Polycarbonate (PC)
PC is an otherwise-unclassified thermoplastic material.
The properties of PC include four 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 PC to: otherwise unclassified thermoplastics (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
Elongation at Break
3.5 to 110 %
Flexural Modulus
2.3 to 10 GPa 0.33 to 1.5 x 106 psi
Flexural Strength
92 to 160 MPa 13 to 22 x 103 psi
Impact Strength: Notched Izod
140 to 440 J/m 2.6 to 8.2 ft-lb/in
Rockwell M Hardness
68 to 120
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
66 to 160 MPa 9.5 to 22 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Glass Transition Temperature
150 °C 300 °F
Heat Deflection Temperature At 1.82 MPa (264 psi)
130 to 150 °C 270 to 290 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
1000 to 1200 J/kg-K 0.24 to 0.29 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Expansion
10 to 69 µm/m-K
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Density
1.2 to 1.4 g/cm3 75 to 90 lb/ft3
Water Absorption At Saturation
0.16 to 0.19 %
Common Calculations
Strength to Weight: Axial
15 to 30 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
30 to 45 points
Followup Questions
Further Reading
ASTM D883: Standard Terminology Relating to Plastics
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