ABS vs Polycarbonate
ABS and Polycarbonate are genuine alternatives to one another — a choice somebody actually makes — and differ on 2 measured properties, density most clearly.
ABS vs Polycarbonate
ABS
Three monomers doing three jobs — the tough, opaque plastic of appliance housings, car interiors and the LEGO brick.
Polycarbonate
Transparent and almost unbreakable — the safety glazing, the riot shield, the headlamp lens and the spectacle lens.
| Property | ABS | Polycarbonate |
|---|---|---|
| Density | 1.04–1.07 g/cm³ | 1.2–1.22 g/cm³ higher |
| Tensile strength | 40–50 MPa | 55–75 MPa higher |
| Young's modulus Only one of the two has a figure we can stand behind, so there is nothing to compare. | 1.8–2.5 GPa | Not known |
Choosing between them
ABS is recorded as a substitute for Polycarbonate — cheaper, easier to work.
What it gives up: Softens around 105 °C against polycarbonate's 145 °C, and is far weaker in impact — which is why the two are so often blended rather than chosen between.
In this application, on the evidence cited above.