BUYER GUIDE / INDUSTRIAL

PP vs PETG vs PS Thermoformed Tray Material Guide

PP, PETG and PS serve different thermoformed-tray decisions. PP is commonly screened for food inner trays; PETG is considered where clarity and formed detail support medical or pharmaceutical presentation; antistatic PS is used for electronics handling when a defined surface-resistance target, test method and service condition are agreed.

10⁹–10¹¹ Ω

Published and updated: 2026-08-25

Content author: Wenzhou Tonghou Plastic Products Co., Ltd.

04 / ENGINEERING NOTE

When PP is the starting direction

PP is commonly evaluated for food and mooncake trays where product fit, packing operation and presentation must work together.

Confirm the resin and intended contact conditions for the project.
Check cavity support, flange geometry, stacking and de-nesting.
Approve colour and appearance on a representative formed sample.

05 / ENGINEERING NOTE

When PETG is the starting direction

PETG can be considered where visibility, formed detail and controlled support are useful for medical or pharmaceutical packaging.

Map protected zones and acceptable contact points.
Confirm cleanliness, packaging and any specified sterilization environment.
Do not infer medical suitability from the material name alone.

06 / ENGINEERING NOTE

When antistatic PS is the starting direction

Antistatic PS combines tray rigidity with static-control behavior for electronics handling, but the electrical requirement must be measurable.

Tonghou projects target 10⁹–10¹¹ Ω surface resistance for this direction.
Agree the test method, conditioning environment and measurement locations.
Evaluate expected service life and resistance stability for reusable trays.

Applications

PP food and mooncake inner trays
PETG medical and pharmaceutical protective trays
Antistatic PS electronics handling trays

Selection criteria

Contact, cleanliness or ESD requirement
Transparency, rigidity and formed detail
Handling, stacking and transport environment
Material-specific test and acceptance method

Pre-production validation

Before production, confirm the selected grade and check the formed sample with the actual product and packing process. For regulated uses, review the documents and tests required by the destination market.

04 / DECISION MATRIX

Buyer decision table

Material direction	Typical decision focus
PP	Food-tray fit, handling and project-specific contact suitability
PETG	Clarity, detail, device support and specified validation environment
Antistatic PS	Rigidity plus agreed 10⁹–10¹¹ Ω target and test conditions
All options	Geometry, thickness, stacking, transport and representative-sample approval

05 / BUYER QUESTIONS

Common buyer questions

01Which material is best for every tray?

There is no universal best material. The decision depends on product contact, visibility, rigidity, ESD behavior, process, transport and validation requirements.

02Is every PP tray automatically food suitable?

No. Grade, additives, processing and intended contact conditions must be confirmed for the project.

03Can PETG be used with every sterilization method?

No. The complete material and packaging configuration must be validated against the specified method.

04Is 10⁹–10¹¹ Ω conductive packaging?

No. Tonghou uses this as an antistatic target range; conductive packaging is a different resistance class.

06 / SOURCE BOUNDARY

Official references

These sources define terminology, testing or acceptance methods. Citing a standard does not claim Tonghou certification and does not replace project-specific validation.

U.S. FDA — Food Types & Conditions of Use for Food Contact Substances

Reference scope：Use this guide to specify food type, contact temperature and storage conditions. Finished-tray documentation is checked separately.
ISO — ISO 11607-1:2019 — Packaging for terminally sterilized medical devices

Reference scope：Requirements for sterile barriers and packaging systems. Check the applicable clauses against the device and packaging being developed.
IEC — IEC 61340-5-1:2024 — Protection of electronic devices from electrostatic phenomena

Reference scope：ESD-control requirements used to agree a packaging class for the device and handling process.