Although glass is also available to suit certain climatic environments, the vast majority of greenhouses around the world use plastic cladding.
Types of plastic greenhouse covering
There are generally two major types of greenhouse plastics, which are the most commonly used in greenhouses around the world. These are ethylene vinyl acetate and polyethylene.
Greenhouse plastics: Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA)
This is a type of coating made from copolymers of ethylene and vinyl acetate (EVA)
– Excellent light transmission
– Excellent mechanical properties
– High thermal effect
– High resistance to photodegradation
Greenhouse plastics: Polyethylene (PE)
In this case, polyethylene is the most widely used type in greenhouses around the world because of its competitive price and excellent mechanical properties. In addition, it is very easy to incorporate additives to improve its characteristics. It is a flexible plastic obtained from the polymerization of ethylene and is classified according to its density:
– Polyethylene plastic for low-density greenhouses: the most commonly used.
– Polyethylene plastic for medium density greenhouses: used in small tunnels and mulch.
– High-density polyethylene greenhouse plastic: used for the manufacture of pipes, bottles, caps, containers, irrigation and drainage parts.
The most commonly used in agriculture is low-density polyethylene, which has four-year durability and a thickness between 175 and 225 microns. It can be found between 3000 ppm and 5000 ppm of resistance to sulphur, either yellow or colourless.
However, at J. Huete International we apply the most suitable type of plastic coating for greenhouses for each project, adapted to the specific needs that our client requests to obtain the optimum results of protection against ultraviolet radiation and the climatic environment.
