Molded pulp, also named moulded pulp or molded fibre, is a packaging material, typically made from recycled paperboard and/or newsprint. It is used for protective packaging or for food service trays and beverage carriers. Other typical uses are end caps, trays, plates, bowls and clamshell containers.
For many applications, molded pulp is less expensive than expanded polystyrene (EPS), vacuumed formed PET and PVC, corrugation, and foams.
Molded pulp is often considered a sustainable packaging material, as defined by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, since it is produced from recycled materials, and can be recycled again after its useful life-cycle.
Several types of molded pulp can be manufactured by several processes.
These products usually have wall thicknesses of 3/16" to 1/2" and are used primarily for support packaging applications. Thick-Wall is also commonly referred to as "Slush Molded." The surfaces are very rough on one side and moderately smooth on the opposite side. Product definition is moderate due to the use of relatively inexpensive single-pass molds and the use of mixed recovered paper and kraft paper slurries. Typical uses are for edge and edge protector, heavy item packaging, auto replacement parts, molded pulp pallet trays etc.