ULTEM™ 1000 · 1010 Alternative — BASF Ultrason® E 2010 · E 1010 (PESU)
If you are moving connectors, power-distribution or cooling parts off ULTEM™ 1000 or 1010 to BASF Ultrason® E (PESU), E 2010 takes the standard-viscosity place and E 1010 the high-flow one. Unlike the other guides, this is not a grade change within one resin but a change of family, from PEI to PESU. On identical test bases PESU leads on heat, impact and arc ignition, PEI on thin-wall flame rating and high-frequency dielectrics — which of those your part needs decides the switch.
Viscosity match
Standard viscosity. UL94 V-0 at 1.5 mm and 5VA at 3 mm, best high-amp arc ignition category (HAI PLC 0). Power-distribution, structural and general moulded parts.
Low viscosity, high flow (MVR 150). Thin-wall parts with long flow paths, such as fibre-optic connector housings around 1 mm.
If you run glass-fibre PEI, the 30% glass-fibre E 2010 G6 is the candidate on the same axis (it needs its own comparison). Where release is the problem there is E 2010 UNQ26, release-optimised with V-0 retained. BASF produces Ultrason to the same specification at Yeosu, Korea and Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Octud holds E 1010 and E 2010 in Korean stock.
Property comparison
The difference column is the Octud grade value minus the published value of the grade you use today — enough to judge whether the two sit in the same class. For the absolute figures and specifications of your current grade, refer to that manufacturer's own data.
ULTEM™ 1000 ↔ Ultrason® E 2010 (standard viscosity)
ULTEM™ 1010 ↔ Ultrason® E 1010 (high flow)
PEI and PESU are different resin families, so read this table for which side leads on which item rather than whether the two sit in the same class. Only items published to the same test basis (ISO, UL) in both makers' TDS and UL Yellow Cards were used, but specimens and conditions are not identical — thermal expansion is measured over different temperature ranges. Melt flow is tested under different conditions by the two makers (PESU 360°C / 10 kg, PEI 337°C / 6.6 kg) and cannot be compared numerically. For HAI category and UL94 minimum thickness, lower is better.
Item-by-item commentary and verdicts by data-centre part (fibre-optic connectors, cooling fittings, power distribution) are in the article. Read PEI vs PESU on the datasheets →
ULTEM 1000 itself is a SABIC product, bought through that manufacturer's own distribution. The grade that sits in the same place — Ultrason® E 2010 · Ultrason® E 1010 — is supplied in Korea from stock by Octud, as genuine BASF material, with a 25 kg minimum order and evaluation samples for design verification.
Where a PEI-to-PESU switch actually gets blocked
PEI and PESU are amorphous, inherently flame-retardant resins of the same tier, but they are different families. Look only at the items where PESU leads and the switch stalls here.
- Thin-wall flame rating — the V-0 minimum thickness differs
- ULTEM™ 1000 and 1010 hold UL94 V-0 at 0.75 mm. E 2010 is V-0 at 1.5 mm (5VA at 3 mm); the high-flow E 1010 is V-1 at 1.5 mm and V-0 at 3 mm. If the wall is thinner than 1.5 mm and the end-product standard calls for V-0, a straight PESU grade may not fit — compare listed UL thicknesses first, including BASF's D series (PESU blend). Check the flame rating and thickness your part's standard requires before anything else.
- Housings carrying high-frequency signals: look at permittivity
- Permittivity at 1 MHz is 2.9 for PEI and 3.8 for PESU. It makes no difference to fibre-optic connectors (light signals), cooling parts or structural parts, but where GHz-band electrical signals pass through the housing of a high-speed electrical connector, signal loss and impedance design change. For that use, staying with PEI is the right call.
- About 20% less stiff — deflection for structural parts, margin for snap-fits
- Tensile modulus is 3,200 MPa for ULTEM™ and 2,640 MPa for E 2010, about 20% lower for PESU, and yield stress is lower too (110 vs 86 MPa). Thin, long ribs and load-bearing structural parts need their deflection recalculated. Snap-fits and latches that flex repeatedly go the other way: the lower modulus, higher yield strain (6.9 vs 6%) and nearly double notched impact (7.5 vs 4 kJ/m²) give more margin against fracture.
- Shrinkage and water uptake differ, so dimensions need re-setting
- Moulding shrinkage is 0.8–0.9% for PESU (ISO 294-4) and 0.5–0.7% for PEI (SABIC method) — different test methods, but PESU's is larger. Saturated water absorption is higher too, 2.2% vs 1.25% (0.8% at 23°C / 50% RH equilibrium). Moving a dimension-critical part into the same tool may need dimensional correction, and parts that go through high-temperature, high-humidity reliability tests such as 85°C / 85% RH should be checked under those conditions. BASF states that Ultrason fibre-optic connectors have passed 85°C / 85% RH testing.
- UL, connector standards and customer approvals are repeated
- When the material changes, end-product UL certification (the Yellow Card covers the material), connector-standard testing (IEC 61754 and the like) and customer approval tests are repeated. Most of the cost of a switch sits in this re-qualification, not in the resin price. It is the long-lead item, so start it alongside the technical verification.
How to evaluate the switch
- 01Check two things in the part specification first — the minimum wall thickness at which UL94 V-0 is required, and whether GHz electrical signals pass through the housing. If either applies, the direction is staying with PEI or reviewing a PESU blend.
- 02Pick the grade by viscosity — E 1010 for thin-wall, long-flow parts; E 2010 where V-0 at 1.5 mm is needed or for power-distribution parts.
- 03For structural parts designed to stiffness, recalculate deflection with a modulus of 2,640 MPa. For snap-fits, root stress at the same deflection falls, so margin increases.
- 04Mould evaluation samples in the existing tool and check filling, shrinkage and dimensions. Start from the TDS recommendations: drying at 130–150°C for at least 4 hours, melt 340–390°C, mould 140–180°C.
- 05Confirm dimensions and properties under the customer's reliability conditions such as 85°C / 85% RH, then run the UL, connector-standard and customer approval re-tests.
If moulding defects appear, the high-temperature resin moulding troubleshooting guide covers cause and corrective action by symptom.
Frequently asked questions
- Can ULTEM™ 1000 be replaced with Ultrason® E 2010?
- Depending on the part, yes. Both are amorphous, inherently flame-retardant resins of the same super-engineering tier with overlapping processing windows, and on identical test bases E 2010 leads on glass transition (225 vs 217°C), heat deflection (205 vs 192°C), UL relative temperature index (180–190 vs 170°C) and notched impact (7.5 vs 4 kJ/m²). But they are different resin families, so this is an alternative to evaluate rather than an equivalent; parts that need V-0 at 0.75 mm or high-frequency dielectric performance belong with PEI.
- What replaces a high-flow grade such as ULTEM™ 1010?
- Ultrason® E 1010 — the low-viscosity grade BASF positions for thin-wall LC and MPO connectors (MVR 150 at 360°C / 10 kg). In conversions that ran PEI moulds on PESU, in Korea and abroad, better thin-wall fill and surface have been reported. Note that it is UL94 V-1 at 1.5 mm and V-0 at 3 mm; where thin-wall V-0 is needed, look at E 2010.
- Is supply stable if we switch from PEI to PESU?
- BASF produces Ultrason to the same specification in Ludwigshafen, Germany and at its Yeosu plant in Korea, on stream since 2014 and expanded in 2018 to a global capacity of 24,000 t/a. Domestic production removes sea freight and customs variables, and Octud holds E 1010 and E 2010 in Korean stock, with in-stock material arriving anywhere in Korea within 1–2 days.
- What do PEI and PESU have in common, and where do they differ?
- Both are amorphous, amber-transparent super-engineering plastics that reach UL94 V-0 without flame-retardant additives. PESU leads on heat (Tg, HDT, RTI), impact and arc-ignition resistance; PEI on stiffness, density, permittivity and thin-wall flame rating. Thermal expansion is the same in both makers' TDS, 52 E-6/K. The item-by-item commentary is in the Octud insight article 'PEI vs PESU for data-centre parts'.
- Where can I buy ULTEM 1000 in Korea?
- ULTEM 1000 itself is a SABIC product, bought through that manufacturer's own distribution. The grade that sits in the same place — Ultrason® E 2010 · Ultrason® E 1010 — is supplied in Korea from stock by Octud, as genuine BASF material, with a 25 kg minimum order and evaluation samples for design verification.
Other families
- PSU · PolysulfoneUdel® P-1700 → Ultrason® S 2010
- PPSU · PolyphenylsulfoneRadel® R-5000 → Ultrason® P 3010
- PEEK · PolyetheretherketoneVictrex® 450G → Joyrun K10G
※ ULTEM™ is a trademark of SABIC; Ultrason® is a registered trademark of BASF SE. Octud is the official Korean distributor of BASF Ultrason® and has no affiliation with SABIC. Competitor product names are used for factual comparison and identification only. Differences are calculated from typical values in the SABIC ULTEM™ 1000 and 1010 Global TDS and UL Yellow Card E121562 (2026 edition) and the BASF Ultrason® E 1010 and E 2010 TDS and UL Yellow Card E41871 (February 2026), and are not guaranteed values. PEI and PESU are different resin families; this page covers an alternative to evaluate, not an equivalence, and does not replace design verification or standard testing.
Confirm the switch with samples
Tell us the grade you use today and the part conditions — load, temperature, contact media, required approvals — and we will set out what is feasible and what needs verifying.