Silicone Materials Guide | LSR vs Solid Silicone

Materials

Home » Services » Materials

Silicone Vs Other Materials

Why Silicone? — The Material Case

Before diving into silicone grades, it is worth understanding why silicone is the correct choice for food-contact, baby-contact, and outdoor product applications.

Property	Silicone	Plastic (PP/PE)	Rubber	Stainless Steel
Food-contact safety	Highest grade available	Good (BPA-free)	Poor (odor/toxins)	Excellent
Temperature range	−40°C to +230°C	Up to ~100°C	Limited	Excellent
Flexibility	High	Low	High	None
Durability	10–20 year lifespan	1–3 years typical	2–5 years	Excellent
Weight	Very light	Light	Medium	Heavy
Odor	None (platinum-cured)	Potential	Yes	None
Recyclable	Yes (specialist)	Yes (widely)	Limited	Yes
Compliance complexity	High (but achievable)	Medium	High	Low

Silicone is the only material that is simultaneously food-safe, temperature-extreme-resistant, flexible, lightweight, odor-free, and long-lasting. For collapsible water bottles, baby products, and food storage, it is the engineering-optimal choice.

LSR Vs Solid Silicone

LSR vs Solid Silicone — What's the Actual Difference?

This is the most common question we receive from buyers who are new to silicone sourcing. Here is the honest answer.

LSR — Liquid Silicone Rubber

LSR is a two-component platinum-catalyzed silicone that is mixed and injected into a mold in liquid form, then cured under heat and pressure. The result is a product with:

• Extremely consistent wall thickness and dimensional accuracy
• Superior surface finish with minimal flash (excess material at mold parting lines)
• Excellent biocompatibility — the standard for medical devices and infant products
• Slightly higher per-unit cost than solid silicone

Best for: Infant teethers, pacifiers, medical accessories, high-tolerance precision parts, products where surface finish is critical.

Solid Silicone Rubber (HTV/HCR)

Solid silicone is supplied in a gum or sheet form, placed in an open mold, and compressed under heat and pressure. The result is:

• Slightly lower per-unit production cost
• Good flexibility and durability
• Wider range of achievable hardness (Shore A 20–80)
• More economical for large-format products (collapsible bottles, kitchen items)

Best for: Collapsible water bottles, kitchen products, promotional items, outdoor accessories.

Mitour's Proprietary Advantage: Solid-to-Liquid Technology

Here is what makes Mitour's manufacturing genuinely different. We have developed a proprietary process that uses solid silicone equipment to produce products with LSR-quality surface finish and material consistency.

Original (broken): which we call ("solid-to-liquid refinement")
Fixed: which we call Mitour S2L Refinement™ (Solid-to-Liquid Refinement)

The practical implication for buyers: you get near-LSR quality on products where solid silicone tooling would normally be used, at a cost structure that is more competitive than full LSR manufacturing. This is particularly relevant for collapsible water bottles, where we hold the most patents and deepest production history.

Get a Free Quote

Silicone Grades

Silicone Grades and Which You Need

Grade	Description	Certifications	Typical Applications
Food-Grade	Platinum-cured, no BPA, no phthalates, no heavy metals. Inert to food contact.	FDA 21 CFR, LFGB §30/31, REACH	Water bottles, kitchen tools, food storage, reusable straws
Infant-Grade	Food-grade plus additional requirements for migration limits, surface texture, durability under stress. Mitour holds Invention Patent CN114015239A for infant-grade silicone formula.	FDA, LFGB, EN 71, REACH	Teethers, pacifiers, sippy cups, feeding accessories
Medical-Grade	Highest purity. Biocompatibility tested per ISO 10993.	USP Class VI, ISO 10993	Medical devices, implantable components (not Mitour's primary focus)
Industrial-Grade	Peroxide-cured or platinum-cured depending on application. Not food-safe.	Application-specific	Gaskets, seals, electrical insulation

What Mitour produces: Food-grade and infant-grade silicone products exclusively for consumer applications.

Compliance By Market

Which Certification Do You Actually Need?

Target Market	Required / Recommended Certification	What It Tests	Who Issues It
USA	FDA 21 CFR 177.2600	Overall migration, specific substance limits	Third-party lab (SGS/Intertek)
USA (California)	Prop 65 compliance	Lead, cadmium, phthalates, and 900+ other chemicals	Third-party lab
EU (all)	REACH regulation	Restricted substances	Third-party lab
Germany (and broader EU)	LFGB §30/31	Sensory test + overall migration + specific migration	Third-party lab (SGS/Intertek/TÜV)
UK	UKCA + UK REACH	Post-Brexit equivalent of EU requirements	Third-party lab
EU (infant/toy)	EN 71 Parts 1, 2, 3	Physical safety, flammability, chemical safety	Notified body
Global (quality)	ISO 9001:2015	Quality management system	Certification body (Bureau Veritas etc.)

Mitour's recommendation: If you sell in both the US and EU, get both FDA and LFGB test reports.

The LFGB is stricter on sensory testing; the FDA covers the US regulatory requirement. Together, they cover the vast majority of global retail markets.

Material Properties Reference

Key Properties at a Glance

Property	Typical Range (Food-Grade)	Notes
Hardness	Shore A 20–80	Softness chosen based on product function
Temperature range	−40°C to +230°C	Higher than any food-contact plastic
Tensile strength	4–12 MPa	Varies by formulation
Elongation at break	200–600%	High elasticity, highly tear-resistant
Thermal conductivity	0.2–0.3 W/(m·K)	Insulating — cups don't burn hands
Density	1.1–1.3 g/cm³	Lightweight
Odor	None	Platinum-cured only
Colour options	Full Pantone range	Pigments must be food-grade approved

FAQ Section

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to what buyers ask most — before they ever contact us.

Q How do I know if a silicone supplier is using platinum-cured or peroxide-cured silicone?

A

Request the raw material safety data sheet (MSDS) and a third-party migration test report (FDA or LFGB). Platinum-cured silicone will show no detectable residual peroxide by-products and will pass both sensory and migration tests. If a supplier cannot provide these documents for "food-grade" products, the material quality is unverified.
Q Can I request a specific Shore A hardness for my product?

A

Yes. Silicone hardness is specified during the material formulation stage. We offer Shore A 20 (very soft, like a premium silicone pacifier) through Shore A 80 (firm, like a silicone kitchen mat). Your product's function determines the optimal hardness — our engineering team advises on the appropriate specification.
Q What does LFGB certification mean for silicone products?

A

LFGB is Germany's Food and Feed Code (Lebensmittel- und Futtermittelgesetzbuch). For silicone, LFGB §30/31 requires that food-contact materials pass both sensory tests (no taste or odor transfer) and migration limit tests (no harmful substance migration into food). LFGB is widely regarded as the world's most stringent food-contact material standard and is accepted across the EU.
Q Is LSR silicone safer than solid silicone for baby products?

A

Both LSR and high-quality solid silicone can be food-grade and infant-safe when platinum-cured. The difference is in manufacturing precision: LSR typically produces more dimensionally consistent parts with better surface finish, which is why it is preferred for pacifiers, teethers, and medical devices. Solid silicone is appropriate for less critical infant-adjacent products. The curing system (platinum vs peroxide) matters more for safety than the manufacturing method.
Q What is the difference between food-grade silicone and regular silicone?

A

Food-grade silicone is platinum-catalyzed, free of BPA, phthalates, and heavy metals, and tested to FDA 21 CFR or LFGB standards for food-contact safety. Regular or industrial silicone may be peroxide-cured and is not tested for food-contact migration. For any product that contacts food, beverages, or infant mouths, food-grade (platinum-cured) silicone is required.

Have a Material Question?

Tell us about your project and we will send you a full quotation — including timeline, unit cost, and compliance documentation outline — within 24 hours.

Get My Free Quote

Why Silicone? — The Material Case

LSR vs Solid Silicone — What's the Actual Difference?

LSR — Liquid Silicone Rubber

Solid Silicone Rubber (HTV/HCR)

Mitour's Proprietary Advantage: Solid-to-Liquid Technology

Silicone Grades and Which You Need

Which Certification Do You Actually Need?

Key Properties at a Glance

Frequently Asked Questions

Q How do I know if a silicone supplier is using platinum-cured or peroxide-cured silicone?

Q Can I request a specific Shore A hardness for my product?

Q What does LFGB certification mean for silicone products?

Q Is LSR silicone safer than solid silicone for baby products?

Q What is the difference between food-grade silicone and regular silicone?