The physical properties of polymers are important parameters in determining their behavior and performance in a wide range of applications. These tables list some examples of general representative physical properties (including mechanical properties) of representative polymeric compounds. For glass transition temperatures, see the table "Glass Transition Temperature for Selected Polymers" in this section. Some of the properties in these tables are defined as follows.
Property | Definition |
Heat deflection temperature (HDT) or heat distortion temperature | Temperature at which a polymer or plastic sample deforms under a specified load (normally either 0.455 MPa or 1.82 MPa) |
Crystalline melting point | Temperature (or temperature range) at which a crystalline solid changes its state from solid to liquid. Although the phrase would suggest a specific temperature, most crystalline compounds actually melt over a range of a few °C or less |
Coefficient of linear thermal expansion | Fractional change in length per °C change in temperature at constant pressure |
Compressive strength | Maximum uniaxial compressive stress (compressive force per unit area) reached when a material fails completely on being subjected to a load that pushes it together |
Tensile strength | Measure of the ability of a material to withstand pulling stresses; defined as the stress (stretching force per unit area) required to break a specimen; polymers are approximately 20% stronger in compression than in tension |
Flexural strength or cross-breaking strength | Measure of the bending strength or stiffness of a material specimen expressed as the stress required to break a specimen by exerting a torque on it |
Impact strength (toughness) | Measure of the energy needed to break a sample; the notched Izod impact test is a single point test that measures the resistance of a material to impact from a swinging pendulum; Izod impact is defined as the kinetic energy needed to initiate fracture and continue the fracture until the specimen is broken; Izod specimens are notched to prevent deformation of the specimen upon impact; this test can be used as a quick and easy quality control check to determine if a material meets specific impact properties or to compare materials for general toughness |
Ultimate elongation | Measure of how far a material will stretch before breaking, expressed as a percentage of its original length |
The properties of the following polymers are presented in these tables.
Table 1 | |
PET | poly(ethylene terephthalate) |
PBT | poly(butylene terephthalate) |
PC | polycarbonate |
Nylon 6,6 | poly(iminoadipoyliminohexamethylene) |
Nylon 6 | poly[imino(1-oxohexamethylene)] |
PPO | poly(phenylene ether) |
Table 2 | |
POM | polyoxymethylene |
LDPE | low-density polyethylene |
HDPE | high-density polyethylene |
UHMWPE | ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene |
iPP | isotactic polypropylene |
ABS | copolymer of acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene (extrusion grade) |
Table 3 | |
PTFE | polytetrafluoroethylene, Teflon |
PCTFE | polymonochlorotrifluoroethylene |
PVDF | poly(vinylidene fluoride) |
PVF | poly(vinyl fluoride) |
PVC (rigid) | poly(vinyl chloride) |
PVC (plasticized) | poly(vinyl chloride) |
PMMA | poly(methyl methacrylate) |
The assistance of Charles E. Carraher, Jr. in providing these data is gratefully acknowledged.
Property | PET | PBT | PC | Nylon 6,6 | Nylon 6 | PPO |
Heat deflection temperature at 1820 kPa °C | 100 | 65 | 130 | 75 | 80 | 100 |
Maximum resistance to continuous heat °C | 100 | 60 | 115 | 120 | 125 | 80 |
Crystalline melting point °C | — | — | 225 | 265 | 225 | 215 |
Coefficient of linear expansion (10–5/°C) | 6.5 | 7.0 | 6.8 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 5.0 |
Compressive strength (kPa) | 8.6 × 104 | 7.5 × 104 | 8.6 × 104 | 1 × 105 | 9.7 × 104 | 9.6 × 104 |
Flexural strength (kPa) | 1.1 × 105 | 9.6 × 104 | 9.3 × 104 | 1 × 105 | 9.7 × 104 | 8.9 × 104 |
Impact strength (Izod: cm N/cm of notch) | 26 | 53 | 530 | 80 | 160 | 270 |
Tensile strength (kPa) | 6.2 × 104 | 5.5 × 104 | 7.2 × 104 | 8.3 × 104 | 6.2 × 104 | 5.5 × 104 |
Ultimate elongation (%) | 100 | 100 | 110 | 30 | — | 50 |
Density (g cm–3) | 1.35 | 1.35 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.15 | 1.1 |
Property | POM | LDPE | HDPE | UHMWPE | iPP | ABS |
Heat deflection temperature at 1820 kPa (°C) | 125 | 40 | 50 | 85 | 55 | 90 |
Maximum resistance to continuous heat (°C) | 100 | 40 | 80 | 80 | 100 | 90 |
Crystalline melting point (°C) | 180 | — | — | — | — | — |
Coefficient of linear expansion (10–5/°C) | 10.0 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 9.5 |
Compressive strength (kPa) | 1.1 × 105 | — | 3 × 104 | — | — | 4.8 × 104 |
Flexural strength (kPa) | 9.7 × 104 | — | — | — | 5 × 104 | 6.2 × 104 |
Impact strength (Izod: cm N/cm of notch) | 80 | No break | 30 | No break | 27 | 320 |
Tensile strength (kPa) | 6.9 × 104 | 5 × 103 | 2 × 104 | 6 × 104 | 3.5 × 104 | 3.4 × 104 |
Ultimate elongation (%) | 30 | — | — | — | 100 | 60 |
Density (g cm–3) | 1.4 | 0.91 | 0.96 | 0.93 | 0.90 | 1.0 |
Property | PTFE | PCTFE | PVDF | PVF | Rigid PVC | Plasticized PVC | PMMA |
Heat deflection temperature at 1820 kPa (°C) | 100 | 100 | 80 | 90 | 75 | — | 95 |
Maximum resistance to continuous heat (°C) | 250 | 200 | 150 | 125 | 60 | 35 | 75 |
Crystalline melting point (°C) | — | — | — | — | 170 | — | — |
Coefficient of linear expansion (10–5/°C) | 10 | 14 | 8.5 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 7.0 |
Compressive strength (kPa) | 2.7 × 104 | 3.8 × 104 | — | — | 6.8 × 104 | 6 × 103 | 1 × 105 |
Flexural strength (kPa) | — | 6 × 104 | — | — | 9 × 104 | — | 9.6× 104 |
Impact strength (Izod: cm N/cm of notch) | 160 | 130 | — | — | 27 | — | 21 |
Tensile strength (kPa) | 2.4 × 104 | 3.4 × 104 | 5.5 × 104 | — | 4.4 × 104 | 1 × 104 | 6.5 × 104 |
Ultimate elongation (%) | 200 | 100 | 200 | — | 50 | 200 | 4 |
Density (g cm–3) | 2.16 | 2.1 | 1.76 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.2 |