A novel molecular model, the latent entanglement, is proposed to explain the relationships between ductilities of polyethylene reactor powders and different conditions of synthesis. According to Hoffman's variable cluster model, irregularities in the crystallite fold surface increase as the synthesis temperature is decreased. The concept of latent entanglement stems from the potentiality of these defects to convert into active entanglements when the involved chain segments are drawn out of the crystals.