resin (ASTM D3236) at your temperature, or measure it on your finished adhesive.
• Additives. Antioxidant type and level. Film grades may carry slip and antiblock; foam grades often carry none. High-MI grades may carry a pellet handling additive. Say if any of these would upset your process.
• COA. VA and MI on every lot, with the test method. Every prime lot from our suppliers ships with a COA.
• Documents. FDA or Health Canada letter for the exact grade if needed, SDS, and REACH or Prop 65 statements if your customers ask. See resin compliance documents.

How close a substitute must be: 18% vs 19% VA and other swaps

A common case: the formula calls for an 18% VA, 150 MI grade (190°C / 374°F, 2.16 kg), and the closest offer is 19% VA at 150. Public "18%" grades already run from about 18% to 18.7% VA, so a 19% grade is less than a point away from some of them. One point of VA lowers crystallinity a little. Expect a slightly softer, slightly lower-melting resin. The 19% VA, 150 MI grade we found lists about 80°C / 176°F by DSC, while public 18% grades list about 78–88°C / 172–190°F depending on MI and the producer's method, so the difference can be smaller than the spread between producers. Whether that matters depends on what you make. Close is not the same as proven. Judge it on your line.

• Hot melts: often workable with a trial. Compare Brookfield viscosity of the finished adhesive at your pot temperature (ASTM D3236), open and set time on your substrate, heat resistance and cloud point with your wax. A higher-VA grade may set slightly slower and soften slightly earlier.
• Hot melts: 150 vs 500 is not a swap. These are different viscosity steps. Some formulators blend the two MI grades in the same VA series to hit an old viscosity target, but that is a reformulation, not a substitute.
• Foam: treat it as a requalification. In crosslinked foam, a point of VA or a change from 2.0 to 2.5 MI can move density, hardness and shrinkage at the same peroxide and blowing agent level. Run a full foam trial and check against your customer's hardness, density and compression set limits. See EVA foam resin.
• Film: check seal and optics. Seal initiation temperature, haze and blocking follow VA and additives. A 0.7 and a 0.8 MI grade can both work, but check bubble stability on your line. See EVA film grades.
• Wire and cable: follow your listing. If the compound is named in a UL or CSA file, a base-resin change may need retesting. See wire and cable compounds.
• Compare the details. Antioxidant, pellet additive, density and melting point, and how the producer measures MI on high-flow grades. See finding an equivalent grade.

Packaging, pellet handling and storage

• Packaging. 18% VA grades most often ship in 55 lb (25 kg) bags, about 40–55 bags per pallet, or in lined gaylords of about 1,000–1,600 lb. Low-MI film and foam grades also move by bulk truck (about 40,000–50,000 lb) and railcar (about 180,000–210,000 lb) to large users. We quote from one gaylord.
• Pellet handling additives. Low-MI 18% pellets are firmer and flow fairly well. High-MI 18% pellets are softer, and one U.S. 500 MI grade carries a pellet handling additive to keep them free-flowing. Say on the RFQ if a dusting or anti-block additive would contaminate your process.
• Storage. Keep bags cool, dry and out of direct sun, avoid tall stacks in a hot warehouse, and use first in, first out. High-MI pellets can pack in a hot trailer in summer. See resin shelf life.
• Moisture and heat. EVA picks up little water and is often run as received. One U.S. producer's sheets for its 18% VA film and hot-melt grades recommend melt temperatures of about 182–199°C / 360–390°F, and another producer's 18-150 and 18-500 sheets say to avoid melt temperatures above 230°C / 446°F. Overheated EVA releases acetic acid, so keep to the limit on the grade sheet.

Food-contact letters and other documents

FDA covers EVA copolymers for food contact under 21 CFR 177.1350. That section sets no VA ceiling for plain EVA copolymers. It limits net chloroform-soluble extractives to 0.5 mg per square inch, tested with the food types and conditions of use in 21 CFR 176.170(c), and caps VA at 11% only for maleic anhydride-grafted EVA. So an 18% VA grade can comply, but compliance depends on the exact grade and its additives. Some producers' 18% VA sheets say the grade has some 21 CFR clearances and point you to the sales office for the statement, so ask for the producer's letter for that grade. For hot melts in food packaging, 21 CFR 175.105 applies, the 177.1350 extractives limit does not apply to EVA used in a complying adhesive, and the finished adhesive is the formulator's responsibility. See hot melt EVA for that case.

Foam for footwear and mats is not food contact, but brands often have their own restricted substance lists for foam. In Canada, ask whether the grade has a Health Canada letter of no objection. See FDA food-contact resin.

What moves 18% VA EVA prices

We do not post prices. These are the forces that move a quote for 18% VA EVA. For EVA as a whole, see EVA price per pound.

• Feedstocks. Ethylene and vinyl acetate monomer. VAM is made from ethylene and acetic acid, so swings in acetic acid and natural gas feed through.
• Footwear foam demand. Foam grades near 18–22% VA serve a large footwear market, much of it in Asia. Strong footwear seasons can pull on import availability of low-MI 18% grades.
• Fewer high-MI sources. 150 and 500 MI grades are offered by fewer producers than low-MI film and foam grades and are often made in campaigns. One outage or a long gap between runs can tighten a whole MI step.
• Imports, freight and duties. Imported 18% VA grades are often offered against domestic supply. Ocean freight, port timing and duties change the landed cost.
• Grade and package. High-MI grades, special additive packages and bags cost more per pound to make and handle than bulk low-MI film resin.
• Order size and timing. Price per pound steps down from one gaylord to pallets of bags to truckload. A spot buy during a tight month costs more than scheduled releases. See how resin is priced.

What to put on an 18% VA EVA RFQ

• Which group you are in. Foam, film, tubing, molding, wire and cable, or hot melt, sealant and wax blend. This tells us which MI step and which tests matter.
• Current grade. Producer and grade name from your formula or spec sheet, if you have it.
• VA and MI. Nominal and accepted range for each, with the test method and condition (190°C / 374°F, 2.16 kg for MI).
• For foam. Process (slab, compression-molded or injection), target density and hardness, and the peroxide and blowing agent system if you can share it.
• For hot melts. Application method, pot temperature, substrates, and neat-resin melt viscosity if your formula depends on it.
• Additives and dusting. Antioxidant, slip and antiblock for film, and whether a pellet handling additive is acceptable.
• Prime or not. Prime, wide-spec or off-grade, stated in writing. See wide-spec and off-grade for how the tiers work.
• Documents. COA with every lot, FDA letter for the exact grade if needed, SDS.
• Quantity and package. Order size, yearly use, release pattern, and bags, gaylords or bulk. Ship-to city and state or province.
• Sample. Whether you need a sample from the same lot to qualify before the full order.

Common questions

If your grade is not listed, tell us what you run. We source commodity, engineering and specialty resins.