BASF Ultradur RC1 Grades Add Up to 30% Recycled Content

New Ultradur Grades Target Recycled Automotive Components

On September 30, BASF presented new Ultradur RC1 grades designed to help automotive manufacturers and suppliers increase the recycled content of their products while continuing to meet demanding technical requirements. The portfolio includes glass fiber-reinforced PBT/PET compounds containing up to 30% post-consumer recycled content. The development addresses applications where manufacturers need to incorporate recycled material without moving away from the performance requirements associated with engineering components. By introducing recycled-content options within its Ultradur portfolio, BASF is targeting automotive applications that require a combination of material performance and greater use of recovered feedstock.

Ultradur RC1 Targets Structural Automotive Applications

The new BASF Ultradur RC1 grades have been specifically developed for structural automotive components. Typical applications include brackets, housings, structural parts, connectors, and other engineering components. According to the shared information, the grades are intended to match the properties of conventional grades based on virgin raw materials as closely as possible. This positioning allows the materials to address components where consistent engineering properties are important, while also incorporating post-consumer recycled content into the material formulation. The focus on structural and engineering applications distinguishes the grades from recycled materials intended only for less demanding automotive uses.

PCR-PET Feedstock Comes From Packaging Waste

The new grades are based on post-consumer recycled PET sourced from packaging waste. BASF states that this feedstock does not compete with established bottle-to-bottle recycling streams and is often otherwise used for energy recovery. Using this source material provides a route for packaging-derived PET to enter engineering applications in automotive components. The approach also supports the broader objective behind the Ultradur RC1 portfolio: increasing recycled content while maintaining technical requirements associated with conventional engineering materials. The grades therefore combine glass fiber reinforcement with recycled feedstock to support structural automotive applications where material properties remain an important consideration.

Industry Impact & Outlook

The Ultradur RC1 portfolio gives automotive manufacturers and suppliers another material option for incorporating post-consumer recycled content into structural and engineering components without targeting a reduction in technical requirements. Its use of PCR-PET from packaging waste also creates an application for material that may otherwise be directed toward energy recovery, while avoiding competition with established bottle-to-bottle recycling streams. The most immediate relevance is for component applications such as brackets, housings, connectors, and structural parts, where manufacturers are evaluating recycled-content solutions alongside conventional virgin-material grades. Further adoption will depend on how individual suppliers and automakers apply these materials across their component programs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are BASF Ultradur RC1 grades designed for?
BASF Ultradur RC1 grades are designed for structural automotive components that require engineering-level material performance while incorporating post-consumer recycled content. The new glass fiber-reinforced PBT/PET compounds contain up to 30% recycled content and are intended for applications including brackets, housings, structural parts, connectors, and other engineering components. The grades are developed to match conventional virgin-material grades as closely as possible. Their recycled PET feedstock comes from packaging waste and is described as not competing with established bottle-to-bottle recycling streams, providing another potential use for material that is often directed toward energy recovery.