Platinum-cured vs peroxide-cured silicone: does it matter for a mat?

Silicone rubber starts soft and has to be cured into a solid. There are two common ways to do it. Peroxide curing uses an organic peroxide; it is cheaper, and it leaves by-products in the rubber that have to be baked out afterwards. Platinum curing uses a small amount of platinum catalyst in an addition reaction that leaves no peroxide by-products behind. For something a patient handles every day, platinum is the cleaner cure.

How the difference shows up in testing

Germany's BfR recommendation for silicone includes a test for volatile organic matter: the lab heats the cured silicone to 200 °C for 4 hours and measures how much weight it loses. Whatever evaporates was left in the rubber. The limit is 0.5% of the weight.

Our mat's silicone, tested by SGS in January 2026 (report CANEC25032638801), lost 0.26%: about half the limit.

The same report tested for residual platinum, the catalyst itself. None was detected above the reporting limit of 20 mg/kg, against a BfR limit of 50 mg/kg.

How to know which one you are buying

You can't tell by looking, touching or smelling. Two things settle it:

1. The maker's written confirmation. Ours confirmed in writing that the mat is produced from platinum-cured silicone.
2. The volatile organic matter result. A test report with a number below 0.5% is the measurable proof.

"Platinum silicone" on a listing without either is a claim, not a fact.

Does it change how the mat behaves?

The cure is chemistry, but the mat is what a patient notices: it folds without creasing, springs back flat, and wipes back to new with an alcohol pad. Ours has been on the founder's counter three or four times a week for six months without wear.

See the Reconstitution Mat, read LFGB vs FDA, or get a quote.