The preparation of hydrotalcites with traditional materials is often based on the corresponding salts and alkali solutions. In this study, to facilitate industrial synthesis and take advantage of the lower cost during the process, a Ca–Al–HPO3–layered double hydroxide (LDH) was directly synthesized with calcium hydroxide, aluminum hydroxide, and sodium phosphite powders. X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, and scanning electron microscopy analyses confirmed the successful synthesis of the phosphite‐intercalated hydrotalcite. Compared with Ca–Al–CO3–LDH, Ca–Al–HPO3–LDH enhanced the heat stability of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) in terms of both short‐term and long‐term stability because phosphite replaced the allyl chloride and reacted with the conjugated double bonds in PVC; this was deduced through a thermal aging test. The composites of Ca–Al–HPO3–LDH, zinc stearate, and calcium stearate had a synergetic effect when added to PVC and exhibited excellent thermal stability. In addition, the phosphite reacted with ZnCl2 in case of the phenomenon of zinc burning. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 44896.