Introduction to Erucamide and Oleamide
Erucamide and oleamide are commonly used slip agents and anti-blocking agents in plastics, inks and other fields, with distinct performance differences due to different carbon chain lengths. Oleamide features short carbon chain, low melting point, fast migration and high cost performance, suitable for general low-temperature scenarios. Erucamide is high-temperature resistant and stable for long-term use, applicable to high-end fields. Both comply with FDA food contact standards, and Fine Organic products have prominent advantages.
Erucamide and oleamide are both unsaturated fatty acid amides, serving as the most commonly used slip agents, anti-blocking agents, lubricants and release agents in plastics, inks, coatings and other industries. Their core differences stem from different carbon chain lengths (C18 vs C22), which result in significant disparities in melting point, thermal stability, migration rate and durability, making them suitable for different scenarios.
Performance Indicators| Index | Oleamide | Erucamide |
|---|---|---|
| Carbon Chain Length | Short C18 | Long C22 |
| Melting Point | Low (72–77°C) | High (78–81°C) |
| Thermal Stability | General (≤250°C) | Excellent (≤280°C) |
| Migration Rate | Fast rapid precipitation | Slow slow precipitation |
| Slipping Performance Duration | Good short-term effect, poor durability | Stable long-term slipping effect |
| Friction Coefficient | Low in short term (μs≤0.3) | Lower in long term (μs≤0.2) |
| High-temperature Yellowing Tendency | Prone to yellowing | Hardly turn yellow |
| Price | Low, high cost performance | High, for high-end use |
| Influence on Transparency | Slight | Need to control particle |
Both erucamide and oleamide are widely applied in plastics, inks, coatings and other industries as unsaturated fatty acid amide type slip agents, anti-blocking agents and lubricants, while they differ obviously in performance and applicable fields due to different carbon chain lengths. Oleamide has short carbon chain, low melting point and fast migration speed. It can quickly form a lubricating layer on product surfaces to achieve rapid anti-blocking effect with high cost efficiency, which is more applicable to low-temperature processing, ordinary films and cost-sensitive general plastic fields. Yet it has ordinary thermal stability, weak long-term slipping performance and is easy to turn yellow under high temperature.
Erucamide owns longer carbon chain, higher melting point and better thermal stability with gentle migration speed. It features lower and stable long-term friction coefficient, good yellowing resistance and outstanding high temperature resistance. It is more suitable for engineering plastics, high-end films, cables, auto parts, biodegradable plastics and other fields requiring long-term lubrication, high-temperature processing and stable product performance. It has better overall properties but relatively higher cost. You can select the proper product by comprehensively considering price and practical performance requirements.
Food-grade Safe Products
Both erucamide (FINAWAX-E) and oleamide (FINAWAX-O) from Fine Organic have obtained FDA food contact compliance approval in the United States, and can be used for food packaging, containers and other related materials.
Erucamide is listed in the FDA Inventory of Food Contact Substances. The applicable regulatory provisions include 21 CFR 175.105, 176.180, 177.1200, 177.1210, 177.1350, 178.3860 and 179.45. It is permitted for use in various food-contact materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylidene chloride, polylactic acid and other plastics, as well as rubber, adhesives, paper and paperboard.
Oleamide (CAS No. 301-02-0) is clearly listed in 21 CFR 178.3950. It can be used as surface lubricant and slip agent in food contact materials, and is applicable to food contact applications of polyolefin, PVC and other plastics.
Advantages of Fine Organic Products
Our Fine Organic Erucamide (FINAWAX-E) and Oleamide (FINAWAX-O) adopt plant-based raw materials, strict refining processes and precise molecular design, featuring outstanding strengths in purity, thermal and oxidative stability, migration control and food compliance.
With higher melting point, lower precipitation, longer-lasting slipping property and superior high temperature resistance, FINAWAX-E outperforms ordinary domestic products and some imported counterparts in high-end fields such as BOPP films, engineering plastics and biodegradable materials, effectively solving common problems including high-temperature yellowing, slipping performance decline and printing interference.
FINAWAX-O delivers fast anti-blocking effect, low odor, high oxidative stability and excellent compatibility. In general polyolefin films, color masterbatches, PVC and other fields, it offers more stable performance than most domestic products and better cost efficiency than high-end imported products. Especially in terms of low odor performance, it boasts strong competitiveness and enjoys a large market share in odor-sensitive food-grade applications.
