PBAT supplier: flexible film resin for compostable blends

Grades we source

Tap a grade to add it to your quote request.

• Film extrusion grades
• PLA/PBAT compounds
• Starch-blend compounds
• Lamination grades

About PBAT

PBAT is a flexible copolyester used in films that can meet industrial-composting specifications (ASTM D6400 / EN 13432), with LDPE-like flexibility. It is most often blended with PLA or starch to make films that can be listed as industrially compostable and that hold up in use. Compostability is judged on the finished film at its tested thickness, not on the resin alone. It processes on conventional film lines.

Common applications

• Industrially compostable bags and liners
• Agricultural mulch film (specific compounds only; breakdown in soil is tested separately from industrial composting)
• Food packaging films
• Coatings for paper foodservice ware (ASTM D6868 applies to coated paper)

Typical properties

Impact strength	Excellent in film
Heat (service)	Low (~60°C)
Clarity	Translucent
Chemical resistance	Moderate
Relative cost	Moderate-high

Property ranges are general guidance and vary by grade and supplier; a polymer chemist confirms the exact spec against the data sheet and certificate of analysis for your application.

Which grade to ask for

Most buyers need a compound, not straight PBAT, so start from the film you are making.

Typical starting points. Grades vary, so confirm on the data sheet for the exact grade.

Processing notes

• Drying. Straight PBAT usually runs as received from a sealed bag. Compounds containing PLA or starch are more moisture-sensitive: follow the grade sheet and treat an opened bag as wet.
• Melt temperature. Most film grades run at about 140–180°C / 284–356°F, well below typical polyethylene settings, and many grade sheets warn against melt much above about 175°C / 347°F. Overheating cuts melt strength and causes odor and gels.
• Cooling and bubble. PBAT typically has lower melt strength than LDPE. Run good bubble cooling and a moderate blow-up ratio. Rates are often slower than PE on the same line. See bubble instability.
• Shrinkage. On film lines this shows up as shrink and curl rather than mold shrinkage. For molded or thermoformed PBAT blends, take the value from the grade sheet.
• Regrind and trim. Clean edge trim can go back in at a low ratio. Each pass adds heat history, and stored trim picks up moisture.
• Most common defect. Film blocking on the roll and in bag stacks. Fix it with the right antiblock level, colder film at the winder and lower wind tension. See film blocking.

What to put on the purchase order

• Compound type: straight PBAT, PLA/PBAT or starch/PBAT, and the grade you run now.
• Melt flow with the test condition the grade sheet uses, and a range.
• Compostability: the standard (ASTM D6400 or EN 13432) and the finished film thickness. The claim rests on a third-party compostability listing for the finished film at that thickness.
• Slip and antiblock levels, or a note that you add them yourself as masterbatch.
• Food contact: ask for the producer’s FDA letter for the exact grade.
• Storage and age: compostable resins have a shorter shelf life than polyolefins. Ask for the production date and store cool and dry. See resin shelf life.
• COA values to check: melt flow, moisture as shipped and production date.

When to consider something else

• If compostability is not required, look at LDPE film grades or LLDPE, which cost less and run faster.
• If you need stiffness or clarity rather than flexibility, look at PLA.
• If you need low seal temperature and toughness in a conventional film, look at metallocene polyethylene.
• If the requirement is recycled content, that is a different claim. Look at recycled resin (PCR / PIR).

Common questions