PFAS spec sheet decoder

Paste the materials line off any product listing and see what the words on it actually mean. The decoder names every coating, finish and material it recognises, says whether each one is a fluorochemical, and shows how many of the 11,337 graded products built that way have a maker who never names the coating chemistry at all.

ClearNothing is stored and there is no signup.
Or try oneA non-stick panA rain jacketA takeaway bowlA water bottle

3 recognised, the one to read first at the top

Ordered by how much is left open rather than by how it reads. A term saying what the chemistry is comes before one that only says what the surface does.

Durable water repellent finish

Chemistry not stated by the term

A finish sprayed or padded onto fabric so water rolls off it rather than soaking in. The industry has been moving from fluorinated chemistry to silicone and hydrocarbon alternatives, and a listing that says only DWR has not told you which era it is from.

Fluorine-free versions exist and are now common, so the finish is not automatically a PFAS finish. What the data shows is how rarely anyone says. This is also the finish most often named in the state restrictions on our law timeline.

In our data, 1,405 graded products, and of the 1,391 carrying a coating or finish, 100% name no chemistry for it.

The full evidence for a DWR finish →

Waterproof breathable membrane

Chemistry not stated by the term

A thin film bonded between the face fabric and the lining, which blocks liquid water while letting vapour through. It is a separate thing from the water repellent finish on the outside of the same garment, and a jacket usually has both.

Classic membranes were expanded PTFE, and polyurethane and polyester based membranes are the fluorine-free route. A listing that says only waterproof breathable has described a function and not a chemistry.

In our data, 157 graded products, and of the 156 carrying a coating or finish, 100% name no chemistry for it.

The full evidence for a waterproof breathable membrane →

Polyester

Not a fluorochemical

The most common synthetic textile fibre. Not a fluoropolymer, despite the shared word plastic.

Polyester is where this gets misunderstood most often. The fibre is not a PFAS, and it is also the fibre carrying nearly every water repellent and stain resistant finish in the dataset. Which is why this is the largest group here and why the finish terms, not this one, are the ones to read.

In our data, 1,531 graded products, and of the 1,071 carrying a coating or finish, 100% name no chemistry for it.

The full evidence for polyester →

What this is and is not. The decoder reads the words you pasted. It does not test the product, and it cannot tell you what is in one, because nothing in a listing is a measurement. Where a term leaves the chemistry open the honest answer is that the maker has not said, and that is what it will tell you.

Every term it knows

28 terms, each one carrying at least 40 graded products so the numbers are about a group rather than a handful. The largest holds 1,531.

Coatings and finishes

Something applied to the product. This is where a PFAS answer almost always lives.

  • PTFE, sold as TeflonIs a fluorochemical

    Also written PTFE, Teflon, polytetrafluoroethylene. 115 graded products, and of the 111 carrying a coating or finish, 29% name no chemistry for it.

  • Another fluoropolymer, namedIs a fluorochemical

    Also written FEP, PFA, PVDF, ETFE, fluoropolymer, fluorinated finish, fluorocarbon DWR. 128 graded products, and of the 120 carrying a coating or finish, 77% name no chemistry for it.

  • Ceramic non-stickNot a fluorochemical

    Also written ceramic nonstick, ceramic coated, sol-gel, ceramic reinforced. 156 graded products, and of the 127 carrying a coating or finish, 59% name no chemistry for it.

  • Non-stick, chemistry not namedChemistry not stated by the term

    Also written nonstick, non-stick coating, easy release, anti-stick. 819 graded products, and of the 808 carrying a coating or finish, 82% name no chemistry for it.

  • Durable water repellent finishChemistry not stated by the term

    Also written DWR, durable water repellent, water repellent finish, beads water. 1,405 graded products, and of the 1,391 carrying a coating or finish, 100% name no chemistry for it.

  • Stain resistant or stain repellent finishChemistry not stated by the term

    Also written stain resistant, stain repellent, stain release, soil release, spill proof. 223 graded products, and of the 221 carrying a coating or finish, 100% name no chemistry for it.

  • Grease resistant paper or moulded fibreChemistry not stated by the term

    Also written grease resistant, greaseproof, oil resistant paper. 392 graded products, and of the 388 carrying a coating or finish, 99% name no chemistry for it.

  • Waterproof breathable membraneChemistry not stated by the term

    Also written membrane, laminate, 3 layer, waterproof breathable, hardshell. 157 graded products, and of the 156 carrying a coating or finish, 100% name no chemistry for it.

Base materials

What the product is made of underneath. Rarely the PFAS question on its own, often mistaken for the whole answer.

  • Stainless steelNot a fluorochemical

    Also written stainless, 18/8, 18/10, 304, 316. 813 graded products, and of the 104 carrying a coating or finish, 89% name no chemistry for it.

  • SiliconeNot a fluorochemical

    Also written silicone, food grade silicone, platinum cured, polysiloxane. 949 graded products, and of the 226 carrying a coating or finish, 97% name no chemistry for it.

  • Cast ironNot a fluorochemical

    Also written cast iron, seasoned cast iron, enamelled cast iron. 67 graded products, and of the 4 carrying a coating or finish, 25% name no chemistry for it.

  • Enamel or porcelainNot a fluorochemical

    Also written enamel, enamelled, porcelain enamel, vitreous, glass lined. 58 graded products, and of the 8 carrying a coating or finish, 75% name no chemistry for it.

  • GlassNot a fluorochemical

    Also written glass, borosilicate, tempered glass. 167 graded products, and of the 34 carrying a coating or finish, 100% name no chemistry for it.

  • Anodized aluminiumNot a fluorochemical

    Also written anodized, hard anodized, anodised aluminium. 80 graded products, and of the 61 carrying a coating or finish, 85% name no chemistry for it.

  • TitaniumNot a fluorochemical

    Also written titanium, titanium reinforced. 47 graded products, and of the 9 carrying a coating or finish, 33% name no chemistry for it.

  • CopperNot a fluorochemical

    Also written copper, copper core, copper clad. 51 graded products, and of the 1 carrying a coating or finish, 100% name no chemistry for it.

  • BambooNot a fluorochemical

    Also written bamboo, bamboo fibre, bamboo viscose. 42 graded products, and of the 22 carrying a coating or finish, 100% name no chemistry for it.

  • CottonNot a fluorochemical

    Also written cotton, organic cotton, canvas, denim, muslin. 669 graded products, and of the 211 carrying a coating or finish, 99% name no chemistry for it.

  • WoolNot a fluorochemical

    Also written wool, merino, cashmere. 85 graded products, and of the 31 carrying a coating or finish, 100% name no chemistry for it.

  • PolyesterNot a fluorochemical

    Also written polyester, PET, recycled polyester, rPET. 1,531 graded products, and of the 1,071 carrying a coating or finish, 100% name no chemistry for it.

  • NylonNot a fluorochemical

    Also written nylon, polyamide, Cordura. 1,169 graded products, and of the 729 carrying a coating or finish, 100% name no chemistry for it.

  • Polyurethane and TPUNot a fluorochemical

    Also written polyurethane, PU, TPU, PUL. 299 graded products, and of the 132 carrying a coating or finish, 100% name no chemistry for it.

  • AcrylicNot a fluorochemical

    Also written acrylic, PMMA, polyacrylate. 97 graded products, and of the 66 carrying a coating or finish, 100% name no chemistry for it.

  • Rubber or latexNot a fluorochemical

    Also written rubber, natural latex, neoprene, EPDM. 405 graded products, and of the 100 carrying a coating or finish, 100% name no chemistry for it.

  • Polyethylene or polypropyleneNot a fluorochemical

    Also written polyethylene, HDPE, LDPE, polypropylene, PP. 428 graded products, and of the 139 carrying a coating or finish, 99% name no chemistry for it.

  • Moulded fibre or bioplasticNot a fluorochemical

    Also written bagasse, moulded fibre, PLA, compostable, plant based. 160 graded products, and of the 90 carrying a coating or finish, 100% name no chemistry for it.

Treatments and actives

An ingredient or a dressing, rather than a bonded coating.

  • Wax or oil finishNot a fluorochemical

    Also written beeswax, waxed cotton, paraffin, mink oil, lanolin. 543 graded products, and of the 161 carrying a coating or finish, 80% name no chemistry for it.

  • Mineral UV filterNot a fluorochemical

    Also written zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, mineral sunscreen, physical sunscreen. 95 graded products, none of them with a coating or finish recorded.

How to read any number on these pages

  • A term is matched against the material and construction string recorded for each product, which is written from the product’s published materials, specification and ingredient list. It is not a laboratory finding, and a maker who publishes nothing specific leaves the string vague.
  • Products are counted under every term their material string matches, so a polyester shell with a water repellent finish is counted under both. The term totals therefore overlap and do not sum to the dataset.
  • The grade spread inside a term is read against the categories that term appears in, which are listed on every term page. lib/scoring.ts gives each category a baseline, so a term that lives mostly in one thinly graded category will inherit that category’s spread rather than reveal something about the material.
  • The named against not named split is a count of what makers published, taken from the single coating classification the rubric assigns each treated product. It is never a statement about what a product contains.
  • Products with no coating or finish recorded at all are counted separately from the disclosure split, because there is nothing for a maker to have disclosed.

Edition 2026-10-08, built from 11,386 active graded products, 11,337 of which carry a material string. Frozen at that date, so a figure quoted from it still reads the same later. The rubric behind the grades is public at /methodology, and a correction can be sent from /report.

Looking for a product rather than a word? The finder searches 11,386 graded products by name. For a filter that removes PFAS from drinking water, which is the opposite question, see the certified filter lookup.