Arcel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arcel is a trade name for a brand of rigid polystyrene/polyethylene plastic foam that was produced by Atlantic Richfield Company for use in automobile bumpers and safety barrels, and as packaging material.
[edit] Bodyboards
Though similar in appearance to styrofoam, Arcel is far more resilient and resistant to abuse, with good "memory", and for this reason became a favored material for the manufacturing of bodyboards between the late 1980s and the early 2000s. However, it was found that in all but the warmest sea conditions, a board based on an arcel core remains very stiff, limiting its user-friendliness in temperate waters. By the time Arco ceased production of the material, the bodyboard industry had gravitated towards the use of a polypropylene based formula which so far has delivered the enigmatic "all-state, all-season" solution.
