Benzotriazole | High Purity Corrosion Inhibitor, CAS 95-14-7

Benzotriazole (1,2,3–BTA) for UV Stability: What Buyers Need to Know in 2025

If you work with plastics, coatings, or rubber, you’ve probably heard colleagues rave about Benzotriazole as a go-to UV absorber. To be honest, a lot of the chatter is justified. In real-world production runs, BTA often punches above its weight—absorbing the harsh UV that wrecks color and gloss—so your products look newer, longer.

Image: production-grade Benzotriazole used as a UV absorber/light stabilizer.

Market snapshot and trends

Demand for Benzotriazole UV stabilizers keeps rising across outdoor furniture, automotive interiors, film packaging, and protective coatings. Two clear trends: tighter compliance (REACH/RoHS) and the shift to lower-dosage, high-performance packages that combine HALS + BTA. Actually, we’re seeing more customers spec “combo masterbatches” to hit both color retention and crack resistance targets without overloading additives.

Product specifications (1,2,3–Benzotriazole, BTA)

Where it’s used (and why)

• Plastics: PP/PE outdoor furniture, PC sheets, PET films, PA components.
• Coatings: architectural topcoats, automotive interior coatings, wood finishes.
• Rubber/elastomers: weatherable seals, gaskets, cable jackets.

Advantages people cite most for Benzotriazole: efficient UV screening with low color impact, synergistic performance with HALS, and predictable processing. Many customers say it “just blends in” with existing compounding workflows.

Process flow and QA

1. Materials: base polymer/resin, Benzotriazole, optional HALS/antioxidant, carrier.
2. Methods: dry blend or masterbatch (40–50% additive); extrusion at 170–260°C depending on resin; for coatings, dissolve in compatible solvent/resin system and high‑shear disperse.
3. Testing standards: ASTM G154 / ISO 4892-2 (UV weathering), ASTM D2244 (ΔE), ISO 2813 (gloss), ISO 178 (flexural) after exposure.
4. Service life: typically 1.5–3× longer color/appearance retention in outdoor exposure versus no UV stabilizer (site and polymer dependent).
5. Industries: building materials, consumer goods, automotive trim, packaging, marine topsides.

Case notes from the field

A coastal furniture maker added 0.3% Benzotriazole + 0.2% HALS to PP. After 1,000 h QUV (ASTM G154, Cycle 1), ΔE dropped from 8.9 (control) to 4.7; 60° gloss loss improved by ≈35%. Another customer in packaging reported PET film haze stability improved ≈20% over 750 h UV, which frankly surprised their QA team.

Vendor comparison (indicative)

Customization and packaging

For Benzotriazole, buyers often request: tailored particle size (flow in masterbatch), dust‑reduced granules, or solvent‑cut grades for coatings. Typical packs: 25 kg bags/drums; nitrogen‑blanketed packaging available by request.

Real‑world feedback

“Color hold is finally predictable,” one paint plant manager told me; another plastics converter said they cut stabilizer cost ≈12% after switching to a BTA+HALS package without sacrificing gloss. That’s the sweet spot.

Final thought

If UV is your product’s quiet killer, adding Benzotriazole—smartly dosed and validated to ASTM/ISO—can be the simplest upgrade with the most visible payoff.

1. ASTM G154: Standard Practice for Operating Fluorescent Ultraviolet (UV) Lamp Apparatus for Exposure of Nonmetallic Materials.
2. ISO 4892-2: Plastics — Methods of exposure to laboratory light sources — Xenon-arc lamps.
3. ASTM D2244: Calculation of Color Tolerances and Color Differences from Instrumentally Measured Color Coordinates.
4. ECHA REACH Guidance on Information Requirements and Chemical Safety Assessment; RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU.