Polythene sheeting is used for a wide range of applications

Polythene contains the chemical elements hydrogen and carbon, and is created by the polmerization of ethene. It may also be produced by anionic addition polymerization, radical polymerization, cationic addition polymerization or ion coordination polymerization, and each of these various methods will produce a different type of polythene. Heavyweight polythene is ideal for many outdoor applications such as: It is also perfect for temporary shed, garage or outhouse roof, and window repairs. On the roll it is an ideal product for general protection in storage or transit. Lightweight polythene sheeting is thinner than the heavyweight type, and therefore more suitable for applications such as temporary protection for carpets, plants and furniture, during decorating or light renovation work. Polythene sheeting is also ideal for Damp Proof Membranes. It is a heavyweight product and has a gauge of three hundred microns (300micron), and complies with all the current building regulations. It can even be used as a pond liner, undergravel liner for driveways, and to screen off areas from dust or light. Ultra Violet Inhibited Polythene Sheeting is used mainly for agricultural and horticultural purposes, and is better known as UV stabilised sheeting. This type of sheeting is perfect for cloches, greenhouses and coldframes, and a good UV sheeting can last at least five or six seasons. The thickness of the sheeting determines its gauge, and these thicknesses include: Classified into several different categories, polyethylene (polythene) is based mainly on its branching and density. The most important grades are HDPE (High Density Polyethylene), LLDPE (Linear Low Density Polyethylene) and LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene). The main ingredient in most plastics is polyolefins hydrocarbons, mainly natural gas or crude oil. The original polyethene was produced by a high pressure process, but newer types of polythene are produced with lower pressures. In 1898 Hans von Pechmann a german chemist, accidentally discovered Polyethylene while heating diazomethane. His colleagues Friedrich Tschirner and Eugen Bamburger, characterized the substance he had created, and termed it polymethylene.