Chemical Resistance Guide
Check how PTFE, rubber elastomers, stainless steel, ceramic, and FRP hold up against 44 common industrial chemicals before you choose a lining, hose, gasket, or expansion joint. Combine several media with your operating temperature to shortlist materials, or click any chemical to see its best materials and matching products.
Find a Material for Your Media
Select every medium in your process stream and the operating temperature. Each material is judged by its worst rating across all selected media, and materials above their temperature limit are excluded.
| Chemical (at ~20 °C) | PTFE | EPDM | NBR | FKM | CR | CSM | NR | 316SS | Ceramic | FRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sulfuric Acid 10% | A | A | C | A | B | A | B | B | A | A |
| Sulfuric Acid 50% | A | B | X | A | C | B | X | X | A | A |
| Sulfuric Acid 98% | A | X | X | B | X | C | X | B | A | X |
| Hydrochloric Acid 10% | A | A | C | A | B | A | B | X | A | A |
| Hydrochloric Acid 37% | A | B | X | A | C | B | C | X | A | A |
| Nitric Acid 10% | A | B | X | A | C | B | X | A | A | A |
| Nitric Acid 65% | A | X | X | C | X | C | X | B | A | X |
| Phosphoric Acid 85% | A | A | C | A | B | A | C | B | B | A |
| Hydrofluoric Acid 40% | A | C | X | B | C | C | X | X | X | C |
| Acetic Acid 10% | A | A | C | C | B | B | B | A | A | A |
| Acetic Acid, Glacial | A | B | X | X | C | C | C | A | A | X |
| Formic Acid 85% | A | B | C | C | B | B | B | B | A | B |
| Chromic Acid 50% | A | C | X | B | X | B | X | C | A | C |
| Citric Acid | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A |
| Sodium Hydroxide 10% | A | A | B | B | A | A | A | A | A | A |
| Sodium Hydroxide 50% | A | A | C | X | A | A | B | A | B | B |
| Ammonia, Aqueous | A | A | B | X | A | A | C | A | A | C |
| Lime Slurry (Calcium Hydroxide) | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A |
| White Liquor (Kraft) | A | A | C | X | B | A | C | B | B | B |
| Black Liquor (Kraft) | A | A | B | C | B | A | C | A | A | B |
| Sodium Hypochlorite 15% | A | B | X | A | C | A | X | X | A | A |
| Chlorine, Wet Gas | A | C | X | B | X | C | X | X | A | A |
| Chlorine Dioxide (Bleach Plant) | A | X | X | B | X | C | X | X | A | A |
| Hydrogen Peroxide 30% | A | B | C | A | C | B | X | B | A | B |
| Water, Fresh | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A |
| Hot Water 80 °C | A | A | B | B | B | B | C | A | A | B |
| Steam to 150 °C | A | A | C | C | C | C | X | A | A | X |
| Seawater | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | B | A | A |
| Sodium Chloride Brine | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | B | A | A |
| Ferric Chloride | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | X | A | A |
| Aluminium Sulfate (Alum) | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | B | A | A |
| Crude Palm Oil | A | C | A | A | B | B | X | A | A | A |
| Diesel / Fuel Oil | A | X | A | A | C | C | X | A | A | A |
| Gasoline | A | X | B | A | X | X | X | A | A | B |
| Hydraulic / Mineral Oil | A | X | A | A | B | B | X | A | A | A |
| Toluene / Xylene | A | X | X | B | X | X | X | A | A | C |
| Acetone / MEK | A | A | X | X | X | X | C | A | A | X |
| Methanol | A | A | A | C | A | A | A | A | A | C |
| Ethanol | A | A | B | A | A | A | A | A | A | B |
| Ethylene Glycol | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A |
| Hydrogen Sulfide, Wet | A | A | C | B | B | B | C | B | A | A |
| Sulfur Dioxide, Wet (FGD Condensate) | A | B | C | A | C | B | C | B | A | A |
| Abrasive Slurry (Sand / Ore / Ash) | C | B | B | C | B | B | A | B | A | C |
| Pulp Stock | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A |
How to read this chart
- A, Excellent: little or no effect; suitable for continuous service.
- B, Good: minor effect; suitable for most services.
- C, Limited: moderate attack or swelling; short-term or intermittent use only.
- X, Not recommended: severe attack; do not use.
Ratings are for about 20 °C. Resistance drops as temperature rises, and mixtures, contaminants, and concentration changes can behave differently than the pure chemical. For abrasive slurries the rating reflects wear resistance. This guide is for preliminary selection only: send us your process data and our engineers will confirm the material.
Need movement calculations too? Try the Expansion Joint Selector.
Material temperature limits
| PTFE | up to ~260 °C | PTFE Lining, PTFE Expansion Joint, PTFE Coating |
| EPDM | up to ~120 °C | Rubber Expansion Joint, Rubber Lining, Rubber Hose |
| NBR (Nitrile) | up to ~100 °C | Rubber Hose, O-Ring, Oil Seal |
| FKM (Viton) | up to ~200 °C | O-Ring, Oil Seal |
| CR (Neoprene) | up to ~100 °C | Rubber Lining, Rubber Hose |
| CSM (Hypalon) | up to ~120 °C | Rubber Lining, Rubber Expansion Joint |
| Natural Rubber | up to ~70 °C | Rubber Lining, Rubber Hose |
| Stainless Steel 316 | up to ~550 °C | Metal Expansion Joint, Flexible Metal Hose |
| Ceramic (Alumina) | up to ~1000 °C | Ceramic Lining, Ceramic Coating |
| FRP (Vinyl Ester) | up to ~100 °C | FRP Lining |