Christmas Tree Materials: PVC vs. PE

What's the Difference Between PE Christmas Trees and PVC Christmas Trees?

The quality and realism of artificial Christmas trees are always improving year after year. Until now, most artificial Christmas trees were constructed with PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, needles that were cut from colored sheets of compressed PVC. While PVC trees are wonderful artificial Christmas trees that look better every year, these needles still have a flat appearance and are easily discernable as fake when seen up close. PE 101 The newest trend in artificial Christmas trees is the molded tip artificial Christmas tree, or PE tree. Like PVC Christmas trees, PE Christmas trees are also made of plastic. The difference is that a PE Christmas tree is made of molded plastic based on branches cut from a real tree, making them the most realistic trees available today.

Poly Ethylene is injected into the molding system to create real tree-like branches and needles. These molded polymer needles have the thickness and density of a real tree branch for a more realistic look as opposed to the flat needles on the PVC Christmas trees. You'd have to get very close to see that the PE Christmas tree is not real. Also, because the needles are three-dimensional rather than flat, a wider variety of styles can be created with realistic looks.
Combo? While PE, or molded tip, artificial Christmas trees are constructed differently than PVC artificial Christmas trees, it is important to note that they often have PVC needles incorporated into their construction. In general, the molded tips are in front while the PVC needles are used to fill in the backs of the branches. It should not be assumed that the inclusion of PVC needles means a lower quality or less realistic tree. In fact, these mixed branches often create a very full, authentic look that is often better than a tree that is all PE.