Polypropylene is a simple plastic polymer which is inexpensive to produce, has a huge variety of applications and is often used in flexible packaging and food containers due to its protective and non-reactive properties.

What are the properties of Polypropylene?

• Excellent tensile strength and stiffness
• Excellent chemical resistance – does not mould or otherwise deteriorate in the presence of bacteria, mould or other elements
• Good moisture barrier properties – it does not absorb water like other plastics such as PVC
• Good fatigue resistance
• High-gloss surface
• Durable
• Low cost
• Electrical resistance – low level of electrical conductivity
• High melting point – good heat resistance, often used for microwave containers
• Translucent
• Integral hinge property
• Good colour stability
• Recyclable

You can see why it is the choice of many for long-term archival storage, and it has formed the basis of the Arrowfile Storage system.

There are a couple of points you may want to keep in mind though: the clarity is not as good as Polyester (which is much more expensive to produce). Polypropylene can also be degraded by UV light over time, however as most contents also need protecting from the light this is not likely to be a problem as they are stored inside albums and slipcases.

As an inert, inexpensive, durable option this is the choice of most Arrowfile customers.