ISO 12418-1:2012 establishes a designation system for post-consumer poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) bottle recyclates, which may be used as the basis for specifications.

The types of PET bottle recyclate are differentiated from each other by a classification system based on appropriate levels of the following designatory properties:

• intrinsic viscosity (IV);
• levels of contamination due to the label and other visible contaminants, PVC and polyolefins (including adhesive);
• water content;
• bulk density.

Information regarding the intended application or method of processing will also assist in classification.

ISO 12418-1 is applicable to all PET bottle recyclates.

It applies to materials ready for normal use in the form of powder, flakes or pellets.

It is not intended to imply that materials having the same designation will give the same performance. ISO 12418-1 does not provide engineering data or data on processing conditions which might be required to specify a material for a particular application and/or method of processing.

If such additional details are required, they shall be determined in accordance with the test methods specified in ISO 12418-2.

In order to specify a thermoplastic material for a particular application or to ensure reproducible processing, additional requirements may be given in an additional data block (data block 5).