PVC film

PVC stands for polyvinyl chloride — a thermoplastic, i.e. a plastic material that becomes soft when heated and stiffens again when it cools. The film is made by calendering: PVC powder is mixed with stabilisers, impact-toughness-modifying additives and colour pigments, melted and rolled out into thin sheets of 0.2 – 0.7 mm [TAS17_00-ebilcare s.1; PVC-GEN706 s.1]. The finished product is a stiff, impact-resistant, opaque plastic film, used in technical insulation as the outer jacket over pipe sections or duct mats. The film protects the insulation itself against moisture, mechanical wear, dirt and contact — and gives the installation a neat, uniform appearance that can be wiped clean.

In practice, the term "PVC film" refers to two things at once: (1) the flat-laid film on a roll, which is wrapped around the straight pipe and duct sections, and (2) the thermoformed fittings (bends, T-pieces, end caps, valve jackets) that are vacuum-formed from the same type of film to cover the transitions [195_danmat_katalog s.3; Mounting principle for PVC bends.pdf].

Before PVC became widespread, pipes and boilers in Denmark were clad in cardboard and canvas — a technique that requires sewing thread, glue/paste and considerable craftsmanship, and which today is therefore far more expensive and mostly used in restoration contexts [ikas-isolering.dk; amusyd.dk AMU-kursus]. PVC film took over from the 1960s onward because it was cheap, fast, water-repellent and easy to wash. Today PVC, together with cardboard-and-canvas, glass cloth and metal sheet jacketing (aluminium, galvanised steel or stainless steel), is one of the four classic outer jackets, and PVC dominates indoors in buildings without special fire or environmental requirements. At GF2 / apprentice level, PVC film together with the Foilcutter tool is the first thing one typically learns to work with, because it is manageable to achieve a neat result with.

[PVC NORM EN 15701_2017 02.pdf s.7, Tabel 2; 195_danmat_katalog]

Colours (Danmat range): grey (standard, RAL approx. 7035 / Bilcare code 9137), white (RAL 9002 / Bilcare code 1497-1498) and black. Other RAL colours can be ordered at an extra charge [195_danmat_katalog s.3; danmat.dk/produkter/pvc-folie; Bilcare TA S17 datablad].

Surface textures: Bilcare TA 706 6A is supplied with an embossed surface ("Prägung fein", roughness Rz 2-6 µm), gloss-matt (glz/cmt) or matt-matt (mtt/smt, code 5030 on TA S17). A matt surface better conceals small installation marks and is preferred in visible installations [PVC-GEN706_6A_101201_d-bilcare; TAS17_00-ebilcare].

Roll formats (Danmat): Widths 700, 1,000, 1,200 and 1,400 mm; lengths 12.5 / 25 / 35 / 50 m [danmat.dk/produkter/pvc-folie/pvc-folie-hvid-ral-code-9002].

The European reaction-to-fire classification per EN 13501-1 has the scale A1, A2, B, C, D, E, F (where A1 is non-combustible and F is tested and failed). For linear pipe insulation a small L is added (e.g. C_L). Two additional indicators:

• s1 / s2 / s3 = smoke development (s1 = least, s3 = most)
• d0 / d1 / d2 = flaming droplets/particles (d0 = none)

Isotop PVC film (the Bilcare supply) was tested by DBI (Danish Institute of Fire and Security Technology) on 15–17 January 2014 per EN 13823 (SBI) and EN ISO 11925-2 and classified C_L-s2,d0 (report PCA10115, series no. 14351, 5 February 2014) [2014 SBI full Classifikation Report Foil.pdf s.2, 4]. Measurement results: FIGRA 0,2MJ = 370 W/s, THR_600s = 4.4 MJ, SMOGRA = 386 m²/s², TSP_600s = 174 m² [s.3]. The test was carried out on 30 mm mineral wool (A1_L/A2_L) pipe sections with the film fastened using pop rivets [PVC NORM EN 15701_2017 02.pdf s.8, pkt. 5.3-5.4]. The classification applies to the whole system, not the film in isolation — so you must always check that the pipe section, the fastening and any adhesive are covered by the same test or a broader "field of application".

The German parallel variant Isogenopak 350 SE is classified per the older DIN 4102 as class B1 (not readily flammable) [baufachinformation.de Bauaufsichtliche Zulassungen P-BWU03-I-16.5.25].

EN 15701 is the harmonised European product standard for thermoplastic jackets. It is the CE basis under the Construction Products Regulation (EU) 305/2011 and requires, among other things:

• Requirements for the jacket's composition (≥80 % plastic film) [pkt. 4.1]
• Maximum VC residual monomer 0.0001 % [pkt. 4.2]
• Tensile-impact strength ≥ 300 kJ/m² [pkt. 4.3.2.2]
• Declared reaction-to-fire class A1 to F [Annex ZA Tabel ZA.1]
• Declared emissivity (ε) and thermal conductivity (λ) [Tabel 3]
• The reaction-to-fire classification does not change over time (4.6 — the durability is constant)

PVC film is typically found on:

• Office buildings and ordinary commercial buildings: heating and domestic hot water pipes in plant rooms, suspended cooling ceilings, riser ducts.
• Hospitals and laboratories: chosen because the smooth surface can be wiped down with disinfectant.
• The food industry (breweries, dairies, slaughterhouses): typically white or light grey variant. PVC has good chemical resistance to lactic acid, beer, fruit juice and cleaning agents at moderate temperatures [Danmat Chemical Resistance2.pdf s.1, 3-4].
• Ventilation and cooling installations in shops and commercial kitchens.
• Light industrial installations with operating temperatures below approx. 60 °C.

PVC film is not used for:

• Outdoor installations without additional protection — the film has no UV stability and shrinks and becomes brittle within a few years [isotec-isolierungen.de].
• High-temperature installations above approx. 60-70 °C (Vicat softening point 76-81 °C; the film begins to deform well before that) [TAS17; PVC-GEN706].
• Fire-critical escape routes where A1/A2 class is required — there you have to step up to metal sheet jacketing in steel or aluminium.
• Installations in power plants, refineries and the like where metal sheet jacketing (aluminium/steel) is standard.

• Price: many times cheaper than metal sheet jacketing; the film typically costs 5-20 DKK/m² at wholesale, and installation is fast.
• Fast installation: Experienced insulators can clad 30-50 m of pipe per hour. Vacuum-formed bends and T-pieces eliminate the need to fold and cut complicated transitions [195_danmat_katalog s.8 — "Save time and money"].
• Large range of fittings — Danmat stocks bends for all DN sizes from 3/8" (12 mm) up to 12" (324 mm) and insulation thicknesses of 20-100 mm, in 90° (3S, S, W, Isotop), 45° and T-pieces [2011 Bøjninger.pdf s.1-4].
• Neat aesthetics: uniform colour, smooth or matt surface. Valve jackets (the Dancap series) are chosen by clients precisely because they hide the "spaghetti insulation" around ball valves and balancing valves [195_danmat_katalog s.6-7; Valvebox kort.pdf].
• Wipeable surface: chemically resistant to ordinary cleaning agents, soap (60 °C ++), water, urine, milk [Danmat Chemical Resistance2.pdf].
• Short payback time on valve jackets: Danmat claims under 2 months when insulating valves on a 90 °C heating system [195_danmat_katalog s.6].
• Back to recycling: Waste and offcuts from ISOTOP production are crushed and reused 100 % in new production [Miljødeklaration-ISOTOP-2013.pdf s.1].