Polycarbonate (PC) is valued for impact resistance and heat resistance, which is why it is widely used in housings, connectors, and optical components. This grade is a blue recycled PC pellet made from feedstock listed as optical sheet and classified as post-industrial recycled (PIR); the specific sheet type and manufacturing source should be confirmed with the supplier. The listing identifies injection molding and PC/ABS blending as the intended application.

The listing reports a melt flow index (MFI) of 14.3 g/10 min and a density of 1.20 g/cm³. The density figure is consistent with polycarbonate, and this grade is processed by extrusion. The listing doesn't specify the test conditions behind the MFI figure, though — confirm the test temperature, load, and standard before comparing it with a virgin PC datasheet. Polycarbonate melt flow rate is normally measured at 300°C under a 1.2 kg load, well above the conditions used for polyolefins, so that confirmation matters; it's also worth checking whether a comparison datasheet reports MFR (g/10 min) or MVR (cm³/10 min), since the two aren't directly interchangeable.

What Buyers Should Check About PC/PMMA Separation

Optical sheets and light-guide plates in display backlight units are made from polycarbonate in some constructions and from polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) in others — and in some assemblies, both appear together with other film layers. The two resins are both transparent and rigid, which means visual sorting alone does not reliably separate them, even though their processing windows and mechanical behavior differ: PMMA runs at lower temperatures, is more brittle, and lacks the impact resistance PC is valued for. This isn't a claim about what's in this specific lot — it's the reason an optical-sheet feedstock is worth asking about before processing.

Ask how the supplier separates and verifies the feedstock, including whether spectroscopic identification, such as NIR or FTIR, is used rather than relying on visual appearance alone. Request available information on melt filtration, ash content, and residual moisture, together with the relevant test methods. It's also worth asking whether the feedstock includes coatings, adhesives, printed layers, or other non-PC constituents, and how these are controlled during recycling.

What the Processing History Leaves Behind

Polycarbonate is hygroscopic: moisture present at melt temperature can trigger hydrolytic chain scission, which shows up downstream as splay, silver streaking, or reduced impact strength. A drying schedule — temperature, time, and target residual moisture — should travel with the material rather than being assumed.

Because this is a recycled stream, it also carries a thermal history from its earlier processing life. MFI can give an indirect indication of changes in melt viscosity associated with molecular weight, but it does not directly measure molecular weight or establish the material's thermal history on its own — request molecular-weight, mechanical-property, and color data separately where performance or color consistency is critical to the part.

Material Data

Supply from South Korea and What PIR Classification Means

The listing shows 30 MT per month from South Korea. Post-industrial streams behave differently from post-consumer ones on availability: volume follows the output of the factories generating the scrap rather than a municipal collection system, which tends to make composition more consistent but ties supply to another producer's schedule. Allocation against a delivery date is settled at contracting.

The supplier classifies this grade as PIR. Under ISO 14021, that only counts if the scrap genuinely left the process that made it — offcuts a factory grinds up and feeds straight back into its own production line don't qualify as recycled content, so the PIR label alone doesn't settle eligibility. Buyers should verify the feedstock history and confirm eligibility under whatever recycled-content requirement applies to their project; several regulatory schemes and green building credits count post-consumer content separately, and some recognize only post-consumer content. Compared with mixed post-consumer streams, post-industrial feedstock can offer a more controlled and traceable input, but the actual consistency, contamination control, and documentation should be verified supplier by supplier — which is also why the sorting and residue questions above are worth asking directly.

A Practical PIR Option to Evaluate for Injection Molding and PC/ABS Blending

This grade is a blue post-industrial rPC pellet listed at MFI 14.3 g/10 min and 1.20 g/cm³, with 30 MT per month and injection molding and PC/ABS blending as its listed application. An optical-sheet feedstock routed into injection-molding and PC/ABS-blending applications, with feedstock identification and processing details confirmed up front, makes this grade worth evaluating for processors incorporating recycled content into PC/ABS blends and injection-molded parts. The listed blue color should be evaluated against the target part's color and appearance requirements, particularly where a precise color match is specified.

Sample quantities may be available for trial. Contact REGENPORT with your processing conditions and application requirements to discuss sample availability, feedstock identification, drying guidance, available lot data, lead time, and the scope of the UL entry shown in the listing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this grade PCR or PIR? PIR — but that only counts under ISO 14021 if the scrap actually left its original production line, so confirm eligibility with the supplier and your project's recycled-content requirement.

What does an optical sheet feedstock mean for the pellet, and why can't it be sorted by eye? It may include PC, PMMA, or other components that look alike visually, so ask whether the supplier verifies it spectroscopically (NIR/FTIR) rather than by eye.

What should buyers check about drying and thermal history before processing? PC is hygroscopic and carries a thermal history from prior processing, so request the supplier's drying schedule and molecular-weight/color data separately.

Under what conditions was the MFI of 14.3 measured? Not stated — confirm the test temperature, load, and standard (PC is normally measured at 300°C/1.2 kg) before comparing it to another datasheet.

Does this grade carry UL certification? UL is listed, but the file number and rating aren't specified, so request documentation confirming it covers this exact grade.

How much is available per month? 30 MT/month from South Korea, tied to the source factory's production schedule.

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