The morphology and stress relaxation of coextruded five-layer LLDPE (linear low-density polyethylene) /EVA (ethylene-vinyl-acetate) copolymer films were studied. Increasing VA (vinyl acetate) content in EVA causes a decrease of shrink tension in the films, which can be explained by a decrease in amount of crystallinity. The relaxation time spectrum of the coextruded crosslinked LLDPE/EVA films is similar to the relaxation time spectrum of crosslinked LLDPE film at room temperature. However, at elevated temperatures, an additional peak appears on the spectrum of coextruded film. The cause of this peak is temperature- and stress-induced recrystallization of EVA during the relaxation test. This recrystallization was confirmed with DSC and wide angle X-ray analysis. (C) 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.