The question gets asked from engineers and purchasing agents alike is why do companies choose urethane over rubber? Let’s compare both materials, and you’ll see why:

Abrasion & Tear Resistance

When it comes to abrasion resistance and tear strength it is no news that urethane rings outperform rubber rings. In applications where severe abrasion is a factor, urethane is known to outwear other materials by far.

Elasticity and Compression

Urethane rings have equal elasticity and strength throughout, and that is why they can be stretched and still return to their original sizes. Plastic or rubber may crack and fail to return to its original size. In terms of compression, urethane is also better and has a broader range of durometers (hardness) to fit several applications.

Temperature Resistance

When it comes to temperature resistance urethane shows great resistance to heat. They can remain flexible at low temperatures, but rubber tends to harden. It is important to note that rubber rings can prove more efficient than urethane rings in very high temperatures applications.

Chemical and Ozone Resistance

Urethane rings surpass rubber in terms of chemical and ozone resistance. They maintain impressive resistance to oils, fats, greases, hydrocarbons, and solvents. Although rubber rings exhibit good resistance to organic acids, alcohols, ketones, and aldehydes, they are no match to urethane when compared to other chemicals mention above.