The four materials, and what they mean
PVC is the cheapest, heaviest and the one with the odour problem. It is still the volume product in many markets and it is not automatically unacceptable, but it comes with regulatory attention.
TPE is lighter, has less smell, is recyclable and costs more. It is the default for anything sold as an environmentally responsible product, and it is the material most often quoted and least often delivered.
NBR is thick, soft and cheap, and it is the standard for the fat gym mats. It compresses over time.
EVA is used in foam rollers and blocks. Density is the whole spec, and a low-density roller collapses in a month.
Thickness is a specification, not a marketing number
A 6 mm mat that measures 5.2 mm is not a 6 mm mat, and at volume the difference is the supplier's margin. Measure it, in several places, on product from the production run. It is the single easiest thing to check and it tells you a great deal about the factory.
The odour test that customers will run for you
Every mat has a smell when it comes out of the wrapper. The question is whether it goes away in two days or is still there in two weeks. Cheap plasticisers do not off-gas quickly, and the review that says the product smells is the review that stops your listing selling.
Test it the way the customer will: unwrap a mat from the production batch, leave it in a closed room, and go back the next day.
Compliance, in one paragraph
For Europe, REACH restricts specific substances and applies whether or not anyone tests your shipment. For the United States, Proposition 65 applies in California and is enforced privately, which means an importer with no customs problem can still receive a letter. Test the production batch through an accredited laboratory and keep the report. It costs a few hundred dollars and it is the cheapest insurance in the category.
- The material is the product: PVC, TPE, NBR and EVA are different objects, not different words.
- Measure thickness on production units. It is the easiest supplier tell in the category.
- Run the odour test the way a customer will, on a mat from the production batch.
- REACH and Proposition 65 apply regardless of what customs checks. Test and keep the report.
