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Nylon (PA) and Ethanol: Chemical Resistance

Polyamide (nylon)

Rating

Concentration20 °C50 °CRemark
40 %A–
50 %A–
96 %A–

Material comparison at 20 °C

Ethanol: Material comparison at 20 °CNylon (PA): A (highlighted); Aluminium: A; ECTFE/ETFE: A; EPDM: A; FEP: A; HDPE: A.Aluminium: AECTFE/ETFE: AEPDM: AFEP: AHDPE: ALDPE: ANylon (PA): APAPolycarbonate: APETG: APMP: AAcetal (POM): APP: APolysulfone: APTFE: APVC Rigid: APVDF: ASAN: ASS 304: ASS 316: AViton (FPM): CNBR: CPolystyrene: CPVC Flexible: CSilicone: –
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

Nylon (PA) shows excellent resistance to Ethanol across all 3 tested concentrations (40 %, 50 %, 96 %) at 20 °C, making it a reliable choice for storage, transfer, and handling applications involving this chemical at any of the tested strengths. 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

Ethanol is commonly encountered in cleaning and chemical synthesis. Nylon (PA) (Polyamide (nylon)) is a thermoplastic typically used for tanks, piping, containers and liners. Since Ethanol is flammable, material selection must also consider the risk of static charge buildup and the need for proper grounding in storage and transfer systems.

Practical recommendation

Nylon (PA) can be used with confidence for Ethanol containment and handling. The A rating indicates that the material shows no significant change in weight, dimensions, or mechanical properties after prolonged contact under test conditions. This holds true at both 20 °C and 50 °C, giving a good safety margin for typical process environments.

Did you know?

Temperature is often the deciding factor when selecting materials for Ethanol: even materials rated A at 20 °C may lose performance at elevated temperatures.

Materials rated A or B at 20 °C

Based on the row for 96 %, 20 °C.

Thermoplastics
HDPE A, PP A, PVC Rigid A, LDPE A, Acetal (POM) A, Polycarbonate A, Polysulfone A, PETG A, PMP A, SAN A
Fluoropolymers
PTFE A, PVDF A, FEP A, ECTFE/ETFE A
Elastomers
EPDM A
Metals
SS 316 A, SS 304 A, Aluminium A

About Nylon (PA)

Polyamide (nylon) resists fuels, oils and many solvents. Mineral acids, even dilute, and strong oxidisers attack it, and it absorbs water.

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.