ABS (acrylontitrile-Butadiene Styrene)

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).

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