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- What is Wood-Plastic Composite (WPC)?
Wood-plastic composite is a new type of material made by mixing, extruding, injecting and other processes from wood fibers (such as wood chips, straw, bamboo powder, etc.) and thermoplastic plastics (such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, etc.). It combines the texture of wood and the weather resistance of plastic, and is recyclable, making it a typical environmentally friendly material.
- What are the advantages of wood-plastic materials compared with traditional wood and pure plastic?
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- Environmental protection: It uses waste biomass and plastic as raw materials, reducing resource consumption and environmental pollution, and does not contain harmful substances such as formaldehyde.
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- Performance: It is water-resistant, moisture-proof, corrosion-resistant, not easy to deform and crack, and its service life is 3-5 times that of traditional wood.
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- Processability: It can be sawn, nailed and planed, and the construction method is similar to that of wood. At the same time, it supports customized colors and textures.
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- Economy: The long-term maintenance cost is low, and there is no need to frequently apply preservatives.
II. Technology and Production
- What are the main production processes of wood-plastic materials?
The mainstream processes include extrusion molding (for plates and profiles, such as floors and guardrails), injection molding (for small parts, such as furniture accessories), and compression molding (for thick plates or special-shaped parts). In recent years, innovative processes such as co-extrusion technology and surface coating technology have further improved the strength and aesthetics of products.
- Is the higher the proportion of wood fiber filling in wood-plastic materials, the better?
Not necessarily. The filling proportion of traditional commercial products is mostly 50%-70%. Excessively high filling may lead to decreased toughness and brittleness of the material. However, recent technological breakthroughs (such as the ultra-high filling technology of Northeast Forestry University) have achieved a 95% filling proportion through optimizing formulas and processes while ensuring strength, which not only reduces costs but also improves environmental protection.
- How is the weather resistance of wood-plastic materials? Can they be used outdoors?
Through formula optimization (such as adding ultraviolet absorbers and antioxidants) and process improvement, the weather resistance of wood-plastic materials has been significantly improved. They can be used in outdoor environments for a long time (such as garden landscapes, terrace floors, plank roads, etc.) and can resist the impact of rain, sunlight exposure and temperature changes.
III. Market and Policy
- What is the market size of the global and Chinese wood-plastic industry?
China is the world's largest producer and consumer of wood-plastic products. The domestic output exceeded 4 million tons in 2023 and is expected to reach 5.5 million tons by 2025. In overseas markets, demand in Europe, North America and Southeast Asia is growing rapidly, especially the preference for green building materials has promoted export expansion.
- What are the important national standards or policy supports for the wood-plastic industry?
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- The revised version of "Green Product Evaluation - Wood-Plastic Products" implemented in 2025: It regulates the environmental protection requirements of the whole life cycle, emphasizing the utilization rate of recycled raw materials and carbon emission control.
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- "Dual Carbon" policy: Due to its resource recycling attribute, wood-plastic materials are included in the recommended catalog of green building materials, enjoying preferential tax policies and priority procurement in projects.
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- Local plastic ban and logging restriction policies: They indirectly promote the application of wood-plastic as a substitute for traditional plastic and wood.
IV. Application and Purchase
- What are the main application scenarios of wood-plastic materials?
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- Building decoration: Floors, wall panels, ceilings, door and window frames.
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- Outdoor landscapes: Plank roads, guardrails, pavilions, flower boxes, trash cans.
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- Furniture and home furnishing: Wardrobes, cabinet door panels, coffee table panels.
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- Transportation and municipal administration: Platform floors, sound insulation barriers, municipal guardrails.
- What indicators should be paid attention to when purchasing wood-plastic products?
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- Physical properties: Density, flexural strength, water absorption rate (outdoor products are recommended to be ≤3%).
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- Environmental certification: Whether it meets the standards of "Green Product Evaluation - Wood-Plastic Products" and whether it has passed international certifications such as SGS and CE.
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- Brand and after-sales service: Choose large-scale enterprises (such as Helong New Materials, Kejie New Materials, etc.) to ensure quality assurance services (usually 5-10 years).
