Plastic Property Descriptions
Hardness, Izod impact, light transmittance, tensile strength and more.
What is ‘coefficient of friction’, ‘Izod impact’, or ‘tensile strength’?
Review the list of material properties. Afterwards, try our interactive plastic properties table to sort, compare or find out more about a specific plastic material.
Plastic Material Properties
Coefficient of Friction
Degree to which a plastic resists sliding against another material. A lower number indicates more slippery.
Coefficient of Linear Thermal Expansion
Degree to which a plastic changes size due temperature change. High number indicates more growth when heated.
Compressive Strength
The load at which a plastic test specimen fails in compression.
Dielectric Strength
A measure of the voltage required to puncture a plastic insulating material.
Flexural Modulus of Elasticity
A measure of the flexural stiffness of a plastic prior to breaking or permanently deforming.
Flexural Strength
The load at which a plastic test specimen fails in flexure.
Hardness
The resistance of a plastic material to indentation.
Haze
The degree to which a transparent plastic material appears cloudy.
Heat Deflection Temperature
The temperature at which a plastic test specimen will bend a specified distance under a specified load.
Izod Impact
The energy that it takes to break a plastic test specimen. An indication of the toughness of a material.
Light Transmittance
The ability of a plastic to transmit light. A higher number indicates greater transparency.
Max Continuous Service Temperature In Air
An approximate temperature above which a plastic material will be more likely to fail.
Specific Gravity
The density of a plastic compared with the density of water. A higher number indicates a denser plastic.
Tensile Elongation
The degree to which a plastic test specimen can be stretched under a tensile load prior to failure.
Tensile Modulus of Elasticity
A measure of the tensile (pulling) stiffness of a plastic material prior to breaking or permanently deforming.
Tensile Strength
The load at which a plastic test specimen fails when it is pulled from both ends.
Water Absorption
The % increase in the weight of a plastic when it is immersed in water for a specified period of time.
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