Overview
ISO 1043-2:2011 - Plastics - Symbols and abbreviated terms - Part 2: Fillers and reinforcing materials defines a uniform set of symbols for fillers and reinforcing materials used in plastics. The standard seeks to eliminate ambiguity by ensuring a single, established symbol for each common filler/reinforcement and by preventing multiple meanings for the same symbol. It is intended for use on technical data sheets, material specifications, labels, drawings and communications across the plastics supply chain.
Key topics and requirements
- Scope: Symbols cover only fillers and reinforcing materials that have come into established use. It complements ISO 1043-1 (basic polymers), ISO 1043-3 (plasticizers) and ISO 1043-4 (flame retardants).
- Symbol format:
- Only capital letters are used (chemical symbols being the exception).
- The first letter denotes the type of material; the second letter denotes its form or structure.
- Exceptions may use additional letters (see Tables 1 and 2).
- Combination rules: Mixtures are indicated by combining symbols with a “+” inside parentheses, e.g. (GF+MD) for glass fibres plus mineral powder.
- Metals: Metal fillers use ME and the specific metal is shown in parentheses using its chemical symbol, e.g. MED(Al) for aluminium powder.
- Canonical symbol lists:
- Table 1 (materials) includes: A (aramid), B (boron), C (carbon), D (alumina trihydrate), E (clay), G (glass), K (calcium carbonate), L (cellulose), M (mineral), ME (metal), N (natural organic), P (mica), Q (silica), S (synthetic organic), T (talcum), W (wood), X (not specified), Z (others).
- Table 2 (forms/structure) includes: B (beads), C (chips), CM (chopped-strand mat), D (powder), EM (endless strand mat), F (fibre), G (ground), H (whiskers), K (knitted fabric), LF (long fibres), M (mat), NF (nanofibres), NT (nanotubes), R (rovings), S (flakes), W (woven fabric), Y (yarn), Z/X (others/not specified).
Applications and users
ISO 1043-2 is practical for:
- Materials engineers and compound formulators specifying filler/reinforcement content.
- Product designers and OEMs ensuring consistent material labeling.
- Suppliers and distributors producing technical data sheets and safety documentation.
- Test laboratories, certification bodies and regulators that require unambiguous material identification.
- CAD/PLM/BOM systems and procurement processes that use standard abbreviations for searchability and automation.
Benefits include clearer supplier communication, reduced specification errors, consistent material identification on datasheets and compliance-ready documentation.
Related standards
Keywords: ISO 1043-2, plastics symbols, fillers and reinforcing materials, filler symbols, reinforcing materials symbols, material identification, material datasheets.
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