Solvent-based silicone release paper
Every release paper supplier claims "excellent release properties." That phrase tells you nothing, and it is the reason laminates fail in the field: release force that is too low causes label fly during conversion; release force that is too high causes web breaks when skeleton stripping, or dispensing failures on the applicator. This page is about the number instead of the adjective. Solvent-based silicone is applied from a solvent carrier — typically offering thin, tightly controlled coat weights and good leveling on porous base paper — and it is the right choice where you need precise, repeatable release at low coat weight, or a release profile that is difficult to reach with a 100% solids system. Our standard capability: release force selectable across 3 – 1000 gf/25 mm, measured against Tesa 7475 standard tape. Tell us your target number and your test method and we will match it. Base papers: glassine · CCK · white wood-pulp · kraft · PE-laminated Coating: single or double sided · solvent-based, solventless, emulsion or UV Formats: jumbo roll, slit roll, sheet
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Product Introduction
Every release paper supplier claims "excellent release properties." That phrase tells you nothing, and it is the reason laminates fail in the field: release force that is too low causes label fly during conversion; release force that is too high causes web breaks when skeleton stripping, or dispensing failures on the applicator.
This page is about the number instead of the adjective. Solvent-based silicone is applied from a solvent carrier - typically offering thin, tightly controlled coat weights and good leveling on porous base paper - and it is the right choice where you need precise, repeatable release at low coat weight, or a release profile that is difficult to reach with a 100% solids system.
Our standard capability: release force selectable across 3 – 1000 gf/25 mm, measured against Tesa 7475 standard tape. Tell us your target number and your test method and we will match it.
Base papers: glassine · CCK · white wood-pulp · kraft · PE-laminated Coating: single or double sided · solvent-based, solventless, emulsion or UV Formats: jumbo roll, slit roll, sheet
If you already know your target release force and base paper, see the specification template in section C8.
Industry test methods you can require:
| Method | What it measures |
|---|---|
| FINAT FTM 3 | Low-speed release force (180°, standard rate) |
| FINAT FTM 10 | Release force at high speed - closer to real converting and dispensing speeds |
| FINAT FTM 4 | Subsequent adhesion - detects silicone transfer to the adhesive |
| FINAT FTM 11 | 180° release from silicone-coated substrates for self-adhesive laminates |
| ASTM D3330 | Peel adhesion of pressure-sensitive tape (US convention) |
What to do about it: never accept "good release" or "easy release." Ask for the release force in gf/25 mm, with the test method and test tape named. If a supplier cannot give you that, they cannot control the product either.
Choosing Your Release Force - and the Two Ways to Get It Wrong
Release force is a design decision, and both directions of error are expensive.
| Release class | Behaviour | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Light / easy | Separates with minimal force | High-speed label dispensing; delicate facestock; where the applicator pulls hard |
| Medium | Balanced peel with good layflat | General-purpose label and tape liners |
| Tight / heavy | Requires deliberate force to separate | Interleaving between adhesive layers; die-cutting where the liner must hold the web; processes with violent web movement |
Failure mode 1 - release force too low. The label or tape releases before it should. In practice: label fly during conversion, the facestock lifting off the liner on the press, or premature separation in a high-speed applicator. Buyers tend to push for the lightest possible release to make application easy - then discover the web cannot be handled.
Failure mode 2 - release force too high. The liner will not let go when it must. In practice: web breaks when skeleton stripping after die-cutting, or dispensing failure on the automatic applicator. This is usually discovered on the customer's line, not in your plant.
How to get it right: give us the converting process (press speed, die-cut geometry, stripping method), the applicator type, the facestock and the adhesive chemistry. We will recommend a release class, and we will send samples to run on your line before you commit to a production quantity. Release force is far cheaper to tune on a sample roll than on a container.
Subsequent Adhesion: The Silent Failure
A liner can have perfect release force and still be wrong. If the silicone migrates or transfers to the adhesive during storage or winding, the adhesive loses tack - and the problem appears weeks later, at your customer.
This is measured by subsequent adhesion (FINAT FTM 4): you apply a standard tape to the liner, age it, peel it off, then measure that tape's adhesion against a control that was never in contact with the liner. The result is expressed as a percentage of the control.
Close to 100 % - no meaningful silicone transfer
A measurable drop - the liner is contaminating the adhesive
Why it matters commercially: if subsequent adhesion is not specified, you have no protection against the failure mode that is hardest to diagnose and most likely to be blamed on your customer's adhesive. Require subsequent adhesion data with the release force data.
Release Force Drifts With Time and Heat
Release force is not a fixed property. It changes with:
Storage time - many systems tighten or soften over months on the roll
Temperature - heat accelerates the drift, and hot-melt or heat-assisted processes push it further
Winding tension and roll geometry - pressure on the liner affects the coating
Humidity and base paper moisture content
What this means for your specification: a release force measured on the day of production can differ from the same liner six months later in a warm warehouse. If your application is temperature-sensitive or your stock is held long, specify release force after accelerated ageing, not only as-produced.
We can supply release force data at production, and after accelerated ageing, for the grades and cycles you need. Ask for both - the second number is the one that predicts field performance.
(Note: for processes where the liner itself sees sustained heat, see our high temperature resistance silicone release paper grade, which uses a thermally stabilised silicone.)
Coating Systems: Solvent-Based, Solventless, Emulsion, UV
The carrier in which the silicone is applied changes the economics and the environmental profile as much as it changes the release performance. This is a procurement decision, not just a technical one.
| System | How it works | Strengths | Trade-offs | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solvent-based | Silicone dissolved in a solvent carrier, coated then dried and cured | Very thin, tightly controlled coat weights; good leveling on porous or rough base paper; formulation latitude for specialty release | Solvent handling, recovery or incineration; VOC obligations; higher energy | Thin coatings, precise or unusual release profiles, difficult base papers |
| Solventless (100 % solids) | Reactive silicone applied with no solvent, thermally cured | No VOC; high line speeds; lower energy; increasingly the industry default | Narrower formulation latitude; needs good base paper holdout and controlled web temperature | High-volume standard grades, VOC-sensitive markets |
| Emulsion-based | Silicone dispersed in water, then dried and cured | Water-based, low solvent exposure | More energy to drive off water; more limited performance window | Where aqueous chemistry is preferred |
| UV-curable | Solvent-free silicone acrylate cured by UV | No VOC; no heat load - usable on heat-sensitive substrates where thermal curing is impossible | Requires UV line capability | Heat-sensitive facestock and substrates |
If you export to markets with VOC controls, or your customer reports on solvent content, this table is the decision. Ask for the system to be named on your specification, and for the VOC position of the grade supplied - "silicone release paper" alone does not tell you which of these four you are buying.
How to Write a Release Paper Specification
Copy this list into your enquiry. If you fill in all nine lines, we can quote accurately on the first reply - and you have a document you can hold any supplier to.
| # | Line item | What to state |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Base paper | Glassine / CCK / white wood pulp / kraft / PE-laminated |
| 2 | Basis weight | gsm of the base paper |
| 3 | Coating side | Single or double sided |
| 4 | Coating system | Solvent-based / solventless / emulsion / UV |
| 5 | Release force | Target in gf/25 mm, with test method and test tape named |
| 6 | Subsequent adhesion | Minimum acceptable % of control (FTM 4) |
| 7 | Peel speed basis | Low speed only, or must it also hold at high speed (FTM 10)? |
| 8 | Roll format | Width, length, core diameter (e.g. 76 mm), winding direction, max splices per roll |
| 9 | Process conditions | Press speed, die-cut geometry, applicator type, adhesive chemistry, storage time and temperature |
Base Paper Options
| Base paper | Characteristics | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Glassine | Super-calendered, dense, smooth, semi-transparent | High-precision converting, die-cutting, thin liners |
| CCK (clay-coated kraft) | Coated surface for a smooth release face; good holdout | Where a smooth release surface is needed at economic cost |
| White wood-pulp paper | Bright, clean, good stiffness | General-purpose label and tape liners |
| Kraft / brown | Natural appearance, cost-effective | Industrial and economy-grade applications |
| PE-laminated | Polyethylene layer beneath the silicone | Barrier against moisture and aggressive or aqueous adhesives |
Virgin vs recycled base paper: recycled and mixed pulps are usually slightly darker and lower in stiffness. This affects layflat and die-cutting behaviour on high-speed lines. If your process is demanding, specify virgin pulp and say why - the cost difference is small relative to a stopped press.
Standard construction reference (from our foam-sticker grades, for orientation):
| Base paper | PE + silicone | Application |
|---|---|---|
| 75 gsm | 12 + 1 gsm | Foam sticker |
| 65 gsm | 12 + 1 gsm | Foam sticker |
Available widths run from narrow slitting up to jumbo reel widths; roll length depends on basis weight. Tell us your format and we will confirm.
How We Test, and How You Can Verify
| Check | Method | Why it matters to you |
|---|---|---|
| Release force | FINAT FTM 3 (low speed) | The core specification - too light gives label fly, too heavy gives web breaks |
| Release force at speed | FINAT FTM 10 | Predicts performance on real converting and dispensing equipment |
| Subsequent adhesion | FINAT FTM 4 | Detects silicone migration before it destroys your customer's adhesive |
| Release after ageing | Accelerated ageing, then FTM 3 | Predicts field performance for stock held in warm conditions |
| Coating weight | Gravimetric | Controls cost and release consistency |
| Cure completeness | Solvent rub / extraction | Under-cured silicone migrates - the origin of most transfer complaints |
| Base paper | gsm, moisture, smoothness, stiffness | Layflat and convertibility |
| Roll quality | Splice count, winding tension, edge condition | A splice stops an automatic line |
| Batch report | Issued per roll lot | Your traceability when a customer reports a fault |
We will send a sample roll for you to run on your own line. Release force is process-specific: the same liner behaves differently on different presses and applicators. A trial roll costs far less than diagnosing a failed production run.
Third-party testing welcome. You may nominate an accredited laboratory and we will supply the samples and batch data for verification against the specification.
FAQ
What is solvent-based silicone release paper?
It is liner paper coated with a silicone release agent applied from a solvent carrier, which is then dried and cured. It allows very thin, closely controlled coat weights and good leveling on porous base papers - useful where the release profile must be precise or the base paper is difficult.
How is it different from solventless release paper?
Solventless (100 % solids) systems apply reactive silicone with no solvent, so they carry no VOC and run faster, and they are now the industry default for standard grades. Solvent-based systems buy you tighter coat-weight control and wider formulation latitude at the cost of solvent handling, VOC obligations and energy. See the comparison table above.
What release force can you supply?
Selectable across 3 – 1000 gf/25 mm, measured against Tesa 7475 standard tape. Tell us your target and your test method - including the peel speed - and we will match it.
My labels are flying off on the press. Is that a paper problem?
Usually it means the release force is too low for your press speed and geometry. Send us the press speed, die-cut details and stripping method; we will move you to a heavier release class and send a trial roll.
My customer reports web breaks when stripping. Same question?
The opposite cause: release force is too high. Same fix - tell us the process and we will re-tune the release class.
How do I know the silicone will not contaminate the adhesive?
Require subsequent adhesion to FINAT FTM 4. A result close to 100 % of control indicates no meaningful migration. Under-cured coating is the usual root cause of transfer, which is why we test cure completeness on every batch.
Will the release force stay the same after six months in storage?
Not necessarily - release force drifts with time, temperature, winding tension and humidity. If you hold stock for long periods or in warm conditions, specify release force after accelerated ageing, not only as-produced.
Do you supply single-sided and double-sided?
Yes. Single-sided is standard; double-sided is used for interleaving between adhesive layers.
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