Liquid Silicone Rubber for Baby Pacifiers and Teethers: Grades, Specs and How to Source a Compliant Material
Why LSR Is the Default for Pacifiers and Teethers
Walk down any baby aisle in Europe, the US or Japan and nearly every silicone pacifier and teether shares one material family: platinum-cured liquid silicone rubber. The reasons are practical, not just marketing:
Safety by chemistry. Platinum-cured LSR contains no peroxide by-products - critical for a product that spends hours in a baby's mouth.
Sterilization resistance. Silicone endures repeated boiling, steam and dishwasher cycles without deforming.
Softness that mimics skin. At 20–30 Shore A, LSR delivers a latex-like feel without latex allergy concerns.
Clean molding. Liquid injection molding (LIM) produces flashless, fine-parting-line parts at short cycle times - critical at high volumes.
Regulatory acceptance. Food-contact LSR is recognized under FDA 21 CFR frameworks and European food-contact expectations, backed by LFGB and REACH documentation.
For context on scale: Anysil, founded in 2017 in Panyu, Guangzhou, runs a 6,000 m² factory with 30+ sets of production equipment and exports to over 50 countries.
The Grade Table: AS8320NCA/B to AS8365NCA/B
Anysil's baby pacifier LSR series is a "free two-stage curing" high-transparent, high-strength fumed LSR family. Here is the published datasheet range, reproduced from the baby pacifier liquid silicone rubber product page:
| Grade | Hardness (Shore A) | Density (g/cm³) | Tensile strength (MPa) ≥ | Elongation (%) ≥ | Tear strength (kN/m) ≥ | Linear shrinkage (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AS8320NCA/B | 20±2 | 1.05–1.12 | 6 | 500 | 20 | 1.8–2.2 |
| AS8325NCA/B | 25±2 | 1.05–1.12 | 6 | 600 | 20 | 1.8–2.2 |
| AS8330NCA/B | 31±2 | 1.05–1.12 | 7 | 600 | 25 | 1.8–2.2 |
| AS8340NCA/B | 40±2 | 1.11–1.13 | 8 | 550 | 30 | 1.8–2.2 |
| AS8350NCA/B | 50±2 | 1.12–1.14 | 9 | 500 | 35 | 1.8–2.2 |
| AS8360NCA/B | 60±2 | 1.13–1.15 | 9 | 400 | 40 | 1.8–2.2 |
| AS8365NCA/B | 65±2 | 1.13–1.15 | 9 | 300 | 40 | 1.8–2.2 |
Key processing characteristics across the series:
Mixing ratio: A:B = 1:1 (color pigment added at an appropriate ratio if needed)
Volatiles: less than 0.5% (200 °C × 4 h)
Post-cure: not required (free two-stage vulcanization)
Packaging: 20 kg drum or 200 kg drum, A and B components
Storage: cool room, 0–30 °C
How to Match Hardness to the Product
Hardness selection is the single most consequential decision in a pacifier or teether program:
20–25 Shore A - the classic pacifier-teat zone. Soft enough to compress naturally against the palate; the 500–600% elongation of AS8320/8325 resists the repeated deformation of sucking.
30–40 Shore A - teether bodies, spouts and feeder parts. AS8330's 25 kN/m tear strength and AS8340's 30 kN/m matter here, because teether edges and pull-tabs see aggressive chewing. Higher tear strength directly translates into longer bite life and fewer field failures.
50–65 Shore A - not for the soft part, but for structural components: retainer rings, rigid-ish housings or multi-hardness assemblies where the soft teat is overmolded into a firmer frame.
Note the trade-off visible in the table: as hardness rises from 20 to 65 Shore A, tear strength climbs from 20 to 40 kN/m while elongation falls from 500–600% to 300%. Multi-hardness LSR designs let you capture both properties in one product.
The Spec That Matters Most: Volatiles and "No Post-Cure"
Two line items on the datasheet deserve more buyer attention than they usually get:
Volatile content < 0.5% (200 °C × 4 h). Silicone gum and LSR contain low-molecular-weight siloxanes that can outgas during heating. In a baby product, high volatiles mean fogging, odor and - at worst - residue transfer. A specified volatile limit, tested under a defined condition, is the industry's honest way of quantifying this; a number without a condition is meaningless.
Free two-stage vulcanization. Many medical- and food-grade LSRs require post-curing (typically 200 °C for 4 hours) to drive off volatiles and stabilize properties - Anysil's own medical-grade LMA series specifies exactly that post-cure. The baby-care NCA series is formulated to skip this step entirely. For your operation that means: no oven line, lower energy cost, shorter door-to-door cycle time, and one less process to validate. For high-volume pacifier molding, "no post-cure" is often the difference between a profitable line and a marginal one.
If your product instead needs medical-grade certification levels, compare with Anysil's medical LSR range; for baby bottles and nipples, the baby-care LSR category also covers high-strength bottle and nipple grades.
Compliance Documents to Demand with Every Order
Baby-contact products attract the strictest retail audits of any consumer category. Before issuing a PO, require:
FDA food-contact compliance documentation for the LSR grade.
LFGB test report if you sell into Germany/EU (stricter than FDA in migration testing).
REACH / SVHC declarations, updated to the current candidate list.
SDS and TDS for both A and B components.
Volatile test report stating the test condition (e.g., <0.5% at 200 °C × 4 h).
ISO 9001 certificate of the manufacturing site - Anysil's plant is ISO 9001 certified, alongside REACH, FDA, LFGB, OEKO-TEX and RoHS certifications across its product lines.
Sourcing Checklist for Pacifier-Grade LSR
Moldability: confirm the 1:1 mix ratio matches your LIM machine's metering, and request viscosity data for your injection equipment.
Pigmentation: the series is easily pigmentable; agree color matching on the actual grade, since pigment load can affect tear strength.
Shrinkage compensation: the 1.8–2.2% linear shrinkage must be built into tool design - verify your mold maker used the grade-specific value.
Trial before volume: order a free sample (freight collected) and run it on your tooling; lead time is typically 3–7 days, and Anysil's technical team can customize the formulation.
Storage: 20 kg / 200 kg drums with a 0–30 °C storage window - confirm your warehouse holds that range year-round.
FAQ
Q1: Is pacifier-grade LSR the same as medical-grade LSR? They overlap but are not identical. Medical grades (like Anysil's LMA series) are specified for ISO 10993-type testing and often require post-cure, while the baby-care NCA series prioritizes food-contact compliance and no-post-cure processing. Choose based on your product's regulatory pathway.
Q2: Why does "free two-stage vulcanization" matter so much? It eliminates the 200 °C × 4 h post-cure oven step. You save equipment, energy, labor and cycle time, and you remove a re-heating step where parts could pick up contamination. For high-volume baby products, it is one of the strongest cost levers.
Q3: What hardness should I choose for a teether versus a pacifier teat? Pacifier teats: 20–30 Shore A. Teether bodies and parts under chewing load: 30–40 Shore A, where tear strength reaches 25–30 kN/m. Structural frames: 50–65 Shore A.
Q4: Can the material be colored, and does pigment affect compliance? Yes, the series is easily pigmentable. Always have the supplier verify compliance documentation on the pigmented compound, not just the base grade.
Q5: What are typical commercial terms? Anysil offers free samples for testing (freight collect), with lead time normally 3–7 days depending on quantity, supplied in 20 kg or 200 kg A/B drums at a 1:1 mix ratio.
Request a Free Sample of Pacifier-Grade LSR
Choosing a baby-care LSR supplier ultimately comes down to validation on your own machine and tooling. Anysil (Guangdong Anbiya Silicone Co., Ltd) offers free samples of the AS8320NCA/B–AS8365NCA/B pacifier series, with technical support from an in-house R&D team, backed by ISO 9001, FDA, LFGB, REACH and OEKO-TEX certification and exports to 50+ countries.
Send your product type, target hardness and monthly volume to the Anysil inquiry page to receive a sample, datasheet package and quotation.