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