Melamine

Providing tangible benefits in our everyday lives

Melamine is the most valuable and sophisticated product in the nitrogen chain. Normally processed as a resin, this chemical compound is prized for the numerous exceptional qualities which make it so valuable in the production of articles used in everyday life. Melamine resins deliver:

• High stability, allowing end products containing melamine to resist high temperature exposure as well as physical and chemical degradation
• High bonding potential, enabling surface applications with excellent properties like hardness as well as scratch and moisture resistance
• High nitrogen content, making melamine an ideal flame retardant material

Most of the melamine produced worldwide is used by the wood-based panel industry. It is also commonly used in the construction, automotive and furniture industries. Important applications include:

• Laminates – laminate flooring, kitchen and bathroom countertops, self-assembly furniture, exterior wall claddings
• Wood panels – plywood, particle boards, medium-density fibreboard (MDF), oriented strand board (OSB), laminated veneer lumber (LVL)
• Coatings – vehicle body panels, household appliances, food and beverage cans, metal sheeting coils
• Moulding compounds – tableware, electrical equipment, handles for pans, utensils
• Flame retardants – upholstery, mattresses, fire-door coating
• Resins for textile and paper finishing, including banknotes, wallpapers, wrinkle-free apparel
• Concrete plasticisers

Producing melamine of high quality

As the second-largest producer of high-quality melamine in Europe, we produce approximately 130,000 tonnes each year at our plant in Linz, Austria and at Borealis facilities in Piesteritz, Germany. Acting in compliance with REACH – the European Union regulation governing the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals – we can ensure that our chemical substances adhere to the highest European standards in quality. The majority of our melamine is used to produce melamine-formaldehyde (MF) and melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF) resins. A small part of our production is used in crystal form as a flame retardant in soft polyurethane (PU) foams.

Comprehensive service, technological know-how

As a key player in the global industry, we continue to develop innovative, application-driven solutions in close cooperation with our customers. It is our aim to provide the best possible technical support in order to strengthen our long-term partnerships. To this end, we provide a wide range of consultative services, including:

• Chemical analyses
• Resin synthesis
• Paper impregnation tests
• Lamination tests
• Customer-specific product trials
• Product development services
• Process optimisation