All-plastic vs. steel-spring triggers: chemistry, recycling, feel

A standard trigger sprayer has one metal part: the spring. A second small one is the steel mesh in the F2 foam nozzle. Everything else is PP or PE. Whether that spring should be steel or plastic depends on what you fill and how the packaging is collected at end of life.

01 · Three builds

• SUS304 spring (standard on VM-01, industrial and mini): stainless steel, fine for water-based cleaners, most surfactants, alcohol-based disinfectants.
• SUS316 spring (option on VM-01 and mini): higher chromium, nickel and molybdenum content, resists chlorides and acids much better. For bleach, descalers, salt solutions, pool chemicals.
• All-plastic (VM-09C-A, P, W-A, X-A and VM1804 to VM1808): plastic spring, glass ball replaced by plastic parts, no metal at all. 1.20 to 1.40 ml per stroke.

02 · Chemistry

The spring sits in the liquid path on a standard trigger. Chlorine bleach and acidic products corrode SUS304 over months; the first sign is discoloured liquid, then a sticking trigger. SUS316 delays this for most household concentrations. For strongly acidic, chlorinated or solvent-based products, the all-plastic engine removes the problem. Check the F2 nozzle too: its mesh is steel, so use F1 or F4 for aggressive foaming products.

03 · Recycling and PPWR

Under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (EU) 2025/40, recyclability grades become binding from 1 January 2030. A closure made only of PP and PE sorts with the polyolefin stream; a steel spring is a small but foreign component. No grade can be issued today because the design-for-recycling criteria are still being adopted, but brands that want a mono-material closure are already specifying all-plastic. Our declarations state the bill of materials per item code either way.

04 · Feel and output

A plastic spring has a slightly different return feel than steel and the all-plastic engines are tuned to 1.20 to 1.40 ml per stroke, at the upper end of the standard range. For most cleaning products this is an advantage; for a very light cosmetic spray a mini trigger or a mist sprayer is the better choice.

05 · Ordering

The all-plastic series is a different engine with its own tooling; the quote lists it as its own item. Two builds of the same bottle (steel spring and all-plastic) are two configurations, each with its own minimum of 20,000 pieces.

06 · Which to choose

Water-based cleaner or disinfectant: SUS304. Chlorine, acids, salt: SUS316. Strong chemistry, or a mono-material recycling target: all-plastic. Not sure: send the safety data sheet of your product and we recommend.