Injection Molding Parameters
Processing parameter reference for 28 plastic resins
Search a resin (ABS, PA6, PEEK, PP-GF30…) to see its consolidated parameter card — drying, barrel zones, melt/mold temp, pressure/speed and shrinkage, each confidence-graded.
These are process starting-window references compiled from multiple resin-maker processing guides, not precise recipes. Actual settings must follow your specific grade's datasheet plus mold trials and fine-tuning. Injection pressure/speed/back-pressure are given qualitatively by most makers (they depend on machine, mold and runner) and are marked LOW — this is a fact, not an omission.
About the Injection Molding Parameters Reference
This page is a searchable reference of injection molding process parameters for 28 common plastics, spanning commodity, engineering, glass-fiber reinforced and high-performance resins. For each resin it lists drying temperature and time, four barrel zone temperatures, melt temperature, mold temperature, injection pressure, injection speed, back pressure and mold shrinkage. Every single parameter carries a HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW confidence grade so you know how much to trust each number.
How to Use
- Type a resin name, English alias or abbreviation into the search box (e.g. "PA6", "nylon", "PEEK", "PP-GF30").
- The page instantly filters to that resin's consolidated card.
- Read each parameter together with its confidence badge; expand the "Read before use" note for the honest limitations.
- Use the °C / °F unit toggle in the top bar to switch all temperatures.
- Validate against your specific grade's datasheet and mold trials before production.
How the confidence grading works
- HIGH — multiple resin makers agree, or verified digit-for-digit against a vendor datasheet.
- MEDIUM — few sources, a wide range, or strongly grade-dependent.
- LOW — qualitative only, back-calculated/estimated, or a single source. Shown with a ≈ mark.
Honest limitation: most resin makers give injection pressure, injection speed and back pressure only qualitatively because they depend on the machine, mold and runner system — so those rows are usually LOW by nature, not by oversight. Resins with real hard numbers (PBT, TPE, PSU, PPSU, PEEK, PPS, LCP) are shown with their published values. The two weakest datasets are LDPE and flexible PVC, whose vendor PDFs failed to load; flexible PVC also carries a safety warning (barrel above 200°C releases corrosive HCl).
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I use these values directly on my machine?
No. Treat them as a process starting window. Actual settings depend on your exact grade, part geometry, mold, runner and machine. Always start from your grade's datasheet and fine-tune with mold trials.
Q: Why are injection pressure and speed so often marked LOW?
Because most resin makers publish them only qualitatively (e.g. "medium–high") — they are dominated by machine, mold and runner, not the material alone. That LOW grade reflects reality, not missing research.
Q: Are the barrel zone temperatures exact?
Only where a card marks them HIGH (verbatim from a vendor datasheet for a named grade). Many are MEDIUM/LOW because they were back-calculated from the melt temperature. Check the confidence badge on each row.
Q: Does the glass-fiber grade matter (e.g. GF30 vs GF40)?
Yes. For example the PPS card is a 40% GF grade, and PEEK shrinkage is only for GL30 and unfilled. Read each card's warning note before applying to a different fiber loading.
Related Calculators
For shop math, pair this with the CNC scallop height calculator or the unit converter.
Data compiled 2026-07-01 from vendor processing guides. For engineering reference and planning only; validate with the current grade datasheet and mold trials.
