- Material: XPE foam, IXPE foam
- Expansion ratio: 10 times (100 kg/m³) – 15 times (66 kg/m³)
- Thickness: 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm (thickness can be customized)
- Width: 1 m, 1.2 m, 1.5 m (width can be customized)
- Colour: custom colours available
Customization
Made to order: density, thickness, colour and shape to your drawing. Die-cutting, CNC routing, lamination to film or fabric, slitting and adhesive coating all run in-house, so the part we quote is a finished part, not just a sheet. How a custom part is cut and routed explains what to send with the drawing.
Regular material: MOQ 1,000 m², lead time 15–20 days from order confirmation. Custom parts are quoted from the drawing. A4 samples are free, shipping included.
Lifejacket foam is the buoyancy material inside a personal flotation device. Bofeng Foam produces it in XPE and IXPE at 10× to 15× foaming, and supplies it to the manufacturers who build and approve the finished device. The foam is the buoyancy element; the approval of the garment around it belongs to the device manufacturer.
Features
- Buoyancy from closed cells: the foam traps air in cells water cannot enter, so it keeps displacing water and supporting the wearer rather than gradually becoming waterlogged.
- Low water uptake: because the cells are closed, the foam absorbs very little water and does not become heavier over a period of immersion.
- Density for a thin section: at 10× (100 kg/m³) to 15× (66 kg/m³) the foam delivers buoyancy in the thin sections a wearable device allows.
- Recovery after compression: cross-linking means the foam returns to thickness after being squeezed, so buoyancy is restored after the device has been sat on or stored flat.
- Tear and abrasion resistance: the material stands up to the handling and the fabric abrasion inside a jacket.
- Salt water resistance: not degraded by seawater, which suits a device that lives outdoors. For long-term exposure to direct sun, specify a UV-stabilised grade; we do not publish UV-ageing or service-life figures for this component.
Applications
- Lifejackets and buoyancy aids
- Marine and fishing workwear flotation
- Swimming and learn-to-swim aids
- Water-sports flotation panels
- Rescue and training equipment
Specifications for lifejacket foam
Lifejacket foam has to stay buoyant and keep its shape through repeated wetting and drying.
| Foam | Expansion | Apparent density | Single-layer thickness | Why this grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XPE | 8–15× | 66.7–125 kg/m³ | 3–15 mm | Closed-cell structure with water absorption under 0.2%, so the jacket does not take on water weight. |
| IXPE | 15–25× | 40–66.7 kg/m³ | 0.1–15 mm | Thin panels for a low-profile vest. |
Base material specifications are on the XPE, IXPE and IXPP material pages; finished products are on the XPE foam and IXPE foam pages. Tell us the load, the space available and the service temperature and we will confirm the grade against your drawing.
Why Choose Bofeng Foam
We supply buoyancy foam at 10× to 15× foaming in 3 mm, 4 mm and 5 mm, in widths of 1 m, 1.2 m and 1.5 m, in colour with colour made to order, in both XPE and IXPE. We produce the foam material to the density and gauge the device manufacturer specifies; the buoyancy rating, the approval and the marking of the finished lifejacket rest with that manufacturer and the standards body it works to. The base material is described on the XPE foam page, and a related buoyancy product is the swimming flotation board.
In-house conversion. Buoyancy panels are thin and often shaped: we slit or die-cut to the pattern the device manufacturer specifies, and heat-bond layers where the vest needs more than a single sheet. The buoyancy rating, approval and marking stay with that manufacturer. Regular material starts at 1,000 m²; cut panels are quoted from the drawing.
Buoyancy per unit volume, and why water uptake decides how long a float stays a float, is set out in our flotation foam guide.
Conclusion & Inquiry
Send the buoyancy requirement, the section thickness available and the standard the device is built to, and we will confirm the density and gauge. Contact us for samples or a quotation.
