When you choose DELSEY, you benefit from luggage offering extreme and sustainable quality, developed with the greatest care by our technical and product teams.

To meet these demands, our luggage and components undergo stringent quality tests so that they can be approved both upstream and downstream of the manufacturing process. Can you imagine a hardside suitcase which maintains its shape (and its outer finish) after being dropped at random 26 times, or an item of fully loaded luggage being subjected to a gruelling journey of 15 to 30 km on an abrasive surface: tough tests for competition standard products.

Whether it concerns high-performance polycarbonate for hardside suitcases or ballistic polyamide used in the upscale ranges, all the materials we use (consult our glossary for more details) must successfully complete a series of torture tests. These subject the products to exacting trials including resistance to abrasion, decolouration and high temperatures.

Flexible materials

• Polyester: this fibre is characterised by outstanding mechanical qualities and high heat resistance. The higher the denier (weight in grams of 9,000 m of thread), the more resilient the textile will be.
• Polyamide (or nylon, a trademark registered by Dupont de Nemours): equal in resilience, this expensive technical fibre generally has more shine than polyester. Ballistic polyamide with a thickness of over 1,620 denier was originally used for bullet-proof vests.
• Leather: after tanning, the animal hide becomes a highly resilient and versatile material. A separation process makes it possible to isolate the outer level (grain), thereby obtaining consistent thickness and a certain regularity. An original grain that has no marks of abrasion on its surface indicates superior quality leather.

Rigid materials

• ABS: this scratch resistant synthetic material can have decorative elements added to it and is generally used for manufacturing hardside luggage.
• Polycarbonate: is lightweight, flexible and resilient. It can be crushed or twisted without suffering any permanent damage and any traces of impact can be eliminated with the help of a hairdryer. The material of choice for our hardside suitcases, it also has excellent mechanical properties and high heat resistance (up to 120°C).

Complementary materials

• PVC (compliant with Reach regulations): highly resilient, flexible, waterproof and easy to clean, this material is mainly used for the tops of luggage items.
• Polyurethane: flexible and highly abrasion resistant, this is the component of choice used for our wheels.
• Neoprene: anti-slip and relatively elastic synthetic rubber, it can be used for protecting everything by adapting to the form of the article.
• Polypropylene: injection moulded to produce bases and protective feet, handles, reinforcements, wheel housings, buckles, etc.
• Zamac: a highly resilient aluminium alloy, injection moulded to manufacture buckles, logo plates, zip fastener tags, etc.
• Polyamide: in its solid and raw state, it is the main component used for producing plastic buckles.