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Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)

ABS is a thermoplastic, further classified as a styrenic plastic.

The properties of ABS include five common variations. This page shows summary ranges across all of them. For more specific values, follow the links immediately below. The graph bars on the material properties cards further below compare ABS to: styrenic plastics (top), all thermoplastics (middle), and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus

2.0 to 2.6 GPa 0.28 to 0.37 x 106 psi

Elongation at Break

3.5 to 50 %

Flexural Modulus

2.1 to 7.6 GPa 0.3 to 1.1 x 106 psi

Flexural Strength

72 to 97 MPa 10 to 14 x 103 psi

Impact Strength: Notched Izod

70 to 370 J/m 1.3 to 7.0 ft-lb/in

Rockwell R Hardness

100 to 110

Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)

37 to 110 MPa 5.4 to 16 x 103 psi

Thermal Properties

Heat Deflection Temperature At 1.82 MPa (264 psi)

76 to 110 °C 170 to 230 °F

Heat Deflection Temperature At 455 kPa (66 psi)

83 to 110 °C 180 to 240 °F

Thermal Expansion

81 to 95 µm/m-K

Other Material Properties

Density

1.0 to 1.4 g/cm3 64 to 86 lb/ft3

Dielectric Constant (Relative Permittivity) At 1 Hz

3.1 to 3.2

Dielectric Strength (Breakdown Potential)

15 to 16 kV/mm 0.57 to 0.63 V/mil

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial

0.79 to 1.4 points

Stiffness to Weight: Bending

30 to 44 points

Strength to Weight: Axial

10 to 22 points

Strength to Weight: Bending

24 to 37 points

Thermal Shock Resistance

11 to 50 points

Followup Questions

Further Reading

Reinforced Plastics Durability, Geoffrey Pritchard (editor), 1999

SPI Plastics Engineering Handbook of the Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc., 5th ed., Michael L. Berins (editor), 2000

Modern Plastics Handbook, Charles A. Harper (editor), 1999

Plastics Materials, 7th ed., J. A. Brydson, 1999