HIPS vs PS Plastic Reel Material
Complete Comparison

01Basic properties of the two materials

PS (Polystyrene)

General-purpose polystyrene is one of the earliest thermoplastics — transparent, hard, brittle, and inexpensive. Commonly used for disposable cutlery and CD cases. In the reel industry, it is only used in low-strength, cost-sensitive situations — such as small, short-use reels for low-end consumer electronics.

HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene)

HIPS is PS modified with butadiene rubber (SBR). The rubber phase provides impact toughness, transforming the material from brittle failure to ductile failure. In the plastic reel industry, HIPS is the mainstream material for EIA-481 standard reels.

02Physical performance comparison

Conclusion: HIPS wins on impact strength by 3–8× — critical for export ocean shipping, stacked warehouse storage, and SMT changeover handling. PS's advantages are mainly price and clarity, but plastic reels have no need for transparency.

03ESD modification and electrical requirements

The ESD requirements of SMD reels (anti-static / conductive / insulative) significantly influence material selection.

Anti-static modification

Both HIPS and PS can be modified with anti-static agents (internal or surface-coated) to achieve surface resistivity of 10⁹–10¹¹ Ω/sq. Anti-static modification is more stable in HIPS because the rubber phase provides a better dispersion matrix for the additive.

Conductive modification

Requires adding conductive carbon black to reach surface resistivity of 10⁴–10⁶ Ω/sq. HIPS retains good impact strength after carbon black addition; PS becomes more brittle. For ESD-sensitive IC packaging, HIPS + carbon black is the industry standard combination.

Insulative applications

No modification needed — natural HIPS or PS is already insulative (surface resistivity >10¹² Ω/sq). Used for non-ESD-sensitive components such as connectors and mechanical parts.

04Export ocean shipping weather resistance

For SMD packaging destined for EU/US export / transpacific ocean shipping, reels face:

• Temperature extremes — container temperature from 30°C in Taiwan to -10°C at northern ports
• Humidity — high humidity during transpacific transit
• Vibration — continuous ocean shipping vibration for 14–30 days
• Stacking pressure — continuous pressure from pallet stacking

HIPS outperforms PS in all these conditions:

• At low temperature (-10°C), HIPS retains toughness; PS becomes brittle and prone to cracking
• In humid conditions, HIPS surface is less prone to moisture absorption and warping
• Under sustained vibration, HIPS does not fatigue-fracture; PS develops micro-cracks

05Selection decision

Choose HIPS when

• Exporting to EU/US customers (Europe, US, Japan markets)
• IC component packaging requiring ESD modification
• Large BGA / QFP / modules (heavy, high-strength required)
• Long-term inventory or pallet-stacked warehouse storage
• SMT automated changeover (frequent mechanical handling)

Choose PS when

• Domestic Taiwan short-chain, short-term use
• Low-end consumer electronics passives (0402 high volume, low cost)
• Extremely cost-sensitive, single-use reel applications
• Non-ESD-sensitive components requiring no modification

Guann-Ming G.M Reels' default material is HIPS (as 80%+ of customers are SMT mass production + export oriented). Customers with special requirements can specify PS or other materials (ABS, PC, etc.).

06FAQ