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SAN and Chromic Acid: Chemical Resistance

Styrene-acrylonitrile

Rating

Concentration20 °C50 °CRemark
10 %–C
20 %––
50 %CC

Material comparison at 20 °C

Chromic Acid: Material comparison at 20 °CSAN: C (highlighted); ECTFE/ETFE: A; FEP: A; Viton (FPM): A; PTFE: A; PVC Rigid: A.ECTFE/ETFE: AFEP: AViton (FPM): APTFE: APVC Rigid: APVC Flexible: APVDF: APMP: BSS 304: BSS 316: BAluminium: CHDPE: CLDPE: CPolycarbonate: CPP: CPolystyrene: CSAN: CSANEPDM: DNBR: DNylon (PA): DPETG: DAcetal (POM): DPolysulfone: DSilicone: –
A very good resistanceB good resistanceC limited resistanceD not resistantno data
Each bar is one material. Taller bars indicate better resistance. The highlighted bar is the current material.

Resistance overview

SAN maintains a consistent rating of C across all 2 tested concentrations (10 %, 50 %) of Chromic Acid at 20 °C. The fact that the rating does not change with concentration within the tested range simplifies material selection, though the boundary conditions beyond this range remain untested. The rating remains stable between 20 °C and 50 °C, which means this material can also handle moderately elevated process temperatures without additional risk.

Application context

Chromic Acid is commonly encountered in surface cleaning and metal finishing. SAN (Styrene-acrylonitrile) is a thermoplastic typically used for tanks, piping, containers and liners. Because Chromic Acid is classified as corrosive, the choice of containment material is especially critical to prevent leaks, equipment damage, and safety hazards.

Practical recommendation

SAN has limited resistance to Chromic Acid and should only be used for short-term or intermittent contact at ambient temperature. The C rating means the material undergoes noticeable changes — swelling, loss of strength, or surface degradation — that make it unsuitable for permanent installations. For prolonged or continuous exposure, PVC Rigid, PVC Flexible, ECTFE/ETFE offer significantly better resistance and are rated A.

Did you know?

Styrene-acrylonitrile was first developed in the 1940s and remains one of the most widely used thermoplastics in chemical handling equipment.

Materials rated A or B at 20 °C

Based on the row for 50 %, 20 °C.

Thermoplastics
PVC Rigid A, PVC Flexible A, PMP B
Fluoropolymers
PTFE A, PVDF A, FEP A, ECTFE/ETFE A
Elastomers
Viton (FPM) A
Metals
SS 316 B, SS 304 B

About SAN

Styrene-acrylonitrile resists oils and dilute acids better than polystyrene, but ketones, esters and aromatic and chlorinated solvents still attack it.

Rating scale

A rating marked * is an estimate in the source, not a test result. An estimate is given as one value without a temperature.

About this data

The ratings come from the chemical resistance list published by Bürkle GmbH, which compiled them from raw-material manufacturers’ data. They describe laboratory tests on the raw material at 20 °C and 50 °C.

A finished part also sees pressure, mechanical stress, welds and mixtures that a laboratory test does not. Treat the rating as a first filter and test under your own conditions before relying on it.