PTFE vs. Silicon Carbide
PTFE and silicon carbide belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. PTFE is a polymeric material, while silicon carbide is ceramic. Therefore, their performance will be even more dissimilar than would be suggested by the difference in properties. There are 10 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (18, in this case) are not shown.
For each property being compared, the top bar is PTFE and the bottom bar is silicon carbide.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Material Properties
Compressive (Crushing) Strength, MPa | 6.9 to 24 | |
2780 to 3900 |
Density, g/cm3 | 2.1 to 2.3 | |
3.0 to 3.2 |
Electrical Resistivity Order of Magnitude, 10x Ω-m | 2.0 to 18 | |
0.94 to 3.3 |
Flexural Strength, MPa | 13 to 50 | |
410 to 600 |
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 260 to 270 | |
500 to 1590 |
Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 1.7 to 3.2 | |
18 to 34 |
Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 5.7 to 8.7 | |
24 to 38 |
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 13 to 25 | |
210 to 370 |
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 0.24 to 0.65 | |
120 to 170 |
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 110 to 120 | |
4.0 to 4.5 |