Industrial plastics are polymer-based materials used to manufacture components, packaging, panels, electrical housings, automotive parts, pipes, machinery elements, and countless other products.

Industrial plastics are commonly divided into commodity thermoplastics, engineering plastics, high-performance polymers, thermosets, elastomers, and reinforced or compounded materials.

The “7 types of plastics” usually refer to the Resin Identification Code system found on packaging and molded products. The number inside the familiar triangular symbol identifies the main resin family; it does not automatically indicate recyclability, safety, quality, or the number of times a product has been recycled.