Polycarbonate
Density of polycarbonate
1,200 kg/m³
1.20 g/cm³ · 74.9 lb/ft³
The toughest common transparent plastic by a wide margin: acrylic of the same thickness shatters where polycarbonate deforms and springs back, which is the entire reason safety glazing is polycarbonate. It is amorphous, so no melting point — it softens above its glass transition around 147 °C. The trade-off against acrylic is surface hardness: polycarbonate scratches easily and yellows in UV unless it carries a hard coat, which is why old greenhouse sheet goes cloudy.
Properties
- Density
- 1,200 kg/m³ — 1.20 g/cm³
- Tensile strength
- 60–70 MPa
- Young's modulus
- 2.3 GPa
- Thermal conductivity
- 0.2 W/(m·K)
- Thermal expansion
- 65 µm/(m·K)
- Floats in water
- No
- Magnetic
- No
What it is used for
- Safety glasses and face shields
- Riot shields and machine guarding
- Greenhouse and canopy glazing
- Headlamp lenses
How it compares
Water is 1,000 kg/m³. Anything with a shorter bar than water floats in it.
air 1.2 kg/m³
expanded polystyrene foam 20 kg/m³
rigid polyurethane foam 40 kg/m³
Water — the float line 1,000 kg/m³
polycarbonate 1,200 kg/m³
tungsten 19,250 kg/m³
gold 19,300 kg/m³
platinum 21,450 kg/m³
| Material | Density | Relative to water |
|---|---|---|
| rigid polyurethane foam | 40 kg/m³ | 0.04× |
| expanded polystyrene foam | 20 kg/m³ | 0.02× |
| air | 1.2 kg/m³ | 0.00× |
| polycarbonate ← | 1,200 kg/m³ | 1.20× |
| platinum | 21,450 kg/m³ | 21.45× |
| gold | 19,300 kg/m³ | 19.30× |
| tungsten | 19,250 kg/m³ | 19.25× |
Does it rust?
Polycarbonate contains no iron, so it cannot rust. Whether it degrades depends on the material, not on oxidation.
Is it magnetic?
Polycarbonate is not a metal and has no ferromagnetic response.
Common questions
- What is the density of polycarbonate?
- 1,200 kg/m³, or 1.20 g/cm³.
- Does polycarbonate float?
- No. At 1,200 kg/m³ it is denser than water.
- Is polycarbonate magnetic?
- Polycarbonate is not a metal and has no ferromagnetic response.
Related pages
- Does polycarbonate float? No
- PLA 1,240 kg/m³
- ABS 1,050 kg/m³
- Acrylic (PMMA) 1,180 kg/m³
- Polypropylene 905 kg/m³
- PTFE 2,170 kg/m³
- Rigid PVC 1,400 kg/m³
- HDPE 955 kg/m³
- Epoxy resin 1,150 kg/m³
Sources
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place