NA-4A Polypropylene Nucleating Agent — High-Efficiency Clarifying Nucleator for PP

NA-4A is a high-efficiency alpha nucleating agent for polypropylene, manufactured by BASTONE at its Hangzhou production facility and supplied worldwide through Zhejiang Bastone Technology Co., Ltd.
Dosed at 0.04%–0.3%, NA-4A refines PP spherulite size, raises crystallization temperature, and shortens cycle times in injection molding, extrusion, and compression molding.
Typical end uses include washing machine and small appliance housings, automotive modified PP compounds, electrical and electronic parts, plastic bottle caps, and food-contact housewares.

Description

NA-4A is a powder-form organic nucleating agent designed for isotactic polypropylene — homopolymer, random copolymer, and impact copolymer grades alike. BASTONE produces NA-4A in-house as a proprietary formulation, not as a repackaged import. Every batch runs through the group's own formulation, blending, and quality control workflow before release.

The mechanism is heterogeneous nucleation. When NA-4A disperses into a PP melt, it supplies a dense population of nucleation sites, so crystallization begins at a higher temperature and produces far more crystallites of far smaller size. Fine, uniformly distributed spherulites are what deliver the property set buyers actually want: a stiffness–toughness balance that conventional PP cannot reach without sacrificing one for the other.

BASTONE's internal comparison data illustrates the effect. In an ICP powder base resin (MI = 28) with a standard antioxidant package, 500 ppm of NA-4A lifts flexural modulus into the 1,200–1,300 MPa range while notched Izod impact strength at 23 °C stays in the upper part of the 4–12 kJ/m² test band. Molders normally trade one against the other. NA-4A moves both.

Shrinkage behavior matters just as much for anyone holding tight tolerances. NA-4A reduces total mold shrinkage and — more importantly — pulls machine-direction and transverse-direction shrinkage close together. At 500 ppm and 800 ppm, the seven-day isotropy index sits near 1.0, meaning the part shrinks almost equally along both axes. Warpage on thin-wall lids, appliance panels, and flat automotive trim drops accordingly. In BASTONE's side-by-side testing, NA-4A tracks the same direction as HPN-1 at comparable loadings while running at a lower delivered cost from a Chinese production base.

Faster crystallization also means faster molding. Higher crystallization onset temperature lets the part solidify sooner in the cavity, cutting cooling time and lifting output per press-hour. For high-volume cap and closure or houseware lines, cycle-time gains of that kind often justify the additive cost on their own. NA-4A carries food-contact safety clearance, so the same grade serves packaging and food-service applications without a separate qualification.

Factory and Activities

NA-4A Polypropylene Nucleating Agent — High-Efficiency Clarifying Nucleator for PP - BASTONE Petrochem

Specifications

NA-4A nucleating agent fine white powder shown with polypropylene pellets in laboratory glassware
NA-4A nucleating agent fine white powder shown with polypropylene pellets in laboratory glassware

General Information

Parameter Value
Product name NA-4A
Product type Polyolefin alpha nucleating agent
Target polymer Polypropylene (homopolymer, random copolymer, impact copolymer)
Manufacturer Zhejiang Bastone Technology Co., Ltd
Physical form Powder
Processing methods Extrusion, injection molding, compression molding
Food contact Suitable for food-contact applications

Technical Properties

Property Test condition Value
Recommended dosage 0.04%–0.3%
Flexural modulus ICP powder, MI = 28 + antioxidant system, 500 ppm NA-4A 1,200–1,300 MPa (test range 500–1,300 MPa)
Notched impact strength 23 °C, same formulation Measured within 4–12 kJ/m² test range
MD shrinkage 7 days after molding Measured within 0.5–1.1% test range
TD shrinkage 7 days after molding Measured within 0.5–1.1% test range
Isotropy index (MD/TD) 7 days, 500 ppm and 800 ppm Approximately 1.0 (test range 0.2–1.8)
Crystallization temperature vs. unnucleated PP Elevated
Crystallization cycle vs. unnucleated PP Shortened

Values reflect BASTONE's internal comparison testing against HPN-1 at 500 ppm and 800 ppm loadings in the stated base resin. Performance in a different resin, antioxidant package, or processing window will differ — request a sample and run your own trial.

Recommended Processing Conditions

Step Guidance
Pre-blending High-speed mix NA-4A with PP powder or pellets until uniform, then convey to the extruder feeder
Dispersion aid Add a small quantity of white mineral oil during high-speed mixing to bond the nucleator powder to the resin and prevent uneven feeding
Alternative addition Prepare a high-concentration masterbatch, then let down to the target dosage
Compounding equipment Twin-screw extruder, or single-screw with high-intensity mixing capability
Extrusion temperature Standard PP processing parameters — no significant adjustment required
Handling Follow good industrial practice; control dust and ignition sources; refer to the SDS

Applications

Technician dosing nucleating agent into a gravimetric feeder on a polypropylene compounding extrusion line
Technician dosing nucleating agent into a gravimetric feeder on a polypropylene compounding extrusion line
  • Washing machines and small appliances. Appliance housings, inner drums, and structural panels need rigidity to hold shape under load and enough impact resistance to survive transport and installation. NA-4A raises flexural modulus without collapsing notched impact, so compounders can hit stiffness targets without adding filler weight or a separate impact modifier.
  • Automotive modified PP compounds. Talc-filled and elastomer-modified PP for bumper fascia, instrument panel substrates, and door trim carries tight dimensional tolerances across large flat sections. The near-1.0 isotropy index from NA-4A keeps MD and TD shrinkage matched, which is the practical route to controlling warpage and gap variation on long parts.
  • Electrical and electronic components. Connector bodies, switch housings, and enclosure parts depend on dimensional stability after demolding. Reduced total shrinkage plus a shortened crystallization cycle means parts stabilize faster and drift less between molding and assembly.
  • Plastic bottle caps and closures. Closure lines run on cycle time. Higher crystallization temperature lets the cap solidify earlier in the cooling phase, and the food-contact clearance on NA-4A means beverage and food closures qualify on the same grade used elsewhere in the plant.
  • Housewares and daily-use plastic goods. Storage containers, tableware, and thin-wall items benefit from the combination of surface quality from fine spherulite structure and stiffness that permits thinner wall sections at equal part rigidity.

Why Choose BASTONE

Batch-traceable pallets of NA-4A inspected against COA documentation in an export-ready warehouse
Batch-traceable pallets of NA-4A inspected against COA documentation in an export-ready warehouse

BASTONE manufactures NA-4A at its own Hangzhou production facility. The group operates four production sites and one R&D center, so formulation development, batch blending, and property verification all sit inside the same organization. When a customer reports a dispersion problem or asks for a dosage recommendation in an unfamiliar resin, the answer comes from the chemists who developed the product — not from a trading desk relaying questions upstream.

Buying direct from the producer removes a layer of margin. Nucleating agents are dosed in hundreds of ppm, so per-kilogram price differences compound quickly across a year of compounding volume. BASTONE quotes ex-works and export prices from its own cost base, and the R&D center supports customers who need a modified particle size distribution, a masterbatch concentrate, or a co-additive package rather than the standard powder.

Export runs through Zhejiang Bastone Technology Co., Ltd, the group's trading platform, with more than a decade of shipping documentation and logistics experience across the wider petrochemical portfolio. Trade terms, packaging format, and consolidation with other BASTONE products are negotiable — a compounder ordering nucleator alongside antioxidants or polyolefin resin can move it in one container under one set of documents.

Sourcing & Logistics

NA-4A polypropylene nucleating agent — catalog product photo
NA-4A polypropylene nucleating agent — catalog product photo
Item Detail
Supply origin Manufactured by BASTONE, Hangzhou Economic Development Zone, China
Packaging Powder; carton, drum, or bag formats on request
Export entity Zhejiang Bastone Technology Co., Ltd
Documentation COA per production batch, SDS, packing list, commercial invoice, certificate of origin; food-contact and third-party test reports on request
Trade terms EXW, FOB, CIF, CFR, DDP — negotiable
Sample availability Laboratory samples available for compounding trials; contact BASTONE with base resin type, melt index, and target application

RX9005 Toughening Agent for Transparent Polypropylene
RX9005 is a polyolefin-based impact modifier manufactured by…
CA-61S Clarifying Agent — Polypropylene Nucleating Agent for Transparent PP
CA-61S is an organic clarifying and nucleating agent…
NA-65H Nucleating Agent for Polypropylene — High-Stiffness Alpha Nucleator
NA-65H is a stiffness-enhancing alpha nucleating agent for…
PPAM-PE7003 PPA Masterbatch for Polyethylene Film Extrusion
PPAM-PE7003 is a polyethylene processing aid masterbatch produced…

Online Message

If you have any questions, you can leave a message here, we will contact you within 24 hours

Contact us

Get quote for your products or ask for a unique solution . We are here to provide quality products and flexible service.