Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride (CPVC, PVC-C)
CPVC is a thermoplastic, further classified as a polyvinyl plastic. It has the lowest heat capacity and a moderately high density among thermoplastics. The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare CPVC to: polyvinyl 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
Compressive (Crushing) Strength
70 MPa 10 x 103 psi
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
2.8 GPa 0.41 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
4.0 %
Flexural Modulus
2.5 GPa 0.36 x 106 psi
Flexural Strength
100 MPa 14 x 103 psi
Impact Strength: Notched Izod
510 J/m 9.6 ft-lb/in
Rockwell R Hardness
120
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
50 MPa 7.3 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Glass Transition Temperature
100 °C 220 °F
Heat Deflection Temperature At 1.82 MPa (264 psi)
91 °C 200 °F
Maximum Temperature: Autoignition
640 °C 1180 °F
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
80 °C 180 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
780 J/kg-K 0.19 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
0.31 W/m-K 0.18 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
65 µm/m-K
Electrical Properties
Dielectric Constant (Relative Permittivity) At 1 Hz
3.7
Dielectric Strength (Breakdown Potential)
49 kV/mm 1.9 V/mil
Electrical Resistivity Order of Magnitude
13 10x Ω-m
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Density
1.5 g/cm3 93 lb/ft3
Limiting Oxygen Index (LOI)
57 %
Water Absorption After 24 Hours
0.030 %
Common Calculations
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
1.0 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
32 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
9.4 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
20 points
Thermal Diffusivity
0.27 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
20 points
Followup Questions
Further Reading
ASTM D1784: Standard Specification for Rigid Poly(Vinyl Chloride) (PVC) Compounds and Chlorinated Poly(Vinyl Chloride) (CPVC) Compounds
Handbook of Vinyl Formulating, 2nd ed., Richard F. Grossman (editor), 2008
ASTM D883: Standard Terminology Relating to Plastics
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