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TPE for
Consumer Goods
Soft-touch, colourable SEBS/SBS compounds for everyday products - grips, overmoulds, housings, and protective bumpers. Overmouldable onto rigid substrates. Compliance-critical use needs qualification.
15-90A / 40-52D
Shore hardness
range
RAL
Custom color
matching
100%
Recyclable
material
40+
Farrprene
grades
OUR MISSION
Delivering soft-touch, durable TPE compounds that elevate everyday products with premium feel and lasting performance.
01
Recommended grades
Suggested FARRPRENE compounds for this sector, matched by hardness and processing. Open a grade for its full datasheet.
| GRADE | HARDNESS | TYPE | TENSILE | TYPICAL USE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FARRPRENE IU250A | 25 Shore A | Injection / Unfilled | 4 MPa | Soft cushioning pads and tactile bumpers |
| FARRPRENE IF500A | 50 Shore A | Injection / Filled | 5.5 MPa | Soft-touch overmoulds onto rigid housings |
| FARRPRENE IF753A | 75 Shore A | Injection / Filled | 7 MPa | Firmer tool grips and protective housings |
Typical average values, not a specification. Request the signed datasheet for current values, and ask us to qualify a compound to your exact requirement.
OVERVIEW
Consumer products use thermoplastic elastomers wherever a surface has to feel good in the hand: tool grips, appliance housings, soft-touch buttons and protective bumpers. TPE is usually overmoulded onto a rigid substrate in a two-shot tool, which removes the assembly and adhesive steps a separately moulded rubber grip would need. FARRPRENE supplies compounds from ultra-soft cushioning grades to firm structural grips, all colour-matchable.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Two-shot overmoulding bonds the soft layer to the housing during moulding, removing an assembly step.
- Perceived softness in a handheld product usually lands between 40 and 70 Shore A.
- Unfilled translucent grades give the cleanest colour match for consumer aesthetics.
- Food-contact and prolonged skin-contact applications require a separately certified compound and migration testing.
02
Hardness selection
Typical Shore A bands by part type. Selection guidance, not a specification - confirm against your own duty cycle. Rigid Shore D grades are a separate range.
| PART TYPE | TYPICAL BAND | WHY |
|---|---|---|
| Cushioning pads and tactile bumpers | 15-30 Shore A | Deforms readily to absorb impact and damp vibration. |
| Soft-touch overmoulds on rigid housings | 40-55 Shore A | Reads as soft under the thumb without feeling spongy or marking easily. |
| Ergonomic handle and grip overmoulds | 55-70 Shore A | The band most handheld tools use: compliant but supports grip force. |
| Tool grips and protective housings | 70-80 Shore A | Resists cuts, tears and abrasion in a working environment. |
| Structural flexible parts | 80-90 Shore A | Carries load and holds tolerance while flexing. |
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Questions
engineers ask.
What TPE hardness feels best for a handheld grip?
- Most handheld grips land between 55 and 70 Shore A. Below about 40 Shore A a grip feels spongy and picks up dirt and marks; above about 80 Shore A users stop perceiving it as soft-touch at all.
Can TPE be overmoulded onto ABS or polypropylene housings?
- SEBS-based compounds bond well to polyolefin substrates such as polypropylene. Bonding to polar substrates like ABS or polycarbonate depends on the specific compound and interface design and should be trialled on the real part. Send us the substrate and geometry and we will recommend a grade to test.
Are FARRPRENE grades safe for food-contact products?
- The standard catalogue is not certified for food contact. Any product with a food-contact surface needs a separately certified compound plus migration testing against the relevant regulation, such as EU 10/2011 or FDA 21 CFR. Contact us to qualify a compound.
Can FARRPRENE grades be colour-matched?
- Yes. Unfilled (translucent) grades give the cleanest colour reproduction and are the usual base for a colour match to a customer reference. Filled (natural) grades can also be pigmented, with a slightly more muted result.
Can TPE production scrap be reprocessed?
- Yes. Thermoplastic elastomers are not chemically cross-linked, so sprues, runners and rejected parts can be reground and fed back into production. This is the main processing difference from vulcanised rubber, which cannot be re-melted once cured.
CONSUMER GOODS TPE
Need a soft-touch
compound solution?
From ergonomic grips to protective housings, we engineer TPE compounds that enhance your product experience.