A: Yes, we can produce custom-sized XE rolls to meet your specific requirements. A minimum order quantity applies. For example, a minimum of 10,000 linear feet is required for a 4lb roll with a thickness of 0.25 inches and a width of 60 inches. Please contact us for more details. 

A: We maintain strict quality control throughout the production process. Each roll is assigned a lot number for traceability. Our standard tolerances for thickness and density are +/- 10%.

A: Currently, we offer vinyl acetate (VA) as an additive. Our standard product, XEV, contains a specific percentage of VA. For custom VA percentages, please expect a price increase of 10-15%. Please contact us for more details. 

A: While we do not offer precise color matching at this time, we can produce XE rolls in custom colors. Please expect a price increase of 5-10% and a minimum order quantity. Please contact us for more details. 

A: We plan to install a lab extruder in the near future to support product development efforts. This will enable us to explore new formulations and create customized solutions for our customers. 

Yes, our XLPE & EVA have low abrasive properties and are Class A compatible.

Class “A” surface protection is defined as packaging and materials utilized in the production, handling, and delivery of automobile parts (most often) must not in any way, affect the quality of the product.

XLPE and EVA have long been considered the gold standard in providing Class A surface protection. XLPE and EVA are used to make durable, long-lasting expendable and returnable packaging for those parts designated as Class A.

A: We manufacture our XLPE bun product line overseas using our own presses and molds. Our extruded XLPE rolls (XE) are manufactured in Elkhart, Indiana. We also work with a variety of top foam manufacturers across the world to provide a wide range of products and SKUs.

A: We currently have 6 locations across North America. Company Locations

A: WF does offer a variety of converting services to offer process-ready goods such as skiving, looping, spooling, PSA application, heat-lamination, and slitting. Contact us for more information on our add-on services.

A: We are constantly expanding our product line with new materials. Please contact us here if you would like a free sample kit with all of our products.

A: Standard stock and skived sheets will generally ship out with a 1-2 day lead time. PSA, Heat-Lamination, and Looping tend to have a 1-2 week lead time for stock items. 

A: Shipments are considered FOB our warehouse. We do cover the freight on qualifying full truckload orders over $35,000.

Reach out to [email protected] to talk to one of our logistics specialists.  

A: 53’ trailers can hold around 36,000 bdft depending on the material type.

A: Send your orders to [email protected] for the fastest service.

A: Our XLPE bun materials generally do not come with skin. Some materials are available with skins upon request. Elastomeric, Zotefoams, and Sealed Air extruded PE come with skin, but can be removed upon request. 

A: A 20% restocking fee on stock items. Subject to review on all other items. 

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A: Block density on all our 2 stage XLPE materials is +/- 10% – i.e. The actual density of a 4lb/ft³ material falls somewhere between 3.6 to 4.4 lb/ft³. Any cut part of the bun will be +/ 20%.

XLPE manufacturing process produces denser and harder foam towards the outside of the bun, and softer, lighter materials on the inside. This is true for all manufacturers of 2 stage buns.

A: For maximum continuous operating temperature of our materials, please refer to material typical properties sheets. 

A: A clean room is a controlled space in which airborne contaminants are carefully kept within strict limits. These rooms are often used in manufacturing to prevent contamination. Our XLPE foam is biologically inert or dormant and is commonly used in many applications where a clean room is required.

A: Our foam does work well with adhesives. However, your adhesive supplier would be the best person to speak with regarding any specific questions. We carry a wide variety of pressure sensitive adhesive as an add-on service. Contact us for more info. PSA Selection Guide PDF.

A: XLPE foam does not have a shelf life.

A: We stock a wide variety of materials that are compliant with UL 94 testing standard and FMVSS-302 motor vehicle specification.

UL 94 is a plastics flammability standard released by the Underwriters Laboratories (USA). The standard classifies plastics according to how they burn in various orientations and part thicknesses from the lowest flame-retardant to most flame-retardant in six different classifications. The FMVSS-302 measures the horizontal burn rate of materials that will be used in the occupant compartments of motor vehicles. A horizontal burn rate of fewer than four inches per minute qualifies as a pass.

A: Cellular foams are composed of millions of small cavities or cells. These cells may be interconnecting (open-cell) or non-connecting (closed-cell). Most of the cells or bubbles in closed-cell foams are not broken; they resemble inflated balloons compressed together in a compact configuration. Open-cell foams are connected to each other with an opening so that water, air, or gas can pass through them, similar to the way water is absorbed by a sponge. The cell walls, or surfaces of the bubbles, are broken and air fills all of the spaces in the material.

A: Yes! XLPE trim and end-of-life components can be collected and repurposed into a variety of new products, including sports field and playground underlayment. This way, the material avoids the landfill, and the produce avoids the disposal fees. Good for the planet, good for your bottom line. For more XLPE recycle information, please check out our commitment to sustainability

• A: Shipping is FOB our dock in Elkhart, IN or Atlanta, GA, and prior notice (ideally 2-3 days) and a dock appointment are required. Please email [email protected] for arrangements. Unloaded may take as long as 2 hours, depending on the packaging format.
• If you receive materials via our WF truck, we are able to backhaul scrap. However, prior notice and arrangements are required via [email protected]
• We can accept materials loose, baled, palletized, in gaylords, or bagged. All formats are acceptable. If you are sending both XLPE and PE materials, segregation is necessary.

A: EVA stands for ethylene vinyl acetate. WF’s XLPE and EVA foam products are similar materials and are difficult to distinguish. The primary differences are that EVA is softer, more resilient, and has stronger recovery after compression. Whereas polyethylene foams are firmer and more resistant to heat. Both of them provide excellent protection and shock absorption for packaging applications. EVA is a copolymer of ethylene and contains wide range percentage of VA. The VA additive enhances the typical properties such as tensile, tear, elongation, and compression set while providing greater resilience and a smooth soft feel.

A: XLPE is naturally UV resistant, dormant to bacteria, and non-toxic. We regularly test our foam for characteristics outlined in our typical property sheets. If you need to meet a certain standard or would like to do testing on your own we will gladly supply a sample of the desired foam. If certain volume requirements are met we may be able to test for a certain standard you are looking for. If you wish to have any additives added to the foam, this will count as a special order and special rates and requirements will need to be met.

Durometer is one of several measures of the hardness of a foam or material. The durometer scale was defined by Albert F. Shore, who developed the measurement device called a durometer. The common test standard is ASTM D2240 (00) for a total of 12 scales, depending on the intended use; types A, B, C, D, DO, E, M, O, OO, OOO, OOO-S, and R. Each scale results in a value between 0 and 100, with higher values indicating a harder material. With foams, the most common type of shore scale used is OO.

Cell count is the number of cells per linear inch or centimeter, expressed as pore per inch or pores per centimeter. Cell size is the average diameter of the cells in the final foam product, often measured in miron units. 

The test standard ASTM D1056 covers flexible cellular products, both open and closed cell. Designated numbers have changed over the years, but the basics remain the same.

SCE is now 2C or 2A depending on the oil requirement
SCE-41 is now 2C1 or 2A1 depending on the oil requirement
SCE-42 is now 2C2 or 2C2 depending on the oil requirement

The first number defines cell structure: 1 (Type 1) = open cell 2 (Type 2) = closed cell

The letter defines oil resistance:
A = no oil resistance required;
B = oil resistance with low mass change;
C = oil resistance with medium mass change;
D = requires extreme temperature resistance (-75 to 175°C or -103 to 347°F) but not oil resistance.

The last number defines compression deflection which ranges from 0 to 5.
Grade 0: For Types 1 and 2 cellular rubber, a compression-deflection range from 0 to 16 kPa 0 to 2 psi.
Grade 1: For Types 1 and 2 cellular rubber, a compression-deflection range from 15 to 35 kPa 2 to 5 psi.
Grade 2: For Types 1 and 2 cellular rubber, a compression-deflection range from 35 to 65 kPa 5 to 9 psi.
Grade 3: For Types 1 and 2 cellular rubber, a compression-deflection range from 65 to 90 kPa 9 to 13 psi.
Grade 4: For Types 1 and 2 cellular rubber, a compression-deflection range from 90 to 120 kPa 13 to 17 psi.
Grade 5: For Types 1 and 2 cellular rubber, a compression-deflection range from 120 to 170 kPa 17 to 25 psi)

The amount of force required to compress a rubber cellular specimen by a given % over the entire top area of the specimen. (i.e. the force required to compress a ½” thick specimen 25% of its original thickness. It can be expressed in lb/in2 (pounds per square inch) or kPa (kilopascal).

A permanent partial loss of initial height of a foam sample due to a bending or collapse of the cell structure. Large percentages of compression set will cause a foam to quickly lose its original appearance, leaving its surface depressed or “hollowed out”.

A measurement of the mass per unit volume. It is commonly measured and expressed in pounds per cubic foot (pcf) or kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m³).

Non-Clickable will maintain a pinched edge when die cut, Clickable will pop back-up without pinching. These characteristics apply to Polyester Urethane foams.

A measure of the lead bearing capacity of foam. IFD is generally measured as the force (in pounds) required to compress a 50 square inch circular foot into a 4 inch thick sample, typically 15 inches square or larger, to a stated percentage of the sample’s initial height. Common IFD values are generated at 25 and 65 percent of initial height. (Note: previously called “ILD – Indentation Load Deflection).

The outer layers of the master buns and rolls typically have a skin like surface. Depending on the thickness you require, some layers may be without skin or will be skin one-side only once the skiving process begins to peel down the master material. We can offer skin one-side of a foam but the remaining material from the master must also be accounted for. The fail-safe way to have skin on both sides of a foam is to purchase a product extruded to thickness. Please contact for details as most foams cannot meet this requirement.

The tendency of a surface to repel, rather than attract, an adhesive. A low surface energy is a hard-to-stick-to surface, which reduces the force of attraction between two substrates. A high surface energy provides an easier-to-stick-to surface, increasing the force of attraction between substrates. A high surface energy substrate allows the adhesive to wet-out, which helps obtain a stronger bond. A low surface energy substrate requires a specially designed adhesive or a primer / promoter to alter the substrates surface energy.

20%

Wet-out means the level of physical contact between an adhesive and substrate. A visual wet-out can be controlled when the adhesive is applied by machine or hand and is application controlled. A microscopic wet-out is related to temperature and length of time and is predicated on the chemistry of the adhesive and substrate.

A: WZ-30 is a Zotefoams 1.9 lb density XLPE exclusive to Worldwide Foam. Using the same proprietary formula and nitrogen expansion process, WZ-30 retains all the benefits and typical properties of Azote LD-30, which includes the lowest VOC, consistent density, vibrant color, and unified cell structure. Unlike LD-30 using metric bun size, WZ-30 comes in a 2″x48″x80″ bun size which directly translates to a better material yielding. Furthermore, WZ-30 comes in a more competitive pricing structure and could be a great alternative to conventional 2lb XLPE foams.

Yes, the plastic is imported and we understand concerns related to brittleness and cracking.  These issues can be attributed to the presence of  fillers or incorrect resin formulas.  In order to make sure our plastic is not too brittle, we maintain the proper ratio of the resins to achieve the correct firmness while retaining resilience.  There are no fillers added.