WPC or recycled plastic? Composition, performance and cost compared

In brief: WPC is a composite of plastic and wood flour — in a typical decking board the wood makes up about 45% of the mass. Ecoplank boards are 98% reprocessed polyolefins (LDPE, HDPE, PP) and 2% additives, with no wood component at all. That single difference in composition drives everything that follows: how the board behaves in damp conditions, how much the structure weighs, what maintenance it needs, and what can be done with the material after years of service. Where the priority is a timber-like appearance, choose WPC. Where there is water, mud, animals and pressure washing, choose recycled plastic.

Contents

1. Side-by-side comparison
2. What is WPC?
3. What is a recycled plastic board?
4. Four differences you notice in service
5. When WPC is the better choice
6. When recycled plastic is the better choice
7. Cost: the purchase price is not the cost of ownership
8. How to read a technical data sheet — five properties that tell you everything
9. Frequently asked questions

1. Side-by-side comparison

Property	WPC (typical decking board)	Ecoplank — recycled plastic
Composition	approx. 45% wood flour, approx. 51.5% polymer, approx. 3.5% additives	98% recycled polyolefins (LDPE / HDPE / PP), 2% additives
Wood content	Yes — hygroscopic, absorbs moisture	None
Density	approx. 1,350 kg/m³	980 kg/m³ (0.98 kg/dm³) — about 27% lower
Linear thermal expansion	Lower — the wood fibre stabilises the profile dimensionally	0.1 mm/m/°C — expansion gaps must be planned
Impact strength	Depends on the manufacturer’s formulation	30 kJ/m²
Modulus of elasticity	Depends on the formulation	650 MPa (flexural modulus 520 MPa)
Chemical resistance	Mainly weathering	Water, oils, mild solvents
Maintenance	No painting; washing recommended, surface bloom possible where wood is present	No painting, no impregnation; pressure washing
Colours	Wide range, with a wood-grain pattern	Black, grey, brown; other colours to order
Machining	Standard woodworking tools	Standard woodworking tools
End of life	Recycling is difficult — the material is not homogeneous	100% recyclable — a single, homogeneous polymer
Warranty	Depends on the manufacturer	15 years

2. What is WPC?

WPC (Wood Plastic Composite) is a wood–plastic composite: wood flour or wood fibre bonded with a polymer, most often polyethylene or polypropylene, together with pigments and stabilisers. The requirements for this material group are set out in EN 15534.

The proportions depend on the manufacturer, and it is those proportions that determine how the finished board performs. The technical data sheet of one Polish manufacturer gives a WPC decking board with 45% wood flour, 51.5% polymer and 3.5% performance additives, at a density of 1,350 kg/m³. Another manufacturer may use a higher share of wood — and that board will then react more strongly to moisture. With WPC there is therefore no single answer: you have to read the data sheet of the specific product, not the description of the category.

WPC is chosen above all for how it looks. The grain pattern, the warm tones and the wide palette make it a good fit for a domestic terrace, a façade or the presentation side of a fence.

3. What is a recycled plastic board?

Ecoplank boards are made from reprocessed polyolefins — LDPE, HDPE and PP — recovered from post-industrial waste. The recycled content is 98%; the remaining 2% is additives. There is no wood in the composition, and no glass fibre or mineral filler either.

Properties of the TG32×140 tongue-and-groove board, per the technical data sheet:

• density 0.98 kg/dm³ — lighter than water, the board floats;
• modulus of elasticity 650 MPa, flexural modulus 520 MPa;
• impact strength 30 kJ/m²;
• linear thermal expansion 0.1 mm/m/°C;
• working width 140 mm, overall width 150 mm, thickness 32 mm, lengths from 100 to 3,870 mm, tolerance ±2%;
• resistant to water, oils and mild solvents;
• machined with standard woodworking tools.

The composition is confirmed by a recycled-content certificate issued in accordance with EN 15343. For applications involving contact with animals or people, hygiene certificates are available, together with test reports for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals. Mats have separate slip-resistance testing, and the material has a flammability test report.

4. Four differences you notice in service

1. Wood in the mix changes how the board behaves in water

Wood flour is hygroscopic — it takes up moisture regardless of being surrounded by polymer. In practice this means the material moves as humidity changes, and the surface is prone to bloom in places that stay shaded and wet. Polyolefins have nothing to absorb with. That is the whole difference on a jetty, a turnout, a horse wash bay or a floor that is washed under pressure.

2. The weight of the structure

At the same cross-section, a board with a density of 980 kg/m³ weighs about 27% less than a WPC board at 1,350 kg/m³. On a domestic terrace that is a detail. On a floating pontoon, a mobile structure or a partition that one person has to carry, it decides the matter.

3. Thermal movement — here WPC wins

To be fair: wood fibre stabilises the composite dimensionally, so WPC moves less with temperature than pure polyolefin. The Ecoplank board has a linear thermal expansion of 0.1 mm/m/°C, which over a 40°C temperature swing means roughly 4 mm per metre of length. This is not a flaw in the material but a condition of installation: expansion gaps and fixings have to be planned according to the instructions, not butted tight. With WPC the margin for error is larger.

4. What happens after years of service

A board made of a single, homogeneous polymer goes back for reprocessing in one piece — it is 100% recyclable. A wood–plastic composite is a mixed material, so recycling it is harder and rarely economic. In public investment and in tenders that award points for environmental footprint and circularity, that difference can be measurable in points.

5. When WPC is the better choice

There is no point pretending that one material always wins. WPC will be the better choice when:

• the terrace or façade is meant to look like timber, and appearance is the main acceptance criterion;
• the client expects a specific shade from a wide palette, including warm tones and a grain pattern;
• the structure is sheltered and dry, with no contact with animals or intensive washing;
• the installation team is used to minimal expansion gaps and does not want to calculate thermal movement.

6. When recycled plastic is the better choice

• Permanent water and mud: jetties, boardwalks, turnouts, paddocks, the area around a water trough.
• Animals: boxes, partitions, fencing, horse walkers. Horses chew wood and wood-like surfaces; polymer does not rot and does not splinter.
• Frequent washing: floors and partitions cleaned with pressurised water and detergent, including where oils are present.
• Heavy use: municipal facilities, playgrounds, recreational areas, high-traffic locations and places exposed to vandalism.
• Tenders with environmental criteria: documented recycled content to EN 15343 and full recyclability at end of life.

7. Cost: the purchase price is not the cost of ownership

Comparing price per linear metre alone is misleading, because both material groups have a wide price spread depending on profile thickness, colour and quantity. It makes more sense to calculate the cost over a decade, because that is roughly how long such a structure is in service. Three items belong in that calculation, and they are easy to forget when signing an order:

1. Maintenance. Timber needs impregnation every few seasons. Neither WPC nor recycled plastic needs painting — here the two groups are comparable, and both beat timber.
2. Partial replacement. Work out how many boards you will replace after five years in a permanently wet location. This is the item where composition starts to count.
3. Facility downtime. In a stable, a campsite or a municipal facility, refurbishment means taking the place out of use. This cost rarely makes it into the estimate, and it is often the largest.

Ecoplank boards carry a 15-year warranty, and the standard lead time for an order is 2–4 weeks.

8. How to read a technical data sheet — five properties that tell you everything

1. Percentage composition. How much wood, how much polymer, how many additives. If the data sheet does not say, treat that as a warning sign.
2. Density. It translates directly into the weight of the structure and the cost of transport.
3. Linear thermal expansion. It determines the expansion gaps. Given as a coefficient (mm/m/°C) it says far more than “low expansion”.
4. Impact strength and flexural modulus. They answer the question of what happens when the board is struck by a horseshoe, a barrow wheel or a hard frost.
5. Documentation. Recycled-content certificate, flammability testing, hygiene certificates. A marketing claim without a document means nothing — least of all in a tender.

9. Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between WPC and recycled plastic?

WPC contains a wood component — around 45% wood flour in a typical decking board. Ecoplank boards contain 98% reprocessed polyolefins and no wood at all. Hence the difference in behaviour in damp conditions, in weight, and in recyclability.

Does WPC absorb water?

The wood flour in the composition is hygroscopic, so the composite responds to changing humidity more strongly than a pure polymer does. The scale depends on the share of wood in the particular manufacturer’s formulation — which is why it is worth checking the data sheet rather than the category description.

Which material should I choose for a stable and horse boxes?

Recycled plastic. A stable combines three conditions that work against materials with a wood component: constant damp, urine and pressure washing. On top of that, polymer does not splinter, and horses do not damage it the way they damage timber.

Can recycled boards be cut like timber?

Yes. Ecoplank profiles are machined with standard woodworking tools — saw, drill, router. The difference concerns fixing and expansion gaps, which have to be planned around the material’s thermal movement.

How much does a recycled plastic board move?

Linear thermal expansion is 0.1 mm/m/°C, that is roughly 4 mm per metre over a 40°C temperature swing. With correctly executed expansion gaps this has no effect on the durability of the structure.

Can both materials be recycled?

Boards made of a single, homogeneous polymer are 100% recyclable. A wood–plastic composite is a mixed material, so reprocessing it is technically harder and rarely economic.

Which one is cheaper?

At the moment of purchase it comes down to profile thickness and quantity — both groups have a wide price spread. Over a ten-year horizon it is partial replacement and facility downtime that decide, not the price per linear metre.

Planning a structure?

Tell us the conditions it has to work in — water, animals, loading, how often it is washed — and we will select the profile and prepare a quotation. We also send free samples: a piece of each profile in the colour of your choice, so you can handle it, cut it and drop it in water before you decide.

Sources and documents

• EN 15534 — composites made from cellulose-based materials and thermoplastics (WPC).
• EN 15343 — plastics recycling, traceability and assessment of conformity of recycled content.
• Ecoplank technical data sheets: TG32×140 tongue-and-groove board, GB32×160 grooved board, 70×70 and 90×90 posts — ecoplank.com.pl/en/dokumenty/
• Technical data sheet of a WPC decking board from a Polish manufacturer (composition 45% / 51.5% / 3.5%, density 1,350 kg/m³, fire class B_fl-s1).
• Recycled-content certificate to EN 15343, MP-1 flammability test report, hygiene certificates, PAH and heavy-metal testing — Ecoplank documentation.