Glossary

Listed below are definitions of terms commonly used in the plastics, glass, and metal packaging industries. Click on a letter to jump ahead to the term that you are looking for.

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ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) - Blends or copolymers of polystyrene or styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer with butadiene-acrylonitrile rubber.

Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) - The maximum variance or percentage of units in a batch that can be considered satisfactory as a process average for the purpose of acceptance sampling.

Amber - A brownish-yellow color of glass or plastic containers often used to protect light-sensitive products.

Autoclave - The use of superheated steam under pressure to sterilize containers.

Bail - The arched, hoop-like handle of a container such as a pail.

Barrier Bottle - A bottle that is produced or treated with barrier material to improve chemical resistance and reduce gas transmission

Blow Molding - A process of container production in which plastic is "blown" outward by forced air to assume the shape of a mold.

Buttress Thread - A design of thread cross-section which takes the form of a truncated triangle.

Cap - See "closure".

Capacity - Volume, or the amount of space in a container that can hold a specific amount of product.

Cavity - The parts of the mold that combine to form the bottle body.

Chemical Resistance - The ability of a material to retain its form and effectiveness after exposure to chemical agents. 

Clarity - The lack of haze or cloudiness in a plastic material. 

Closed-Head Drum - See Tight-Head Drum

Closure - A plastic or metal cap used to seal off the opening of a container to prevent the loss of its contents.

Composite Can - A can having a fiber body composed of a composite of paper and one or both ends made of metal.

Continuous Thread - An uninterrupted protruding helix on the neck of a container that holds a screw-type, or CT, closure.

Cork Finish - A bottle opening that is sealed with a cork.

Debossed - Depressed design or lettering on the surface of a container.

Deflashing - Removing excess and unwanted material form the surface of a bottle.

Density - Weight per unit volume of a material or substance, often expressed in grams per cubic centimeter.

Die - A device used for cutting out, forming, or stamping material.

Dispensing Cap - A closure designed to dispense the contents of a container.

Dome Cap - A closure with a rounded top.

Drop Test - A test of impact resistance and strength performed by dropping an object a specific number of times, or until the object fails from impact.

Dropper Cap - A dispensing closure designed to release liquids drop by drop.

Ears - Parts attached to the side of a pail or can to which a bail or handle is inserted for easier carrying.

Embossed - Raised design or lettering on the surface of a container.

Extrusion- The molding of plastic by forcing it through a cut die.

Finish - (1) The plastic forming the opening of a bottle. (2) The surface structure of a bottle.

Fitment - An apparatus used as part of a closure assembly that allows for additional dispensing properties, i.e. shaker or dropper.

Flame Treatment - The process of exposing plastic containers to an open flame to promote surface oxidation, thereby making the container more receptive to certain post-production applications.

Flint - The clear or transparent color of glass.

Flowed-In Gasket - Gasket formed by pouring a liquid material (vinyl or latex) directly into a gasket groove and curing in place, usually by baking.

Fluorine Treatment - A post-manufacture process in which plastics are exposed to elemental fluorine in a tightly controlled environment. Fluorination provides a barrier and surface treatment for plastics which aids in the prevention of permeations, container weight loss and paneling, container discoloration, odor emission, active ingredient loss, and flavor or fragrance loss.

Gloss - The shine or luster of a material's surface.

Haze - The degree of cloudiness in a plastic material.

HDPE - High Density Polyethylene. 

Heat Resistance - The measure of a material's ability to withstand the effects of exposure to high temperature.

Hot Stamping - A dry printing process in which a die stamps a roll of foil into printed material, and heat releases the color from the foil to produce a permanent bond with the bottle or cap. 

Injection Blow Molding - A two-stage plastic production process in which a preform is injection molded to form the bottle finish and then blow molded to form the final shape.

LDPE - Low Density Polyethylene.

Label Panel - The part of the body of a bottle to which labels are affixed or decoration is imprinted.

Largeware - A container that has a capacity of over one gallon.

Liner - A disc of paper, cork, or other material, that is placed in a closure to provide a sealing surface against the finish of a container.

Linerless Cap - A closure that has been produced to seal without the need of a liner.

Lip - The extreme outer edge of the top of a bottle intended to facilitate pouring.

Lug - A type of thread configuration where the segments of the thread are dispersed in equal distances around the neck of the bottle.

Narrow Mouth - The finish of a container that is small in proportion to the diameter of the body.

Natural - The milky, translucent tint of plastic that has not been colored.

Neck - The part of a bottle which slenderizes to form the finish.

Oblong - The shape that describes a bottle that has a rectangular cross-section that is perpendicular to the major axis. 

Opaque - Impenetrable by light; neither transparent nor translucent.

Orifice - A dispensing closure or fitment opening through which the product is dispensed.

Oval - The shape that describes a bottle that has an elliptical cross-section perpendicular to the major axis.

Paneling - The collapsing or distortion of the walls of a container due to decreased pressure over time.

Parting Line - The portion of the bottle where the two halves of the mold meet in closing.

PET - Polyethylene Terephthalate.

Plastic - Any of various organic compounds produced by polymerization, capable of being molded, extruded, cast into various shapes and films, or drawn into filaments used as textile fibers.

Polymer - Any of numerous natural and synthetic compounds of usually high molecular weight consisting of up to millions of repeated linked units, each a relatively light and simple molecule.

PP - Polypropylene.

Pressure Sensitive Label - A die cut label that is applied to a container by mild pressure.

PS - Polystyrene.

Purging - The forcing out of one color by another color or one type of resin by another resin prior to molding the new color or resin.

PVC - Polyvinyl Chloride.

Recessed Panel -  A label panel that is indented or recessed. 

Resin - Any of numerous physically similar polymerized synthetics or chemically modified natural resins that are used with fillers, stabilizers, pigments, and other components to form plastics.

Shelf Life - The length of time that a bottle, or the material in a bottle, will remain in saleable or acceptable condition under specified conditions of storage. 

Shoulder - The section of a bottle between the neck and the main body.

Silk Screening - A process in which ink is forced through treated screens to produce a thick and even print.

Sleeve Label - A decorated plastic sleeve that fits onto containers.

Tamper-evident - Any mechanism which shows visible signs that a container has been opened.

Thermoplastic - A material that softens when heated and re-hardens when cooled.

Thread - The profile of a container finish which will accommodate specific closures.

Torque - The amount of rotational force applied to a closure to either seal or open the container.

Translucent - Transmitting light but causing sufficient diffusion to prevent perception of distinct images.

Unlined Cap - A closure with no special sealing features and no liner.

Wide Mouth - The finish of a container that is large in proportion to the diameter of the body. 

Window Stripe - A transparent vertical stripe on an opaque bottle.

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