A Guide
to ABS
Reference
Sheet
Material Safety Data Sheet
UL Information
What is ABS?
The letters
ABS stand for acrylontitrile-butadiene styrene. Acrylonitrile
provides chemical resistance, tensile strength, and
durability. Butadiene contributes impact resistance, low
temperature ductility, and overall toughness. Styrene
imparts ease of processing, surface hardness, and gloss.
What are the properties of
ABS?
- very good impact
resistance
- good strength and
stiffness
- fair heat resistance
- fair chemical resistance
- transparent to opaque
- easy to process
- moderate price
When should ABS be used? ABS
provides good impact strength with a relatively low
cost. As its heat resistance is only fair, polycarbonate
is generally recommended instead of ABS for high heat
applications. For applications requiring higher impact
strength or better engineering propertied than those of ABS,
polycarbonate or a polycarbonate alloy is generally
recommended. The properties, including impact strength,
of ABS are generally better than those of other styrenics
(i.e. SAN and polystyrene), but the cost is higher.
Please see the attached chart for a demonstration of the
cost/impact balance of ABS, polycarbonate, PC/ABS, and HIPS
(high impact polystyrene). What
is made with ABS?
-
appliance
housings
-
business
equipment housings
-
telephone
housings
-
automotive
interiors
-
luggage
-
ribbon
cartridges and cassettes
-
domestic
appliance housings
-
furniture
UL Information on Trilac®
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