What is BOPP & Why Does It Make a Great Label Material?

What is BOPP?

BOPP stands for biaxially orientated polypropylene materials, these materials are mechanically stretched (orientated) in both the machine and transverse directions during the manufacturing process. By doing this, the film’s molecules are aligned in the cross (transverse) machine direction as well as the machine direction. Once biaxial orientation has taken place, the film exhibits a noticeable improvement in optics, strength, moisture barrier, and low-temperature durability. This increased tensile strength of the film improves on-press stability, with less stretch and subsequently improved print performance.

Why is biaxially orientated polypropylene (BOPP) great for label & tag materials?

BOPP materials are popular in both food and non-food sectors as this material presents advantages over other label materials such as paper.

• Versatile & durable – BOPP materials perform well against water, oil & chemicals.
• Can be digitally coated – resulting in BOPP label materials which can be digitally printed with HP Indigo printers.
• High tear strength – these materials resist tearing and scratches better than paper materials.
• Flexible label materials – perfect for labelling rigid and semi-squeeze toiletry & cosmetic applications.
• Transparency of materials – can come as a transparent, clear option or opaque. When BOPP labels are transparent these can provide the impression to consumers that graphics are printed directly on the product container.
• Can be thermally coated & provides resistance to wet & damp conditions, perfect for food production processes.
• BOPP materials are flexible – can be used as ticket and/or tag materials.

Industries & Example Applications of BOPP label materials

As BOPP materials are durable, there are various industries that tend to utilise BOPP materials over paper materials. See the example list below:

• Horticulture – crop/plant labelling
• Food - meat/poultry labelling
• Warehouse labelling – pallet labelling or wet /damp storage conditions
• Health & personal care – suitable for semi-squeeze durable applications like shampoo bottles, detergents etc.
• Rack/shelf labelling – suited to applications where durability is important, including wet storage and industrial applications

Let our team help you find the right materials

Choosing the correct label material is a crucial decision to ensuring your product is correctly labelled and capable of withstanding the environment it is exposed to long-term. At Smith & McLaurin we manufacture modified commodity ticket, tag and label materials to suit unique application requirements. We offer a range of BOPP film face materials, including clear, white & thermal which can be used in combination with a wide range of our adhesives and release liners, contact us if you’d like to discuss this in more detail.