PVC foam board is a lightweight, rigid sheet made of expanded polyvinyl chloride. Learn how it is made, its properties, types and where it is used.
PVC foam board — also sold as PVC foam sheet, expanded PVC, forex, sintra, celuka board or, in Türkiye, dekota — is a rigid plastic sheet made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with a closed-cell foam structure. The foaming process fills the sheet with millions of tiny closed cells, so the board is much lighter than solid PVC while staying stiff, flat and easy to work with.
How is PVC foam board made?
PVC resin is blended with stabilisers, foaming agents, lubricants and pigments, then melted and pushed through a flat extrusion die. As the melt leaves the die, the foaming agent expands and creates the cellular core. The sheet is calibrated to thickness, cooled, trimmed and cut to size. Depending on how the surface is formed, the result is a free foam, celuka or co-extruded (CoEx) board.
Key properties
- Lightweight: easy to carry, ship and install; lower freight cost per square metre.
- Water and moisture resistant: does not swell, rot or grow mould like wood-based panels.
- Easy to fabricate: can be cut, routed, drilled, screwed, glued, bent with heat and thermoformed.
- Printable surface: smooth and flat, ideal for UV flatbed printing, screen printing and vinyl.
- Chemical resistance: withstands many acids, alkalis and cleaning agents.
- Insulation: the closed-cell core gives thermal and sound insulation.
- Self-extinguishing: PVC is inherently flame retardant; fire classification depends on the grade and test report.
- Recyclable: production offcuts can be ground and reused.
Where is PVC foam board used?
The biggest market is signage and advertising: sign boards, box letters, POP displays, exhibition stands and printed panels. It is also used in construction (wall cladding, ceilings, door cores, SPC flooring cores), furniture (kitchen and bathroom cabinets), automotive and caravan interiors, marine interiors, model making and packaging.
Buying PVC foam board from a manufacturer in Turkey
Toyopan manufactures PVC foam board in Türkiye with ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certified management systems, plus CE and REACH declarations. If you need a specific thickness, density, colour or sheet size, request a quotation and our export team will reply quickly.