Identify Plastic

Urethane Supply Company has everything needed to repair and refinish plastics. From plastic welders to instant glues to epoxy fillers to paints to primers, you name it. Some of our products that you may be familiar with are: Mini-Weld Airless Plastic Welder, Plastic Magic Adhesion Promoter, PlatiFix plastic repair kit (not to be confused with Plastex plastic repair kit), Bumper and Trim Black (not to be confused with Forever Black), Wax Blaster wax remover, Flex Filler (not to be confused with Duramix), Black Cat primer (not to be confused with Transtar Hydroflex), Insta-Weld adhesives (not to be confused with Crazy Glue or LocTite), Bumper and Cladding Coat, ATV Fender Welder, Kayak and Canoe Welder for Pelican canoes, FiberFlex welding rods, Uni-Weld welding rods, EZ Weld Hot Air Plastic Welder, Steinel hot air plastic welder. We also carry a complete line of plastic welding rods. For example, we manufacture ABS welding rods, Polypropylene welding rods, Polyethylene welding rods, TPO (TEO) plastic welding rods, Polyurethane welding rods. In addition to the products you need to repair plastic, we also have detailed instructions and tutorials with step-by-step instructions on how to repair plastic.

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Plastic Identification

This table show the plastic most often used in automotive applications. Do you have a symbol that is not on this table? Click here for a more complete listing.

Symbol & Type	How to identify	Typical Usage	Suggested Repair Method	Repair Tips
PUR, RIM, RRIM Thermoset polyurethane	Usually flexible, maybe yellow or gray, bubbles and smokes when attempting to melt.	Flexible bumper covers (esp. on domestics), filler panels, rocker panel covers, snowmobile cowls.	Method A w/ urethane rod or Method C w/ Uni-Weld FiberFlex	*Don't* try to melt the base material! Just melt the rod into the v-groove like a hot melt glue.
SMC, UP, FRP Fiberglass	Rigid, polyester matrix reinforced with glass fibers, sands finely	Rigid body panels, fenders, hoods, deck lids, header panels, spoilers	Method E - two-part epoxy repair with fiberglass reinforcement.	Use backing plate over holes, layer in fiberglass cloth for extra strength and to approximate thermal expansion
ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)	Rigid, often white but may be molded in any color, sands finely. Very pungent odor when heated.	Instrument panels, grilles, trim moldings, consoles, armrest supports, street bike fairings.	Method B w/ ABS rod (5003R3), or Method D Insta-Weld adhesive repair, or Method E Two-Part epoxy repair	Weld repairs may be backed with epoxy for extra strength.
EEBC (Ether Ester Block Copolymer)	Flexible, off-white in color, similar in appearance to PUR (Lomod by GE)	Rocker cover moldings, bumper extensions (91-96 DeVille)	Method C w/ Uni-Weld FiberFlex (5003R10)
EMA (Ethylene Meth- acrylic Acid)	Semirigid, molded in a variety of colors, unpainted (Bexloy W by DuPont)	Bumper covers (Dodge Neon 1st generation base model)	Method C with Uni-Weld FiberFlex (5003R10) or Method B with slivers cut from scrap.	Sand entire bumper for refinishing, restore texture with Flex Tex (3800).
PA Polyamide (Nylon)	Semirigid or rigid, sands finely	Radiator tanks, headlamp bezels, exterior trim finish parts	Method B w/ nylon rod (5003R6)	Preheat plastic with heat gun before welding, mix rod completely with base material.
PC + ABS Pulse (Polycarbonate & ABS)	Rigid, sands finely, usually dark in color	Door skins (Saturn), instrument panels, street bike fairings	Method B w/ Polycarbonate rod (5003R7), or Methods D or E adhesive repairs	Preheat plastic with heat gun before welding with Method B.
PC + PBT Xenoy (Polycarbonate blend)	Rigid, sands finely, usually dark in color	Bumper covers (primarily Ford products, 84-95 Taurus, Aerostar, some Mercedes and Hyundai's)	Method B w/ polycarbonate rod (5003R7), Method C, or Method E adhesive repairs.	Preheat plastic with heat gun before welding with Method B.
PE Polyethylene	Semiflexible, melts & smears when grinding, usually semi-translucent.	Overflow tanks, inner fender panels, valences, interior trim panels, RV water storage tanks, gas tanks	Method B w/ polyethylene rod (5003R4) or Method C w/ FiberFlex (5003R10)	Applying filler or painting is nearly impossible.
PP Polypropylene	Semiflexible, usually black in color, melts & smears when grinding	Bumper covers (usually blended with EPDM), inner fenders, radiator shrouds, interior panels, gas tanks	Method C with Uni-Weld FiberFlex (5003R10) or Method B with polypropylene rod (5003R2)	Use 1060FP Filler Prep adhesion promoter when applying two-part epoxy filler
PPO + PA Noryl GTX (Nylon blend)	Semi-rigid, sands finely, usually off-white in color.	Fenders (Saturn & GM), exterior trim	Method B w/ nylon rod (5003R6), or Methods D or E adhesive repairs	Preheat plastic with heat gun before welding with Method B.
TEEE (Thermoplastic Ether Ester Elastomer)	Flexible or Semiflexible (Bexloy V by duPont)	Bumper covers (especially on domestics, filler panels, rocker panel covers.)	Method C w/ Uni-Weld Fiberflex (5003R10) or Method B w/ slivers cut from scrap.
TPE Thermoplastic Elastomer	Semi-flexible, usually black or gray, melts & smears when grinding.	Bumper covers, filler panels, underhood parts.	Method C with Uni-Weld FiberFlex (5003R10)	Use 1060FP Filler Prep adhesion promoter before applying two-part epoxy filler.
TPO, EPM, TEO Thermoplastic Olefin	Semiflexible, usually black or gray in color, melts & smears when grinding	Bumper covers, air dams, grilles, interior parts, instrument panels, snowmobile cowls.	Method C with Uni-Weld FiberFlex (5003R10) or Method B w/ PP or TPO rod.	Use 1060FP Filler Prep adhesion promoter when applying two-part epoxy filler
TPU, TPU - Thermoplastic Polyurethane	Flexible, sands finely	Bumper covers, soft filler panels, gravel deflectors, rocker panel covers	Method B w/ urethane rod (5003R1) or Method C w/ Uni-Weld FiberFlex (5003R10)

	PETE
	HDPE - high density polyethylene
	PVC - polyvinyl chloride
	LDPE - low density polyethylene
	PP - polypropylene
	PS - polystyrene
	Resins not mentioned above, or a combination of plastics.