Quality Control

Named resin suppliers, testing against EN and ASTM methods, and what we will tell you when something goes wrong.

Sheet quality is decided long before anyone measures the finished product. It is decided by what goes into the extruder.

We buy virgin polycarbonate granules from Covestro, SABIC and Mitsubishi Chemical under long-term agreements. Standard production contains no recycled or reprocessed feedstock. This is the most expensive decision we make and the one that matters most.

Polycarbonate extrusion line with in-process quality monitoring

Why recycled content is the industry’s quiet problem

Reprocessed polycarbonate is cheaper, and a sheet made from it looks identical on the day it arrives. The difference shows up two or three years later as yellowing, falling light transmission and brittleness — long after the invoice was settled and usually after the installer has moved on.

Our sheet is specified to retain ≥ 85% light transmission after ten years. That figure is only achievable with virgin resin.

What we control and test

Stage	Control
Incoming resin	Supplier certification, batch traceability
Extrusion	Continuous line monitoring, thickness control
Dimensional	Checked against the order specification
Optical	Light transmission and haze on production samples
Mechanical	Impact testing to internal standards
Environmental	Verified stable −40 °C to 120 °C by national testing
Machining	the order-specific CNC tolerance confirmed after material, thickness, part geometry and drawing review on CNC operations

Our internal technical standards for optical performance, impact strength and weathering are aligned to EN and ASTM test methods, developed by our in-house research institute — six PhDs and 23 core patents.

When something goes wrong

It occasionally does. What we ask is photographs of the material and the installation, the batch information from the packaging, and the service conditions.

Most field failures we investigate turn out to be installation issues — UV face installed downwards, ribs run across the slope, fixings over-tightened with no allowance for thermal movement, or an incompatible cleaning chemical. We will tell you when that is the case, with the evidence, and we will tell you equally plainly when the sheet was at fault.

Minimum order and lead time

For polycarbonate sheet quality control enquiries, Plastura’s Jiangsu team confirms the specification, quantity, fabrication scope, destination, and delivery target before quoting. Standard stock sizes and colours normally run in 7–10 days; non-standard extrusion in 12–18 days; allow another 3–7 days for CNC work. The published starting point is 100 m² or 1 tonne, quoted in USD on FOB, CIF or DDP terms. See MOQ, lead time and shipping for planning details.

Questions buyers ask

Can you provide material certificates?

Yes — resin supplier certification and batch traceability for the material supplied. Tell us at order stage if your customer requires documentation, so it travels with the shipment.

Do you test to EN or ASTM standards?

Our internal standards for optical, impact and weathering performance are aligned to EN and ASTM methods. For a specific certified test against a named standard, tell us which one and we will confirm what we can provide before you order.

How do I verify the sheet is virgin material?

Ask for a sample and compare it edge-on against sheet from another supplier. Recycled content shows as a grey-yellow cast in the edge, which is the hardest place to hide it.

Request a quote MOQ & shipping

Buyer planning module

This page explains how sample-to-production consistency is controlled and what a buyer should ask to verify batch traceability.

For: It is written for quality engineers and procurement reviewers evaluating Plastura's inspection and release process.

Key variables: Variables are incoming resin checks, extrusion start-up, in-process control, first-article review, final inspection, and records.

Limit: Specific instruments, frequencies, and acceptance ranges are not publicly verified and must be confirmed in the order control plan.

Next step: Request the current control plan, lot-code structure, and a sample COA when you submit your RFQ.

Sample-to-production consistency depends on the control plan agreed for your order. Request the current control plan, including instruments, frequencies, records, and acceptance ranges, before production starts.

A lot code should let you trace a sheet back to its production batch. Ask how lot codes are structured on your order and which records each code retrieves.

Agree how the sample is approved and how production release works before the order is confirmed, so sample and production acceptance criteria match.

Nonconformance handling is part of a quality system; ask how a rejected batch is quarantined, investigated, and corrected, and how the outcome is reported to you.

When you request a COA, ask that it state product identity, batch or lot, quantity, and the tested properties agreed for the order.

Ask whether third-party pre-shipment inspection can be arranged for your order; do not assume it is available.

If your project requires a specific standard, name the standard and its edition in the RFQ; do not assume a general quality statement covers it.

Quality verification route

Choose this when	Do not choose this when
you need documented control from sample through production for your order	you need a third-party certified test report; ask in the RFQ whether such a report can be provided for your order

Quality control stages — confirm the current control plan for the order

Property	Value	Unit	Product Grade	Thickness Specimen	Test Method Standard	Evidence Status	Qualification	Stage	Check	Instrument Method	Frequency	Record	Acceptance Basis	Buyer Document
Incoming resin — identity, lot, and document check	Not publicly verified — confirm current control plan for the order	n/a	order-specific resin	n/a	confirm the current method	not publicly verified	ask for supplier and batch documents for the order	Incoming resin	identity, lot, and document check	ask the supplier to state the current method — not publicly verified	ask the supplier to state the current frequency	lot record — ask whether it can be provided for the order	approved specification — ask the supplier to confirm against required standard and order grade	supplier or batch document — ask which can be provided with the order
Extrusion start-up — thickness, appearance, and colour	Not publicly verified — confirm current control plan for the order	n/a	order-specific grade	order-specified	confirm the current method	not publicly verified	ask for start-up records and the product specification	Extrusion start-up	thickness, appearance, and colour	ask for the current method — not publicly verified	ask for the current frequency	start-up record — ask whether it can be provided	product specification — ask the supplier to confirm the current one	COA or inspection summary — ask which can be provided
In-process — thickness, width, and optics	Not publicly verified — confirm current control plan for the order	n/a	order-specific grade	order-specified	confirm the current method	not publicly verified	ask for process records and the order tolerance	In-process	thickness, width, and optics	ask for the current method — not publicly verified	ask for the current frequency	process record — ask whether it can be provided	order tolerance — ask how it is applied to the order	order-specific record — ask which can be provided
CNC first article — critical dimensions	Not publicly verified — confirm current control plan for the order	n/a	order-specific grade	order drawing	confirm the current gauges	not publicly verified	first-article record requested through the order	CNC first article	critical dimensions	ask which gauges are used — not publicly verified	first-article rule — ask how it applies to the order	FAI record — ask whether it can be provided	drawing tolerance — ask the supplier to confirm	FAI record — ask which can be provided with the order
Final inspection — quantity, dimensions, appearance, and packing	Not publicly verified — confirm current control plan for the order	n/a	order-specific grade	order-specified	confirm the current sampling	not publicly verified	ask for the final report, COA, or inspection summary	Final inspection	quantity, dimensions, appearance, and packing	ask for the current sampling method — not publicly verified	ask for the current sampling frequency	final report — ask whether it can be provided	PO, drawing, and packing specification — ask the supplier to confirm	COA or final report — ask which can be provided

Limitations

Instruments, frequencies, and acceptance ranges are not publicly verified; ask for the current control plan for your order.
Standards and test methods must be named by the buyer; no general alignment claim is made here.
Records and certificates are order-specific; ask for them in the RFQ.

RFQ checklist

Control plan and records required for the order
Lot-code and traceability questions
Sample approval and production release expectations
COA or inspection summary requirements
Third-party pre-shipment inspection interest

Evidence handling

Review date: 2026-08-26. Fact owner: Unassigned — owner approval required. Applicable grade: order-specific grades.

This date is the local draft evidence-gate review date, not a company fact-verification or department approval date. Ask in the RFQ which control-plan, inspection, and lot-record documents can be provided.

Ask in the RFQ whether a batch COA or inspection summary can be provided for the order.

Related buyer paths

Submit the page-specific details in a quote request

Company-declared: Plastura reports the equipment, capacity, research-team, patent and resin-supplier statements appearing on this page; request current scope-matched records before relying on them.

For fire-document scope, compare the flame-retardant polycarbonate evidence requirements.

From the factory