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UHMW

UHMW is Widely Used For:

  • Chute, hopper, and truck bed liners
  • Wear strips and guide rails
  • Star wheels and idler sprockets
  • High speed conveyors
  • Packaging machinery parts
  • Food processing machinery parts
  • Bumpers, pile guards, and dock fenders

Performance Characteristics:

  • Extremely tough and durable
  • Low friction
  • Excellent abrasion resistance
  • Good chemical resistance
  • Low moisture absorption
  • Easy to fabricate

Common Brands:

  • Polystone® M
  • Tivar®
  • GUR®
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UHMW

Extremely tough abrasion resistant, low cost plastic, used for a wide range of wear applications

UHMW (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene) is an extremely tough plastic with high abrasion and wear resistance. The versatility of polyethylene has made it a popular plastic for countless industrial applications that require durability, low friction, and chemical resistance. Applications include UHMW wear strips, chain guides, and marine dock fender pads.

Is UHMW right for your next project? Our plastics experts can answer your questions and advise on material applications.

Ask a Plastics Expert  or Get a Quote for UHMW Sheet, Rod, or Fabricated Parts.

 

STANDARD SIZES
SHEET Dimensions:
12 in x 12 in – 60 in x 120 in
Thickness:
0.062 in – 7 in
POLYSTONE® MEGASHEET Dimensions:
96 in x 240 in
ROD Outside Diameter:
0.250 in – 10 in
OPTIONS AVAILABLE
COLOR Sheet:
White (Natural), Black, Green, Lime Green, Grey, Blue, Dark Blue

Rod:
White (Natural), Black
GRADES Virgin, Reprocessed, Anti-Static, Oil-Filled, Glass-Filled, Enhanced Bearing and Wear, FDA Compliant, X-Ray and Metal Detectable.

Length, width, thickness, and diameter tolerances vary by size, by manufacturer, brand, and grade. Custom sizes and colors available upon request. Also available as a tape.
 

UHMW Properties and Material Options

UHMW Liners– UHMW sheet is often used for lining chutes and hoppers to protect metal surfaces and to keep solid materials like sand, wood chips, or coal moving smoothly.

UHMW Parts– Easy to fabricate, UHMW is also used for packaging, conveyor, and food processing machinery parts including star wheels, idler sprockets, and under-chain wear strips.

UHMW Wood Replacement– UHMW offers very low moisture absorption and is a popular choice for marine construction applications like dock fender pads, pile guards, and anti-skid walkways. UHMW does not corrode, rot, or splinter like wood.

UHMW Grades– Several grades of UHMW are available, including reprocessed, enhanced bearing and wear, and FDA compliant. 

Tech Tip– Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene has a relatively high coefficient of thermal expansion. This may make it difficult to hold tight tolerances on UHMW parts that will be exposed to changing temperatures.

Ask a Plastics Expert  or Get a Quote for UHMW Sheet, Rod, or Fabricated Parts.

 

Typical properties of UHMW
  UNITS ASTM TEST UHMW-PE
Tensile strength psi D638 3,100
Flexural modulus psi D790 110,000
Izod impact (notched) ft-lbs/in of notch D256 18.0*
Heat deflection temperature @ 264 psi °F D648 -
Maximum continuous service temperature in air °F   180
Water absorption (immersion 24 hours) % D570 slight
Coefficient of linear thermal expansion in/in/°Fx10-5 D696 11.1

Values may vary according to brand name. Please ask your Curbell Plastics representative for more specific information about an individual brand. *Double-15° notch

EXPLORE POPULAR PLASTIC MATERIAL COMPARISONS:

  • HDPE vs. UHMW — Both are abrasion resistant, but which is right for your specific application?

Need more information about this material? Use our interactive plastic properties table

IMPACT AND ABRASION RESISTANCE OF UHMW