| Film | Moisture barrier, as the published sources state it | Cavity depth on the Uhlmann B 1240 | When it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| PVC, uncoated | No datasheet figure found; a film manufacturer presents it for low-barrier applications | Up to 24 mm (thermoforming) | A formula that does not readily take up moisture, or a large dose that needs a deep cavity |
| PVC/PVDC | WVTR 0.65, 0.5 and 0.22 g/m² per day at 38 °C/90 % RH for coatings of 40, 60 and 120 g/m² (one supplier's brochure, 2018) | Up to 24 mm (thermoforming) | A formula that needs more barrier than PVC, in a dose that still needs depth |
| Cold-formed aluminium (alu-alu) | WVTR below 0.001 g/m² per day at 38 °C/90 % RH (one manufacturer's specification); WHO lists aluminium/aluminium blisters among impermeable containers; the laminate is opaque | Up to 10 mm (cold forming) | A moisture-sensitive formula in a dose that fits a shallower cavity |
WVTR is the water vapour transmission rate that film suppliers publish for flat film, before forming. The rows come from different sources, so compare them as classes of film, not as a league table.
Which blister film is right for my supplement?
It depends on how readily your formula takes up moisture and on the size of the dose: PVC, PVC/PVDC and cold-formed aluminium (alu-alu) are offered, and the film is confirmed in our reply once we have your formula and dose size.
Three things decide it:
- Moisture. The film and the lidding foil set how much moisture reaches a closed cavity. Plain PVC sits at the low end of the barrier range, PVC/PVDC rises with the weight of the coating, and cold-formed aluminium is the highest-barrier class in the table above.
- Dose size. Cavity depth is up to 24 mm in PVC (thermoforming) on the B 1240 and up to 10 mm in cold-formed aluminium, so a large tablet or capsule can fit one film and not the other. The tooling already in place is on blister packing.
- Market. A regulator may ask what the pack is made of. The sections below cover that.
Which film suits a moisture-sensitive formula?
Start from the film with the higher barrier: PVC/PVDC, or cold-formed aluminium for the most sensitive formulas, provided the dose fits the shallower cavity.
Flat-film figures are a starting point. An engineer at a packaging manufacturer notes in a trade article that forming a cavity makes the laminate thinner, which can lower its barrier, while the barrier of aluminium does not depend on its thickness. The same article adds that in cold-formed aluminium blisters a very small amount of water vapour may enter through the punched edge. A sample of your own product in the film is the check that matters.
Which film for hot and humid markets?
The market sets the test condition, and the pack sets how much of that humidity reaches the dose. WHO's long-term conditions are 30 °C/65 % RH for zone IVa and 30 °C/75 % RH for zone IVb; the guideline is written for medicines, so for a supplement it is a frame of reference.
WHO's stability guideline lists aluminium/aluminium blisters for solid dosage forms among impermeable containers, and allows studies of products in such containers at any controlled or ambient humidity. It also says a storage statement should not be used to make up for inadequate packaging. Some regulators tie the data to the pack: Ghana's Food and Drugs Authority, in its supplement guideline, asks for stability studies in the container closure system in which the product will be marketed, and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority's food guide asks for a document describing the packaging material of heat- or humidity-sensitive tablets and capsules. Your importer confirms what applies to your product.
More: blister packaging for hot and humid climates, climatic zones by country and shelf life and storage.
Can the blister be printed with my brand?
Yes: the lidding foil is printed for your brand, and so is the carton, which holds 1 to 4 blisters.
The foil is heat-sealable aluminium and carries the print; the forming film, PVC, PVC/PVDC or cold-formed aluminium, forms the cavity. Only the artwork version you have approved is printed. The batch number, production date and expiry date go on the carton.
What does the PPWR note mean for blister films?
It means that a fluorinated film such as PVC/PCTFE raises a regulatory question before a barrier question, which is why the films offered for your product are PVC, PVC/PVDC and alu-alu.
Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste limits PFAS in food-contact packaging placed on the EU market, and it has applied since 12 August 2026. PCTFE is a fluorinated plastic. Whether a given laminate meets the limit, and how the limit applies to it, is settled by the film supplier or a lawyer. If your product will be sold in the EU, choose among PVC, PVC/PVDC and alu-alu.
When is a bottle the better pack?
When the product keeps longer in a bottle with desiccant, when you need a smaller first order or an earlier date, or when the dose does not suit a blister.
A blister is not the stronger pack by default. A 2017 modelling study published in the trade journal Pharmaceutical Technology estimated the shelf life of one moisture-sensitive multivitamin tablet, containing 100 mg of thiamine, at 30 °C/75 % RH, with the bottles modelled at 60 cc holding 30 tablets.
| Pack in the model | Estimated shelf life at 30 °C/75 % RH |
|---|---|
| HDPE bottle with 2 g of silica gel | 2.6 years |
| Cold-formed aluminium/aluminium blister | 1.7 years |
| HDPE bottle without desiccant | 1.2 years |
| PVC blister | 0.5 years |
Read it as one worked case: a calculation, not a test, for one product at one condition, with its figure credited to a desiccant supplier. It shows that which pack holds a product longer depends on the product, and that PVC and alu-alu sit far apart.
A bottle can also start smaller and sooner. A ready-made formula starts from 100 units in stock packaging, with production from 2 weeks; your own formula starts from 500 bottles per product, with production from 4 weeks. A blister keeps every unopened dose sealed. The two formats side by side: blister or bottle.
What your product decides
Each choice costs you something in time, run size or risk.
| Your product | What changes | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| A formula that readily takes up moisture | PVC/PVDC or alu-alu instead of plain PVC; a bottle with desiccant is another route | Risk: a barrier too low for the formula; flat-film figures alone do not show how a product keeps |
| A large tablet or capsule | Up to 24 mm cavity depth in PVC and PVC/PVDC; up to 10 mm in cold-formed aluminium | Risk: the dose may not fit an alu-alu cavity; send its dimensions with your enquiry |
| Sale in the EU | PVC, PVC/PVDC or alu-alu; PVC/PCTFE is left to the PPWR question | Risk: PFAS limit on food-contact packaging since 12 August 2026 |
| A market that asks for data in the marketed pack | The study is run in the pack you will sell | Time: Ghana's real-time part runs to the end of the shelf life |
| A smaller first order or an earlier date | A bottle in stock packaging | Pack format: no blister |
| A blister of your own design or a size without tooling | The blister needs tooling of its own | Run: from 25,000 cartons or 50,000 blisters, terms agreed per project |
Questions buyers ask about blister films
Which blister films can I choose for my supplement?
PVC, PVC/PVDC and cold-formed aluminium (alu-alu) are offered, with heat-sealable aluminium lidding foil printed for your brand. The film for your product is confirmed in our reply.
What is the difference between PVC and PVC/PVDC?
PVC/PVDC is PVC with a PVDC coating that adds moisture barrier. In one supplier's brochure, coatings of 40, 60 and 120 g/m² gave 0.65, 0.5 and 0.22 g/m² per day at 38 °C/90 % RH. For plain PVC a film manufacturer presents it for low-barrier applications.
How does alu-alu compare for moisture?
It is the highest-barrier class in the sources: one manufacturer's laminate specification gives below 0.001 g/m² per day at 38 °C/90 % RH, and WHO lists aluminium/aluminium blisters among impermeable containers. Its cavities are shallower and the laminate is opaque, so the dose has to fit.
How deep can a blister cavity be?
On the Uhlmann B 1240, up to 24 mm for PVC (thermoforming) and up to 10 mm for aluminium (cold forming). The forming area is up to 128 × 156.5 mm per cycle.
Is a PVC blister enough for a hot and humid market?
Not necessarily. In the 2017 model of one vitamin tablet at 30 °C/75 % RH, a PVC blister was estimated at 0.5 years, against 1.7 years for an alu-alu blister. Whether PVC is enough depends on how readily your product takes up moisture.
Is a blister always better than a bottle?
No. In the 2017 model, a bottle with 2 g of silica gel was estimated at 2.6 years against 1.7 years for an alu-alu blister. It is one calculated case. A blister keeps unopened doses sealed; which pack holds a product longer depends on the product.
Can the lidding foil carry my brand?
Yes. The lidding foil is printed for your brand, and so is the carton, which holds 1 to 4 blisters. Only the artwork version you have approved is printed.
What about PVC/PCTFE?
The films offered for your product are PVC, PVC/PVDC and alu-alu. Regulation (EU) 2025/40 has limited PFAS in food-contact packaging on the EU market since 12 August 2026, and PCTFE is a fluorinated plastic; the film supplier or a lawyer settles how the limit applies to a given laminate.
What is the minimum order for a blister run?
From 2,000 cartons printed for your brand and at least 4,000 blisters, on a ready-made formula or your own. Production takes 6 to 10 weeks, with shipping added separately.
What do I send to get the film confirmed?
The formula or a sample, the dose form and its size, the market where it will be sold and anything your importer has asked for. The film is confirmed in our reply, within 24 hours, Monday to Friday.
Read more
Blister packing · Blister packaging for hot and humid climates · Climatic zones by country · Shelf life and storage · Blister or bottle · Equipment · Tablets in blisters · Capsules in blisters
Ask for a quote
Tell us the dose form, its size, whether the formula is ready-made or your own, and the country of sale. We reply within 24 hours, Monday to Friday.
Request a quote → Email sales@hyperpharm.eu
Sources
- World Health Organization: WHO Technical Report Series No. 1010 (2018), Annex 10, Stability testing of active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished pharmaceutical products; conditions by climatic zone, impermeable containers, storage statements. extranet.who.int. Checked 9 October 2026.
- Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana: Guideline for Registration of Food/Nutritional/Dietary Supplements, FDA/HMD/GL-FS/2012/01, issued 1 March 2013; stability in the container closure system in which the product will be marketed. fdaghana.gov.gh. Checked 9 October 2026.
- Saudi Food and Drug Authority, Food Sector: Guide to Pre-registration Evaluation for Food Products, file uploaded July 2024; packaging material of heat- or humidity-sensitive tablets and capsules. sfda.gov.sa. Checked 9 October 2026.
- Logel, Rault, Emond, Waterman, Florez: Why Bottles with Desiccant Outperform Foil-Foil Blister Packaging, Pharmaceutical Technology, 1 September 2017, pp. s32-s34; a modelling study, figure credited to a desiccant supplier. pharmtech.com. Checked 9 October 2026.
- Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste, Article 5(5) on PFAS in food-contact packaging and Article 71 on application from 12 August 2026. eur-lex.europa.eu. Checked 9 October 2026.