Polyethylene is one of 32 materials in this atlas, grouped under polymers: history, structure, measured properties, process routes, uses, safety and market — not a product catalogue.
Scores compare Polyethylene with the rest of the atlas on strength, heat, fire behaviour, insulation, workability and circularity. They are editorial, not certificates.
Seven chapters follow. Fire and insulation claims name test families (Euroclass, ASTM E84, ISO 5660, KS F) rather than inventing a single safety number.
Deep introduction
Deep dive: Polyethylene
Polyethylene ((C2H4)n) is a family of grades whose density 0.91–0.97 g/cm³, heat band LDPE ~110 °C; HDPE ~130 °C, and fire letter combustible olefin.
What “the material” actually is
Polyethylene is sold as grades, not as a single substance. Chemistry (C2H4)n, density 0.91–0.97 g/cm³, heat band LDPE ~110 °C; HDPE ~130 °C.
This atlas treats Polyethylene as a system: mill route, coatings, tests and the cavity it sits in.
Heat, fire and insulation
Conductivity note: ~0.4 W/m·K. Insulation score 44/100 is relative to 32 entries — metals lose, VIPs and aerogels win.
Fire letter in editorial use: combustible olefin. Do not equate A1 with “safe in a blaze” or E with “illegal”. Assemblies decide.
How it is made and used
Origin: ICI 1933 / Ziegler–Natta 1950s, United Kingdom / Germany. The process chapter follows feedstock → conversion → forming → finish → install.
Uses span buildings to defence / safety. Pairings matter: ptfe.
Market and circularity
Producers below are landmarks, not an endorsement ranking. Prices are bands, not live quotes.
Circularity mark 28/100. Ask which scrap, which certificate, which year.
Related atlas
Around Polyethylene
Related atlas entries, a short glossary, and three threads that keep Polyethylene honest.
See also
🍳PTFEThe fluoropolymer that laughs at PE’s melting point.
🎽PolyesterPET bottles vs PE bottles — different recycle streams.
Circularity mark 28/100 — editorial, route-specific.
Typical melting or failure heat?
LDPE ~110 °C; HDPE ~130 °C
What should it be paired with?
ptfe: The fluoropolymer that laughs at PE’s melting point.
Where is it specified?
Buildings, transport, energy and consumer goods — see the uses chapter.
Is the fire-performance score a building-code rating?
No. It is an editorial 0–100 teaching mark among materials in this atlas. A real wall or garment needs a named product test, thickness and assembly. This page is not a lab stamp.
When should I read insulation instead of fire?
Use the insulation pick when the question is heat flow — lining, loft, or a cold-bridge — and the fire pick when the question is how the same material behaves in flame. Both numbers already sit on this hub; they answer different jobs.
Does a high sustainability score mean I can skip fire protection?
No. Sustainability here is a relative atlas mark (growth, reuse, embodied story). Bamboo and timber can still char like wood. Fire protection stays a separate specification.
Why is bamboo missing in some languages?
A language URL is published only when the seven chapters are real prose in that language. Bamboo exists in English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Spanish. French, German, Portuguese and Russian stay withheld — earlier machine drafts leaked English, so those URLs are not opened.
Icons
ICI Alketh
United Kingdom · 1939
ICI Alketh is a reference point in the public image of Polyethylene.
HDPE bottle
Global · 1960s–
HDPE bottle is a reference point in the public image of Polyethylene.
3
Dyneema
Netherlands · 1979–
Dyneema is a reference point in the public image of Polyethylene.
PE100 pipe
Europe · 1990s–
PE100 pipe is a reference point in the public image of Polyethylene.
5
Tupper box lore
United States · 1940s–
Tupper box lore is a reference point in the public image of Polyethylene.
6
Geomembrane
Global · 1980s–
Geomembrane is a reference point in the public image of Polyethylene.
UHMW hip liner
United Kingdom · 1960s–
UHMW hip liner is a reference point in the public image of Polyethylene.
Stretch film
Global · 1970s–
Stretch film is a reference point in the public image of Polyethylene.
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