Polycarbonate vs. PETG

Our most popular products are often our cut to size clear plastic sheets, so today I thought I’d blog about our two high performance clear plastics and their unique advantages in certain applications.Both of these materials are championed for their toughness and great optical clarity. These key features make them ideal replacements for standard acrylic sheet or plate glass in a number of domestic and commercial environments where safety and security are primary concerns. Although they may seem very similar in the first instance, these materials have key differences which make them more appropriate for certain applications.Polycarbonate is a terrifically high performance material which displays incredible strength and durability whilst retaining its aesthetic qualities. As much as 200 times stronger than glass, polycarbonate sheeting is virtually unbreakable and also has very high impact strength. This makes it a superb choice of clear plastic for the most demanding of environments; and it is commonly used to create security screens and secure secondary glazing, boat screens and factory machine guards. Polycarbonate is also a very versatile material and can be thermoformed, cut, drilled and glued to suit almost any requirements. Although a fantastic material, polycarbonate is less easily worked than some other sheet plastics and is less cost-effective than some materials, and this is where PETG displays its own unique advantages as a great alternative to polycarbonate.PETG is an easy to mould clear plastic material with about 70% of the impact strength of polycarbonate, but it is still fantastically strong when compared with extruded acrylic or glass. It is more cost-effective than polycarbonate which makes it a popular choice of material in more general purpose applications, and it is suitable for hot line bending and gluing. Cut to size PETG is most commonly used in commercial applications such as making factory machine guards, high strength display units and impact resistant glazing.Each of these materials is preferred to clear acrylic because of their high strength and resistance to impact. This makes them a great choice for any application where security is a primary concern. Both are suitable for indoor and outdoor use and guarantee a superb length of service.For more information on our cut to size PETG and Polycarbonate sheeting please visit our main website where you will also find our free price calculator – simply enter the dimensions of the sheet you require to receive an instant no obligation quote for your order!