Berkley FireLine · Fishing Line
Berkley FireLine
Teflon-family coating-based line with no PFAS disclosure. High concern warranted.
Berkley FireLine uses Teflon-family coating for strength and durability. No public PFAS claims or third-party testing exists; Teflon-family coating warrant caution.
The better-graded swap
Shakespeare
825 Yards of Shakespeare Sigma Premium Monofilament 20 LB Test Clear Blue Fluorescent Fishing Line / 20 Pound Shakespear
85/100 safety
Same rubric that flunked this product. The swap earned Excellent.
Still want this one anyway? Check the price on Amazon. We’d swap it.
Material
Braided Teflon-family coating composite fishing line
Brand disclosure
Brand is silent on PFAS
Lab data
No public lab test
You may also be interested in
Top-graded picks in the categories readers replace first, every one scored on the same rubric.
- polypropylene filter housing, carbon/sediment cartridge
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Bacterial growth in spent cartridges
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Aquasure
Premier Series 75 GPD Under Sink Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System
- RO membrane, carbon filters, stainless steel housing
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Bacterial and microbial growth in housing and filters
4 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Avocado
Vegan Mattress
- organic cotton, natural latex, coconut coir, recycled steel coils
- The brand calls it PFAS-free, which we have not verified
- Heavy metals
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
What Berkley FireLine is made of, ingredients and materials
Berkley FireLine is a braided composite of Teflon-family coating (likely polyvinylidene fluoride or similar) blended with polyethylene or polyester cores. Teflon-family coating are chosen for fishing line because they are extremely strong, low-stretch, and resistant to UV and abrasion in freshwater and saltwater. The concern is not acute toxicity from normal use, but rather environmental persistence, Teflon-family coating do not biodegrade and accumulate in aquatic ecosystems where line is lost or discarded. The braided structure means microfibers can shed during use and storage.
What’s concerning
Category baseline
The starting point for this type of product, before anything specific to this product is counted.
No PFAS disclosure
No public statement from the brand about PFAS in this product.
Fluoropolymer detected
A Teflon-family coating is recorded for this product.
Teflon-family coating environmental persistence
FireLine is a Teflon-family coating composite that does not biodegrade. Any line lost in water or discarded in landfill persists indefinitely and may fragment into microfibers that enter aquatic food webs and terrestrial soils.
PFAS
While the Teflon-family coating backbone itself contains fluorine, manufacturers may add intentional PFAS (e.g., perfluorooctanoic acid surfactants or UV stabilizers) during extrusion. Berkley has not provided testing data to rule this out, raising uncertainty beyond the polymer core.
Source, ATSDR ↗Microfiber shedding during use and storage
Braided lines naturally shed fibers with mechanical wear and UV exposure. These microfibers can be inhaled during handling or ingested if line fragments contaminate food or water. The magnitude of exposure from typical recreational fishing is low but cumulative for frequent users.
What’s reassuring
Coating or sizing residues
No public information on lubricants, dyes, or coatings applied to FireLine during manufacture. Standard fishing line sizing agents are typically non-toxic, but full formulation disclosure is absent.
Heavy metals
FireLine is typically clear or translucent with minimal dyes, reducing risk of lead or cadmium in colorants. No recalls or reports of metal leaching from this product line exist.
Source, FDA ↗How is this PFAS grade calculated?
The brand's record and disclosure
Berkley (owned by Pure Fishing, a Rapala subsidiary) has not published detailed PFAS content disclosures or third-party testing results for FireLine. The company does not market the line as PFAS-free or provide certificate-of-analysis data. This silence is notable given that the line is inherently Teflon-family coating-based, which raises the question of whether intentional PFAS additives are present beyond the polymer backbone itself. No major product recalls or health controversies specific to FireLine have been established in public records.
How it compares in its category
Braided Teflon-family coating lines dominate high-performance fishing because alternatives (monofilament nylon, polyester, natural materials) sacrifice strength and durability. FireLine is mid-range in cost and widely available. Non-Teflon-family coating alternatives like braided polyester or nylon lines avoid the Teflon-family coating footprint but trade abrasion resistance and may require more frequent replacement. Anglers seeking to minimize synthetic material load typically switch to natural fiber lines (silk, cotton), which are less durable but fully biodegradable.
If you buy it
Store spools in a cool, dry location away from direct sunlight to slow UV degradation and shedding. Inspect line regularly for fraying or discoloration; replace when abraded or weakened. Never discard used or broken line in water or soil; dispose in trash or a fishing line recycling program if available (some tackle shops accept spools). Wash hands after handling to avoid ingestion of microfibers. Consider switching to polyester or nylon alternatives if PFAS concern is a priority.
What is not known about PFAS in this product?
- Basis
- Model estimate, 68% confidence, not a lab result
- Lab test
- None on record for this exact product
- Brand statement
- Berkley FireLine has made none
Formulations change between production runs, so check the current label. How we grade.
What are the PFAS-free alternatives to Berkley FireLine?
- Monofilament nylon fishing line
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Microplastic shedding during use
- Monofilament nylon fishing line
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Microplastic fragmentation
- Monofilament nylon fishing line
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- UV degradation and polymer brittleness
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
More fishing line grades
How we score, every product runs through the same public 0-100 rubric based on materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls. See the full methodology → Spotted a mistake? Report an error.