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Halogen-Free Flame Retardants: Why Buyers Are Switching and What It Costs

November 7, 2026

Why This Conversation Is Happening Now in India

Manufacturers of cables, electrical equipment, transport components, infrastructure products and for export markets are seeing an increase in requirements for flame performance, smoke, corrosive gases and restricted substances. The simple question “Is it flame-retardant?” is no longer sufficient. The behaviour of the compound in a fire, the test standard that has to be met and the corresponding documentation are increasingly important.

Halogenated vs Halogen-Free: What Actually Differs

Halogenated systems typically contain bromine- or chlorine-based flame retardants possibly in combination with synergists. Halogen-free flame retardants are based on mineral, phosphorus- or nitrogen-based polymers.

Factor Halogenated System Halogen-Free System
Typical Loading Often lower Frequently higher
Smoke and Corrosive Gases Formulation-dependent Designed to reduce halogen-acid gases
Density May be lower Can increase with mineral loading
Processing Generally established May require formulation changes
Compliance Must be verified Must still be verified

A marketing text is not sufficient. Here the required testing for halogen acid gas released from cable materials is defined by IEC 60754-1.

Four Real Reasons Indian Buyers Are Switching

1. Safer cable specifications

Low-smoke, low-corrosivity cable solutions are often required in Metro rail projects, airports, tunnel and public building projects as well as for data centers.

2. Customer and export requirements

There is an increasing demand from global customers for Halogen declarations, reports on restricted substances and traceability of formulations.

3. Electronics compliance

In addition to proof of flame properties, Electrical and electronic products also require RoHS documentation.

4. Sustainability policies

Originally highlighted in our key trends for 2025, manufacturers are now assessing the chemicals used in their products, plus assessing recyclability and end-of-life disposal.

The transition in several countries including India has picked up pace during 2025 and is expected to continue into 2026 across cable, transport, renewable energy, construction and electronics supply chains.

Which Polymer Systems Are Affected?

Formulations of HFFR are commonly used with polyethylene, polypropylene, thermoplastic elastomers and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) in flexible cable compounds. The polarity of EVA allows for high levels of mineral fillers.

Reformulation of a HFFR foam material or HFFR foam raw material is not a matter of changing one single ingredient.

  • Base-polymer ratio
  • Flame-retardant type and loading
  • Compatibiliser and coupling agent
  • Antioxidants and processing aids
  • Lubrication and dispersion
  • Crosslinking and curing conditions

Formulation note: Where peroxide curing is used, the dcp crosslinking agent eva dosage must be revalidated. Mineral fillers can affect cure, elongation, density and processing in compounds that are cured with peroxides.

The Eva supplier provides the grade(s) of raw material and the converter validates the compound made from this material.

What Switching Actually Costs

There is no accurate universal percentage premium – the overall cost over and above non-flame retardant materials is greater than the cost of the flame retardant itself.

  • Higher additive loading
  • Increased compound density
  • Changes to polymer or compatibiliser content
  • Reduced extrusion output
  • Additional drying or mixing requirements
  • Laboratory trials and certification
  • Production scrap during qualification
  • New colour and surface-finish controls
  • Supplier documentation and testing

The weight of the new cable compound may actually produce less meters of cable per kilogram than the original formula. However, improved processing or thinner cable walls could mitigate some of the extra cost. Compare cost on a finished goods basis, not on a kilograms only basis.

Five Things to Verify Before Changing Your Specification

  1. Required standard: Identify all flame, smoke, halogen-acid and toxicity tests separately.
  2. Mechanical performance: Recheck tensile strength, elongation, abrasion and ageing.
  3. Electrical properties: Verify for correct values of insulation resistance, dielectric strength and water aging tests.
  4. Processing window: Test extrusion temperature, torque, pressure, output and surface quality.
  5. Compliance evidence: Test reports, declarations and traceable formulation information currently available.

“Halogen-free” does not automatically mean compliant with RoHS (restricting hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment) or even REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) where substances are separately registered and restricted.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What differs in wire and cable?

Halogen-free materials are designed to meet specific criteria for flame, smoke and corrosive gases, however actual performance can only be confirmed by means of testing.

2. Which Indian industries drove adoption in 2025?

Demand for HFFR materials was seen in cable, rail, construction, renewable energy, electronics, datacom and export manufacturing markets.

3. Can HFFR affect EVA tensile strength or elongation?

Yes, high mineral loading can lower elongation at break and change the tensile properties, but this can be countered by selecting the proper polymer, treating the fillers properly and dispersion engineering. 

4. Is HFFR automatically RoHS and REACH compliant?

No. One must always check the current documentation AND test for restricted substances and for all other regulatory requirements.

5. What loading achieves UL 94 V-0 in PP?

There is no “loading” that achieves UL 94 V-0 classification in PP. The results from testing for V-0 classification in PP are dependent on a number of factors including the chemistry of the material, the grade of PP used, the type and amount of additives, the color of the material and the thickness of the specimens tested. The UL 94 test classifies tested specimens into classes and sub-classes (e.g. V-0). A material must be shown to achieve the same classification at the same thickness for which it is intended to be used in order to meet V-0 classification criteria.

Final Thoughts

In summary, HFFR materials require a new formulation and processing route, and a check for HFFR compliance needs to be carried out in addition to the normal check for restricted substances. JITSY can assist in finding suitable material together with relevant technical documentation. 

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