General purpose biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film
Types of plastic films specified in Chinese national standards
General purpose biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film is a product specified in the Chinese national standard GB/T 10003-2008. This standard was released on December 30, 2008 and officially implemented on September 1, 2009, replacing the old versions of the 1996 and 2000 standards. It is applicable to ordinary and heat sealed films made from polypropylene resin through biaxial stretching, and explicitly excludes the application scope of special functional films such as extinction films.
In 2024, the China Plastics Processing Industry Association released the T/CPPIA 47-2024 group standard, which proposes supplementary requirements for BOPP films made from bio based raw materials, dividing them into grades I-III according to the bio based carbon content, and stipulating that the content should not be less than 30%.
Chinese name: General purpose biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film
Standard number: GB/T 10003-2008
English name: Biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film for general use
Responsible department: China Light Industry Federation
International classification: 83.140.10
Biobased standard: T/CPPIA 47-2024
Definition and Characteristics
Biaxially oriented polypropylene film (BOPP) is a plastic film made by co extruding polypropylene particles into sheets or thick films, and then stretching them in both longitudinal and transverse directions.
BOPP film has the advantages of light weight, non-toxic, odorless, moisture-proof, high mechanical strength, good dimensional stability, good printing performance, good transparency, high transparency, good gloss, good barrier properties, high impact strength, low temperature resistance, high tensile strength, impact strength, rigidity, and toughness. Its surface energy is low, and corona treatment is required before coating or printing.
The main disadvantages of BOPP film are poor heat sealing performance, easy film shrinkage during heat sealing, and easy accumulation of static electricity.
Generally, a thickness of 20-40 μ m is used, with 20 μ m being the most widely used.
Standard Evolution
The production technology of BOPP film was pioneered by the Italian company Montecatini in 1958 and industrialized in 1962. Since the early 1960s, China has been exploring and designing the process and equipment for biaxially oriented stretching by units such as Beijing Chemical Research Institute, and officially producing BOPP film in 1975.
With the development of technology and industrial demand, Chinese national standards have also undergone multiple versions of updates. In 1996, GB/T 10003-1996 was developed by Dongfang Packaging Materials Company in Foshan, Guangdong Province, and non equivalent Japanese standard JIS K 6782:1992 was adopted; The old version of the standard in 2000 was replaced by GB/T 10003-2008; The 2008 version of the standard integrated the content of the first two versions and was fully implemented in September 2009.
On February 28, 2025, the national standard plan 20250472-T-607 “Biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film” was issued, and it is planned to revise and completely replace GB/T 10003-2008. The project period is 12 months, and the modification will adopt the international standard ISO 17555:2021.
classification system
According to their applications, they can be divided into ordinary films, heat sealed films, as well as metalized films, capacitor films, and various specialized films.
According to the group standard T/CPPIA 47-2024 “Bio based BOPP Film for General Purpose Biaxially Stretching” released in 2024:
Classification of surface characteristics:
Class A: Ordinary type
Class B: Heat sealed type
Biobased grading:
Grade I: Biobased carbon content of 30% -50%
Level II: 51% -70%
Level III: Over 71%
Preparation method
Biaxially oriented polypropylene film (BOPP) is made by co extruding polypropylene particles into sheets or thick films, and then stretching them in both longitudinal and transverse directions. At present, the production of BOPP film is mainly divided into two categories: film method and flat film method. The production technology of BOPP film was first pioneered by the Italian company Montmartre in 1958, and achieved industrialization in 1962, monopolizing production in Europe, America, and Japan. Since the early 1960s, China has been exploring the design and trial production of biaxially oriented stretching processes and equipment by units such as the Beijing Institute of Chemical Technology, and has gradually built and put into operation some small-scale and simple equipment production lines. Among them, BOPP film was officially produced in 1975
application field
Biaxially oriented polypropylene film (BOPP) has the advantages of light weight, non-toxic, odorless, moisture-proof, high mechanical strength, good dimensional stability, good printing performance, and good transparency. It is widely used in packaging of food, candy, cigarettes, tea, juice, milk, textiles, and other products. BOPP film is developing from ordinary films to multifunctional, ultra-thin, and special films with special applicability and decorative properties.
Packaging field
BOPP film is a flexible packaging material with a wide range of applications. Ordinary BOPP film is mainly used for printing, bag making, making adhesive tapes, and composite with other substrates, often used as the surface material of composite films. Heat sealed BOPP film is used for cigarette packaging, regular packaging, and pearl film packaging. BOPP film is widely used in packaging fields such as food, electronic products, and medical supplies.
Electronic and electrical field
The capacitor type film in BOPP film is used to manufacture capacitors and metal film capacitors. There is an expansion in production of BOPP film for film capacitors.
Industrial and other fields
BOPP film also has applications in electrical insulation and dielectric fields. BOPP film treated with metallization is suitable for vacuum aluminum plating. Specialized films are used for shopping bags, mail bags, inkjet printing, as well as various scenarios such as label films and stretch film.
Development direction of special functional films
Through modification technology, various functional films that meet high-end and special needs can be produced, such as anti-static BOPP film, BOPP refreshing film, BOPP shrink film, BOPP laser film, heat sealing film, extinction film, pearl film, overlay film, white film, label film, anti fog film, easy printing film, easy tearing film, easy sealing film, pull film, high transparency film, high resistance film, breathable film, aluminum plated film, electrical film, roughening film, etc.
Technical Requirements
The core indicators of the current standard (GB/T 10003-2008) include:
Physical properties: Tensile strength ≥ 120MPa (longitudinal), ≥ 200MPa (transverse)
Dimensional deviation:
Allowable width error ± 2mm
Thickness deviation ± 10%
Heat sealing performance: Heat sealing strength of heat sealed film ≥ 1.5N/15mm
Surface performance: The surface tension requirement is 3.8 × 10 ⁻ ² N/m or above (corona treatment is required before printing and lamination)
Optical performance: high transparency and glossiness
Thermal shrinkage rate: an important indicator for measuring the dimensional stability of thin films, and its testing method is specified in standards such as GB/T 10003
detection method
GB/T 10003 “General purpose biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film” specifies the test methods for BOPP film. This standard is applicable to general-purpose films made from polypropylene resin as the main raw material through biaxial stretching using flat film or tube film methods. The GB/T 10003-2008 standard is currently under revision, with plan number 20250472-T-607. The new standard will be modified to adopt the ISO international standard ISO 17555:2021. In product quality supervision spot checks, the inspection of BOPP film is based on the GB/T 10003 standard.
Thickness testing
According to GB/T 10003, thickness testing is conducted using a thickness tester such as PTT-03A. Measure uniformly along the width direction of the sample, starting from 30mm from both ends. Measure 5 points for thin films with a width of less than or equal to 500mm, and 10 points for films with a width greater than 500mm. Divide the measured thickness at each point by the number of layers to obtain the single-layer thickness, and the arithmetic mean of the thickness at each measurement point is the average thickness.
Thermal shrinkage performance test
The thermal shrinkage performance test can be conducted using the oven method, in accordance with GB/T 10003 or with reference to ISO 14616 standard. The ISO 14616 standard specifies the testing methods for performance parameters such as shrinkage rate, thermal shrinkage force, and cold shrinkage force of shrink film. Special equipment such as FST-02 film heat shrink performance tester can be used to complete the testing. The test results of BOPP cigarette film show that there are differences in longitudinal shrinkage rate, cold shrinkage force, and heat shrinkage force compared to transverse shrinkage rate, cold shrinkage force, and heat shrinkage force.
Supervision and spot check inspection items
In the supervision and spot check inspection items, according to standards such as GB/T 10003-2008, the sensory requirements, physical and chemical indicators such as total migration, potassium permanganate consumption, heavy metals, mechanical properties such as tensile strength and nominal strain at break, optical properties such as haze, glossiness, thermal shrinkage rate, wetting tension, moisture permeability, and label identification of BOPP film are inspected. For heat sealed BOPP film, it is also necessary to check the heat sealing strength
relevant standards
GB/T 10003-2008 “General purpose biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film” is currently the main standard, which is being revised (Plan No. 20250472-T-607), adopting the ISO international standard ISO 17555:2021.
The group standard T/CPPIA 47-2024 “Bio based BOPP Film for General Purpose Biaxially Stretching” has been implemented since August 30, 2024.
Other relevant standards include industry standards (such as QB/T 4634-2014 “Polypropylene (PP) and Biaxially Stretching Polypropylene (BOPP) Bread Bags”, BB/T 0002-2008 “Biaxially Stretching Polypropylene Pearl Film”, QB/T 2889-2007 “Biaxially Stretching Polypropylene (BOPP) Pre Coating Film”, QB/T 5708-2022 “Biaxially Stretching Polypropylene Anti Fog Film”), local standards (such as DB33/2215-2019 “Biaxially Stretching Polypropylene (BOPP) Film Comparable Unit Product Comprehensive Energy Consumption Limit and Calculation Method”, DB43/T 1168.2-2019 “General Technical Requirements for Biaxially Stretching Polypropylene (BOPP)/Untretched Polypropylene (CPP) Composite Film and Bag for Food Packaging”), and related standards. Plan standards (such as 20241548-T-607 “Biaxially Stretching Polypropylene Matte Film” and 20252890-T-607 “Biaxially Stretching Polypropylene Coated Synthetic Paper Film”).
The GB/T 10003-2008 standard specifies that it does not apply to matte films, pearl films, and other modified films that require special functional treatment.
Storage and transportation
According to the national standard GB/T 10003 and the implementation rules for supervision and spot checks, the storage conditions of the product need to be clearly marked; When conducting supervision spot checks and sampling, the same batch of products with the same process and specifications shall be taken as samples, with a sampling base of 150kg~8t. Three rolls shall be randomly selected from the same batch of products, and after removing the outer layer of 5 meters from each roll, 30 meters x 2 pieces shall be taken from each roll; Sample disposal requirements: The sample must not be folded and should be wrapped in a small tube core roll before being sealed. The sampling personnel should supervise the packaging
technological progress
In January 2026, the first domestically produced 9.1-meter wide BOPP film production line was successfully put into operation and discharged, increasing the width of domestic equipment from 8.7 meters to 9.1 meters, and improving both energy saving and efficiency, marking China’s successful breakthrough in core technical challenges in the field of high-end film equipment. This production line has the characteristics of low energy consumption, high efficiency, and clean production, and innovatively solves the common problems of raw material waste in the industry’s trial production stage.
From the perspective of product development trends, BOPP film is evolving from ordinary films to multifunctional, ultra-thin, and special films with special applicability and decorative properties. Various functional varieties have been developed, including anti-static films, slip films, shrink films, laser films, extinction films, pearl films, anti fog films, and high resistance films.
Source: Baidu Baike
