The rubber properties chart below provides general information for various common elastomeric compounds and very general features of the most common elastomers.
Rubber compounding is a broad field. Basic elastomers are mixed with a variety of chemicals and ingredients to obtain
desired physical properties. Many basic polymers are available that can yield compounds with unique physical properties.
|Common Name||Designation2||Composition2||General Properties1||General Chemical Resistance3|
|Resistant to:||Attacked by:|
|Butyl||IIR||Isobutyleneisoprene||Very good weathering resistance Excellent dielectric properties Low permeability to air Good flex properties Poor resistance to petroleumbased fluids||Animal and vegetable fats, oils, greases, oxygenated solvents, alkalis, ozone, strong and oxidizing chemicals, silicone fluids and greases, ammonia, phosphate ester type hydraulic fluids||Petroleum oils, fluids, and solvents; coal, tar, and diesterbased lubricants and solvents; aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons|
|EPDM||EPDM, EPM||EthylenePropyleneDiene Modified||Excellent ozone, chemical, weather, UV, and aging resistance Poor resistance to petroleumbased fluids||Animal and vegetable oils, ozone, strong and oxidizing chemicals, alkalis, brake fluids, phosphate ester type hydraulic fluids||Mineral oils and solvents; petroleum oils, fluids, or solvents; aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons|
|Natural Rubber||NR||Isoprene, natural||Excellent physical properties including abrasion and low temperature resistance Poor resistance to petroleumbased fluids||Most moderate chemicals, wet or dry, organic acids, alcohols, ketones, aldehydes||Ozone, strong acids, fats, oils, fuels, solvents, petroleum derivatives, hydraulic fluids, greases, most hydrocarbons|
|Neoprene||CR||Chloroprene||Good weathering resistance, resilience, and abrasion strength Flame retarding Moderate resistance to petroleumbased fluids||Moderate chemicals and acids, ozone, oils, fats, gasoline, greases, solvents, petroleum oils, animal and vegetable oils, refrigerants, steam, carbon dioxide||Strong oxidizing acids, esters, ketones, chlorinated, aromatic, and nitro hydrocarbons|
|Nitrile (BunaN)||NBR||Nitrilebutadiene||Excellent resistance to petroleumbased fluids Good physical properties such as resistance to tear, abrasion, and heat aging||Many hydrocarbons, fats, oils, gasoline, solvents, mineral and vegetable oils, fuels, greases, hydraulic fluids, chemicals||Ozone (except PVC blends), ketones, esters, aldehydes, chlorinated and nitro hydrocarbons|
|Polyisoprene||IR||Isoprene, synthetic||Excellent resilience Characteristics equal to, or similar to, those of natural rubber Tensile strength is slightly lower than the tensile strength of natural rubber||Most moderate chemicals, wet or dry, organic acids, alcohols, ketones, aldehydes||Ozone, strong acids, fats, oils, fuels, solvents, petroleum derivatives, hydraulic fluids, greases, most hydrocarbons|
|SBR||SBR||Styrene Butadiene||Good electrical insulation and resistance to alcohol, oxygenated solvents, and mild acids Similar properties to natural rubber, but has superior lowtemp flexibility, heat aging properties, and resistance to water, heat, and abrasion Abrasion resistance to petroleumbased fluids||Most moderate chemicals, wet or dry, organic acids, alcohols, ketones, aldehydes||Ozone, strong acids, fats, oils, fuels, greases, most hydrocarbons|
|Silicone||Q, Si||Polysiloxane||Excellent high and low temperature properties Excellent vibration damping and maintains its dielectric strength Poor tensile, tear, and abrasion resistance Generally odorless and nontoxic Good fatigue resistance, flex resistance, and elongation||Moderate or oxidizing chemicals, ozone, oxygen, UV light, moisture, fungus, concentrated sodium hydroxide||Many solvents, oils, concentrated acids and alkalines, fuels, dilute sodium hydroxide, hydrocarbons, steam|