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Plastics are like cheese: There are a lot to choose from, and if you’re not an expert, it can all feel a bit overwhelming.

Among our products, you’ll find references to lots of different types of plastic materials. If you’ve ever wanted to know your polystyrenes from your polyesters, your ABS from your PET, or what happens when you crush a silicone bottle under an industrial squishing machine, we’ve got your answers right here.

Popular Plastics

Find out what our most popular plastic products are made of:

A photo of a can in a blue foam koozie on a pink and blue background with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in white.

1. Koozies

Our plastic koozies are mostly made of neoprene – a flexible foam fabric that’s used to make wetsuits. We also have some rigid hard foam koozies. Find out how effective they are in our koozie temperature test.

A photo of a turquoise stress ball on a pink and blue background with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed on the front.

2. Stress Balls

Almost all of our stress balls are made of open-cell polyurethane, which is what gives them their bounce-back-ability. We also have stress-busting push-pop toys made of silicone.

A photo of a transparent gray water bottle with a straw and a black lid, on a pink and blue background. YOUR DESIGN HERE is printed on the front.

3. Water Bottles

Most of our water bottles are made of PET, HDPE, or polypropylene, with ABS and silicone components. That’s just a fancy way to say lids and straws.

A photo of a dark blue non-woven tote bag on a pink and blue background, with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed on the front.

4. Bags

Our plastic tote bags are typically made of non-woven polypropylene, and our drawstring bags, backpacks, and coolers are usually polyester or nylon. These reusable plastic bags are tough – check out our bag test to see them in action.

A photo of someone wearing a black t-shirt with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed on the front, against a pink and blue background.

5. Apparel

In addition to our 100% cotton options, some of our apparel is 100% synthetic – usually polyester – and some is made of cotton/synthetic blends. Combining polyester or nylon with cotton helps strengthen the natural fibers and reduce shrinkage, both of which improve the garment’s durability. (Yes, we’ve tested this too!)

A photo of a pen with a metallic silver barrel and blue grip, on a pink and blue background, with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed on the barrel.

6. Pens

Most of our pens are made of ABS plastic, often with metal or rubber components, like clips, grips, and springs.

A photo of a navy blue plastic cup on a pink and blue background, with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed on the front.

7. Cups

Our plastic stadium cups and party cups are mostly made from PVC or polypropylene.

A photo of a silicone phone wallet printed with YOUR DESIGN HERE, against a pink and blue background.

8. Phone accessories

Our phone wallets are made of silicone, while our phone stands are made of rigid polypropylene.

A photo of five lip balms lined up against a pink and blue background. They all have wrappers in different colors and are all printed with YOUR DESIGN HERE.

9. Lip balm

Our lip balm tubes are made of polypropylene or ABS.

A photo of a pair of black sunglasses facing to the right, against a pink and blue background.

10. Sunglasses

Our sunglasses frames are mostly polypropylene or ABS. The lenses are typically polycarbonate, which absorbs damaging UV light while allowing visible light to pass through. (We recently tested our sunglasses’ UV light-absorbing capabilities, and the results were enlightening.)


As you’ll have noticed, the same type of plastic can be used in totally different products – notably polypropylene, which can be hard (like in water bottles) or flexible (like in bags). That’s because the way plastics are manufactured makes them relatively easy to adjust for different purposes, which is one reason they’re so ubiquitous.

Plastics Under Pressure

To show you how some of these plastics manage in action, we dug out our Squishomatic. You may remember this machine from our stress ball-squishing test. For this one, we put our plastic products under the crushing plate. Here they are, ranked from Most Squish Resistant to Least Squish Resistant.

Plastic Type Sample Product Results
ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene)

Stress Pop Ball Game (Q100333)

A photo of a hard white plastic ball with smaller, soft, brightly colored balls in it.
This one was so strong that our squishing machine had to tap out.
PU (polyurethane)

Turtle Stress Toy (Q43625)

A photo of a stress ball shaped like a happy turtle with a black shell and red body.
Open-cell PU foam is airy, so although it crumpled immediately under force, it bounced back just as fast.
Co-polyester (a modified version of polyester)

Salute Transparent Bottle with EZ-Grip Lid (Q88505)

A photo of a blue plastic water bottle with a black lid and handle, printed with UPHILL BATTLE in white.
When we squished the co-polyester water bottle on its side, it crumpled like the other bottles, but it also bounced back immediately — the only water bottle to do that. Polyester makes even stronger fabric – check out our camping chair test.
LDPE (low-density polyethylene)

Condiment Bottle (Q73242)

A photo of an empty squeezy condiment bottle.
The LDPE bottle didn’t resist the squishing machine. It’s flexible, with a similar feel to silicone, and crumpled under the force but didn’t crack. When we crushed it sideways, it rebounded to its original shape quickly.
Silicone

Silicone Wine Cups (Q88779)

A photo of a baby blue silicone wine tumbler, with the Vineyard Vines whale logo on it.
Our silicone tumbler showed no resistance against the force of the machine, and as with other flexible plastics, it didn’t crack. However, unlike the LDPE and the PU, it didn’t rebound once the machine stopped pressing.
PET/PETE (polyethylene terephthalate)

Eco Fresh Lite Sports Bottle (Q38149)

A photo of a blue plastic water bottle with a white lid, and Homerun Realty LLC's baseball diamond logo printed in orange on the front.
The PET bottle is harder plastic than the PU, polyester, and LDPE, yet it still managed to absorb the squishing without cracking.
PVC (polyvinyl chloride)

Smooth Stadium Cup (Q1373)

A photo of a black plastic stadium cup.
Despite being quite thin plastic, the PVC cup held up remarkably well against the Squishomatic, crumpling but not cracking.
HDPE (high-density polyethylene)

Omni Bike Bottle (Q88477)

A photo of a light blue plastic water bottle with a black lid, and the Bright Learning Hub logo printed on the front.
The HDPE bottle is soft (you can easily squeeze it with your bare hand) but not flexible (it’s not bouncy like PU or silicone, for example.) It crumpled under the force of the Squishomatic, but didn’t crack.
PP (polypropylene)

Stadium Cups (Q41154)

A photo of a green plastic cup.
The polypropylene cup put up minimal resistance to the Squishomatic, crumpling and then cracking in half. However, it’s very strong in fabric form – see our tote bag test.
Polystyrene

Classic Crystal Plastic Sampler Cup (Q64081)

A photo of a small clear plastic cup with the ABSOLUT VODKA Cocktails Perfected logo in black on the front.
The thin polystyrene cup cracked immediately, RIP.

Is This Plastic Recyclable?

If you want a promo product people can use and then dispose of without adding to landfill, recyclable options are a good choice. Not all plastic can be recycled, so it helps to know what to look out for.

A photo of a teenage boy in a white shirt looking confused at an empty plastic bottle, against a blue background.

Some Things To Know About Recycling

It would be very nice if recycling was a magical fix that always worked, but unfortunately, there are a few things that can make recycling confusing and hard.

  • Just because something is technically recyclable, doesn’t mean it’s easy for most consumers to find somewhere that will recycle it.

  • Different plastics have to be separated to be recycled. If you have a water bottle made of HDPE with a lid made of PP, for example, you have to separate the two.

  • When some plastics are recycled, the recycled version is not the same quality as brand new plastic (sometimes called virgin plastic.)

  • As we said earlier, plastics with the same name or a similar name can have different qualities, which means that you can have two different products made of the same plastic where one is recyclable but the other isn’t.

Get to Know the Plastics Our Products Are Made Of

Those numbers surrounded by arrows that you see embossed on plastic items are called resin identification codes (RICs). Each number corresponds to a specific plastic. Except 7, we’ll get to that.

Here’s how to crack them:

Resin Identification Code (RIC) Plastic Name Abbreviation What It’s Used For Example Can Consumers Recycle It?
♳ Polyethylene terephthalate PET, PETE

Reusable and single use water bottles. It can also be turned into fabric – polyester, another plastic on our list!

Eco Fresh Lite Sports Bottle (Q38149)

A photo of a clear plastic water bottle with a black plastic lid. View Product

Yes! PET/PETE are the most commonly accepted types of plastic for recycling. (Polyester is a different story, however.)
♴ High-density polyethylene HDPE

Reusable water bottles, spray bottles, and shampoo bottles. It’s thick, smooth, and generally matte in appearance.

Colored Bike Bottle (Q8706)

A photo of a pink plastic water bottle with a black lid. View Product

Yes! HDPE is accepted at most recycling facilities and by most local governments. However, they don’t always take reusable water bottles.
♵ Polyvinyl chloride PVC

Some of our plastic cups are flexible PVC. Rigid PVC is used to male pipes, credit cards, and window and door frames.

Smooth Stadium Cup (Q1373)

A photo of a lime green plastic cup. View Product

In theory yes, but PVC tends to get mixed with other chemicals, which makes it harder to recycle. Recycling plants may only accept PVC in some forms, e.g. plastic bottles – and only if they’ve been thoroughly cleaned.
♶ Low-density polyethylene LDPE

LDPE can be thin and lightweight in the form of bubble wrap and single-use plastic bags, but it can also be thicker and flexible, like in lids. It can even be foamy, like in packing peanuts.

Die Cut Handle Bag (Q67064)

A photo of a blue plastic bag with cutout handles. View Product

It can be recycled, but it’s considered a problem child in the recycling industry. For one thing, in plastic bag form it can snarl machines. For another, its quality degrades when it’s recycled, meaning it doesn’t have as many uses and recycling plants see it as financially inviable.
♷ Polypropylene PP

Rigid in items like water bottles, phone stands, pens, and sunglasses – but it can also be turned into a flexible fabric that’s used to make reusable bags.

Reusable Grocery Tote Bag (Q70240)

A photo of an orange reusable plastic bag. View Product

Despite its ubiquity, PP is one of the least commonly recycled plastics. Like LDPE, it’s not as versatile the second time around, which means there’s no financial incentive for plants to recycle it.
♸ Polystyrene PS

Disposable cutlery and takeout containers, some single-use cups. Also Styrofoam, that white squeaky foam big electronics are packaged in (shudder.)

Classic Crystal Plastic Sampler Cup (Q64081)

A photo of a small clear plastic cup with the ABSOLUT VODKA Cocktails Perfected logo in black on the front. View Product

While PS is technically recyclable, it requires specialized processes, which means most consumer recycling programs don’t accept it.
♹ Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ABS

Reusable water bottle lids, pens, sunglasses, lip balm tubes. Its most famous application is in the form of LEGO bricks.

Jaxon rABS Pens (Q99446)

A photo of a blue plastic pen with a metal tip and clicker. View Product

Yes, ABS can be melted down and reformed multiple times. Often it can even be recycled into a new version of the same product it was before!
♹ Silicone VMQ, PMQ, PVMQ

Our push-pop toys and phone wallets, plus bendy kitchen utensils, wristbands, and reusable food containers.

Small Silicone Spatula (Q41134)

A photo of a blue silicone spatula. View Product

Technically silicone isn’t plastic, it’s rubber. (And by the way, it’s not silicon, which is a naturally occurring element.) Another technicality: Silicone can be recycled, but not widely.
♹ Polyurethane PU

The open-cell foam version is used to make stress balls. PU can also be solid, used for notebook covers and “vegan leather.”

Smiley Face Stress Ball (Q71388)

A photo of a yellow stress ball with a black smiley face. View Product

Not widely – in fact, most PU recycling involves shredding it and turning it into carpets. However, there are a lot of efforts going on to find new, more effective ways to recycle PU.
♹ Polyester (Polyethylene terephthalate) PL, PES

PET/PETE but in fiber form! Polyester is a woven fabric that can be heavy duty and used to make backpacks, camping chairs, and tents, or lightweight and used to make clothes. It’s often blended with cotton to reduce shrinking.

Cinch Up Backpack (Q8504)

A photo of a pink polyester drawstring backpack. View Product

Like PET/PETE, polyester can be recycled. It can be turned back into polyester yarn and woven again. However, if you see that something is made of recycled polyester, it probably started life as PET/PETE.
An illustration of the Resin Identification Code 7 symbol, a 7 inside three black arrows moving in a triangle, above the word OTHER. It’s set against a pink and blue background.

What’s Going On With Resin Identification Code 7?

RIC 7 is the plastic-labeling equivalent of a shrug. It means it’s plastic, but it’s not any of the other six types of plastic. So it could be a mix of plastics, some new plastic someone made for funsies, a plastic like PU or ABS, or the manufacturer just couldn’t be bothered to figure it out. The number 7 is not so lucky in the recycling world, because it means that product is not getting recycled.

Welcome to Plastics Blind Date

Supposedly, the easiest way to identify unlabeled plastic is by burning it and sniffing the fumes. However, this is also a shortcut to health issues related to breathing in melted plastic. Instead, here’s a helpful flowchart that will leave your lungs unsullied by plastic fumes.

  • Shred a handful of your plastic and add it to water.
    Does it float?

    • Yes

      ⇣

      Throw your plastic in vegetable oil, stir it, let it settle. Does it float?

      • No

        ⇣

        Mix 58% ethanol with 42% water (by weight) and add your plastic. Does your plastic float?

        • Yes

          ⇣

          LDPE

        • No

          ⇣

          HDPE

      • Yes

        ⇣

        Polypropylene

    • No

      ⇣

      Mix 2 liters (67.6 fl oz) of water with 8 tbsp of salt and add your plastic. Does your plastic float?

      • Yes

        ⇣

        Polystyrene

      • No

        ⇣

        If you fold the plastic, does it leave a white line?

        • Yes

          ⇣

          PVC

        • No

          ⇣

          PET/PETE

But what about our unlucky number RIC 7s? That’s trickier. There’s the scratch test: If you scratch your plastic and get plastic dandruff (sorry, but it’s what it looks like), it’s probably a thermoset that can’t be recycled. For example, PU and silicone, and the blue plastic on the bottom right of the photo. If you scratch your plastic and it leaves a neat, dandruff-free line, it’s probably a thermoplastic – like PETE/PET, PVC, PP, LDPE, HDPE, and ABS, and the red plastic on the top left of the photo.

A composite photo showing a scratched red thermoplastic on the top left and a scratched blue thermoset on the bottom right.

There are devices that will tell you what type of plastic you have, but they’re really industrial tools (i.e. expensive). And they can get confused between LDPE and HDPE, bless them. And, because they use infrared waves, dark colored plastics throw them off. So probably not something you’re going to have at home.

The Bottom Line

An illustration of the Earth with green arrows going around it, like the recycling symbol.

There are a lot of different types of plastic that fulfill a lot of different purposes. And sometimes the same type of plastic can be used to make products that are wildly different! If you want to prioritize purchasing plastic promo products that can be recycled (say that ten times fast), get familiar with resin identification codes (RICs) and which plastics are most commonly recycled. You can also shop for products made of recycled materials, or products that are designed to be reused.

Let our team of awesome, incredibly good looking,
and fun promo nerds help you select awesome promotional swag today!

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Natasha Lavender

Natasha is an experienced writer and editor who has covered topics including technology, health and safety, business, and pop culture. Her work has been published by Good Housekeeping magazine, Forbes, Success, and more.

View all posts by Natasha Lavender