Plastic Tips » Material Selection for Chemical Resistance

Most plastic materials offer good resistance to corrosion in the presence of moisture, salts, weak acids and bases. However, most thermoplastics are soluble or will swell in the presence of specific organic solvents (ie those with a similar solubility parameter) especially at elevated temperatures.

The chemical resistance of a polymer must be carefully matched with the application for which it is intended.

In general, semi–crystalline plastics offer improved chemical resistance over amorphous polymers. Table 1 shows the chemical resistance of commonly used thermoplastic materials. These are only general guidelines.

Table 1. Chemical Resistance of Various Materials by Chemical Classes
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