Durable FDA-Compliant Food Grade Polyurethane Products

PSI manufactures FDA compliant cast urethane products for food processing applications. These food safe urethanes are available from 30 Shore A to 90 Shore A in durometer all year, even in our most humid summer months. We manufacture urethane rings, gaskets, and custom-molded, food grade polyurethane parts for food processing applications. Chute liners, guides on conveyors, and capper rings for the bottling industry are just some examples of components that are required to be FDA compliant.

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Types of Food Grade Polyurethanes

There are two different types of FDA material PSI Urethanes produces: FDA Wet and FDA Dry.

The reason there are different types is based on the environment they are used in. If a material is used as a guard on a conveyor that carries dry products such as sugar or flour, that would be a FDA Dry application. If it carries fish or other meat products, that would be a FDA Wet application.

FDA Dry Food Approved Products

Available in multiple shore A durometers (hardness)
Colors: black, blue, dark blue, green, natural, peach, red, and white.

PSI certifies that all components used to produce your product are acceptable under:

CFR 21-177.1680 “Indirect food additives” – Intended for use in contact with bulk quantities of dry food that do not have free surface fats or oils: Polymers for 30 Shore A through 90 Shore A durometers (hardness)

FDA Wet Food Approved Products

Available in multiple shore A durometers (hardness)
Color: black, blue, dark blue, green, natural, peach, red, and white.

PSI certifies that all components used to produce your products are acceptable under:

CFR 21-177.2600 “Indirect food additives” – Aqueous food – Articles intended for repeated use in contact with food.

Common Food Grade Urethane Applications

So, what can you do with polyurethane? Here are some examples of FDA-approved urethane products we’ve manufactured for food handling and processing:

Chute liners
Conveyor guards
Cutting surfaces
Capper rings
Gaskets
Washers
Sheets
Rollers

Why Choose Polyurethane?

Polyurethane displays a wide selection of properties that can be customized to your exact application needs. These are just a few ways that we can fine tune specific features of your urethane part:

Abrasion resistance (no flaking or shedding)
Anti-microbial (food-safe formulation)
Bonding
Chemical resistance
High and low temperature flexibility
Wide range of hardness (durometer)
Rebound
Shock absorption

In these aspects, food grade polyurethane routinely outperforms identical parts made from rubber, metal, plastic, and other elastomers. Experience the advantage of our customizable, food safe polyurethane parts today.

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More About FDA Regulations on Food Processing Materials

The FDA established the Division of Food Contact Notification and Review within the Office of Food Additive Safety (OFAS), Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), to help ensure components of food contact articles, including food packaging and processing equipment, are safe for their intended use.

The components of the food contact article must be listed within 21 CFR 174 through 179. Many polyurethane resins are cleared for use as food contact materials through a number of regulations in 21 CFR, which include specific requirements for the composition of polyurethane resins as well as limitations on their conditions of use.

Visit the Packaging & Food Contact Substances page on FDA.gov to learn more.

Overcoming Challenges of FDA Wet Urethane Manufacturing

FDA Wet urethanes have historically been difficult to produce in high-temperature, high-humidity environments. Wet food grade formulas tend to extract moisture from the surrounding air, creating air bubbles and voids that negatively impact the physical properties of the final product. For this reason, many polyurethane manufacturers will not produce food grade products throughout the warmer months, even if they are located in a region with a milder climate than what we have here in Texas. At PSI Urethanes, we’ve created formulations that give us the ability to manufacture wet food grade polyurethane products all year, giving us the ability to meet our customers’ needs exactly when others can’t.

Typical Properties of Wet Food Grade Formulas

*Please note that wet food approved urethane can be used for wet or dry applications. Dry food only approved formulations available as well.

Durometer (ASTM D2240)	40A	60A	70A	88A
Type	MDI	MDI	MDI	MDI
Rebound, % (ASTM D2632)	66%	63%	53%	66%
Tensile Strength (ASTM D412)	2187 PSI	2653 PSI	2692 PSI	4100 PSI
100% Modulus (ASTM D412)	160 PSI	283 PSI	596 PSI	1250 PSI
300% Modulus (ASTM D412)	229 PSI	546 %	1505 PSI	2450 PSI
Elongation, % (ASTM D412)	639%	482%	358%	430%
Die-C Tear, pli (ASTM D624)	102 PLI	158 PLI	241 PLI	410 PLI
Trouser Tear, PLI (ASTM D1938)	50 PLI	27 PLI	33 PLI	Not Available
Split Tear, pli (ASTM D470)	21 PLI	13 PLI	32 PLI	90 PLI
Taber Abrasion (mg loss/revolution)	0.0122	.0000	.0006	Not Available
Compression Set, 22 hrs @ 70°C (ASTM D395)	30%	3%	16%	15%