UHMW-PE (Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene)

Complete property data sheet for UHMW-PE — mechanical, thermal, electrical and physical values, each with its ASTM test method — plus the abrasion resistance that makes it the standard liner material.

Data verified 2026-09-29 · based on ASTM D4020-18

Mechanical Properties

Thermal Properties

Electrical & Physical Properties

Weight & Volume Calculator

Machining UHMW-PE

UHMW-PE machines with the same approach as wood: sharp tooling, high rake, generous clearance, and a firm positive feed. The chip comes off in a continuous ribbon or a crumb depending on the cut. It will not chip or crack, which makes it forgiving, but it is extremely soft (Shore D62) and has almost no stiffness, so it moves away from the cutter and leaves a fuzzy, torn burr rather than a clean edge. Deburring is done by hand with a sharp scraper — an abrasive will smear it.

Clamping is the practical difficulty. The material deforms under the vise and springs back after the cut, so the finished dimension depends on clamping pressure unless the part is supported and clamped with soft jaws against a rigid feature. Take the final dimension with the part under the same clamping condition it will be measured in.

The thermal expansion figure is the largest of any plastic on this site — 200 µm/m·°C, about 2.5× acetal's. A 500 mm UHMW-PE part changes 1 mm for a 5 °C temperature change. Tight tolerances are only meaningful when the measurement temperature is stated, and the material is normally specified for applications where absolute dimension matters less than wear performance.

Where UHMW-PE Is the Right Choice

UHMW-PE has one dominant property: abrasion resistance. Measured against steel on a sand-slurry test it outlasts carbon steel several times over, and no other thermoplastic comes close. Combined with a very low coefficient of friction, excellent impact resistance at any temperature down to −200 °C, and a complete lack of water absorption, that makes it the standard material for material-handling liners, wear strips and impact pads.

What it does not have is strength or temperature. Tensile strength is only 21 MPa and the flexural modulus is 0.7 GPa, roughly a quarter of acetal's, so it cannot be used as a structural member. The continuous service temperature is 80 °C, the lowest in this family. It also cannot be injection moulded in its high-molecular-weight form — the melt viscosity is too high — so stock shapes are compression moulded and parts are machined, or the material is ram-extruded into profiles.

Against the alternatives: PTFE has similar friction but is far more expensive and much less abrasion resistant; HDPE is cheaper and stiffer but has substantially worse abrasion and impact performance; nylon 6/6 is far stronger but absorbs moisture and is less abrasion resistant. UHMW-PE is chosen specifically for wear, and for little else.

How to Read This Data Sheet

Values are typical published figures for unfilled, natural-grade UHMW-PE, measured on standard test specimens. Every row names the test method it came from, because a polymer property without its test method is not a comparable number — tensile strength measured to ASTM D638 and to ISO 527 differ systematically, and impact values depend heavily on specimen geometry.

Two caveats apply to every figure here. First, temperature: polymer properties are far more temperature-sensitive than metal properties, and a tensile strength quoted at 23 °C tells you little about the same material at 100 °C. Second, conditioning: hygroscopic plastics such as nylon absorb moisture from the air, and absorbed water acts as a plasticiser — the same grade can be stiff and strong when dry and significantly tougher but weaker when conditioned. Where a property is strongly affected by moisture, the row notes it.

Filled, reinforced, lubricated and impact-modified grades of the same base polymer differ substantially from these figures. Use this page to compare materials and to shortlist; use the specific grade's data sheet for design calculations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the density of UHMW-PE?

0.94 g/cm³, which is lighter than water — it floats, and it is the lightest material on this site apart from nothing. Density matters for two practical reasons: it sets the weight of a finished part through the material's cost per kilogram, and it is the number this page's weight calculator uses to convert a volume into a mass.

Can UHMW-PE be machined?

UHMW-PE machines like a very soft, waxy wood. It cuts cleanly with sharp tooling but deflects away from the cutter, leaves a fuzzy burr, and cannot be clamped hard without deforming. It has the largest thermal expansion of any plastic here, so cut dimensions move significantly with temperature.

How do I choose between UHMW-PE and another engineering plastic?

Choose UHMW-PE when the requirement is abrasion resistance, impact resistance or a low-friction, non-stick surface at ambient temperature — chute liners, wear strips, chain guides, cutting boards.

Why can't UHMW-PE be injection moulded?

Its molecular weight — 3 to 6 million g/mol — makes the melt so viscous that it will not flow through an injection mould. Conventional HDPE has a molecular weight around 200,000 and moulds easily; UHMW-PE's much longer chains are exactly what gives it its abrasion resistance, and they also make it unprocessable by melting. Stock shapes are made by compression moulding or ram extrusion, and finished parts are machined from them.

How does UHMW-PE compare with HDPE?

Same polymer, very different molecular weight, and the difference is entirely in the wear properties. UHMW-PE has roughly 10× the abrasion resistance and far better impact strength than HDPE, and it does not stress-crack. HDPE is stiffer, cheaper, easier to machine and can be injection moulded. Choose UHMW-PE when the part rubs against something abrasive; choose HDPE when it just needs to be a cheap inert plastic part.

Can UHMW-PE be bonded or welded?

Welding is practical — hot plate, butt-fusion and extrusion welding all work on UHMW-PE, and welded sheet is common for large liners. Adhesive bonding is difficult: the surface energy is very low, so conventional adhesives do not wet it. Bonding requires surface treatment such as flame, corona or plasma treatment first, and even then the joint is much weaker than the parent material. Design for mechanical fastening or welding instead.

Related

• PTFE Properties
• Nylon 6/6 Properties
• Delrin (POM-H) Properties
• Plastic Service Temperature Chart
• Plastic Chemical Compatibility
• Plastic Machining Tolerance Chart

Value Sources

Each data column on this page is tied to the source it came from. The numbers in square brackets correspond to the table headers above.

Data Sources

Cross-checked against:

• Published UHMW-PE stock-shape data sheets from two independent suppliers
• Abrasion comparison checked against published wet sand/rubber wheel results rather than a supplier claim
• Molecular weight range consistent with the material's known inability to be injection moulded

Values are typical published figures for unfilled, natural-grade resin at 23 °C, dry as molded unless the row states otherwise. They are not specification minima. Design to the specific grade's data sheet, and derate for the service temperature and moisture condition the part will actually see.

Cite This Page

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