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PVC Flexible and Hydrobromic Acid: Chemical Resistance

Flexible (plasticised) polyvinyl chloride

Rating

Concentration20 °C50 °CRemark
40 %CC
50 %CC
diluteC–

Material comparison at 20 °C

Hydrobromic Acid: Material comparison at 20 °CPVC Flexible: C (highlighted); ECTFE/ETFE: A; FEP: A; Viton (FPM): A; HDPE: A; LDPE: A.ECTFE/ETFE: AFEP: AViton (FPM): AHDPE: ALDPE: APP: APTFE: APVC Rigid: APVDF: AEPDM: CPVC Flexible: CPVC-PAluminium: DNBR: DNylon (PA): DPolycarbonate: DPETG: DPMP: DAcetal (POM): DPolystyrene: DSS 304: DSS 316: DPolysulfone: –SAN: –Silicone: –
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

PVC Flexible maintains a consistent rating of C across all 3 tested concentrations (40 %, 50 %, dilute) of Hydrobromic 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

Hydrobromic Acid is commonly encountered in surface cleaning and chemical processing. PVC Flexible (Flexible (plasticised) polyvinyl chloride) is a thermoplastic typically used for tanks, piping, containers and liners. Because Hydrobromic Acid is classified as corrosive, the choice of containment material is especially critical to prevent leaks, equipment damage, and safety hazards.

Practical recommendation

PVC Flexible has limited resistance to Hydrobromic 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, HDPE, LDPE, PP offer significantly better resistance and are rated A.

Did you know?

Temperature is often the deciding factor when selecting materials for Hydrobromic Acid: 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 50 %, 20 °C.

Thermoplastics
HDPE A, PP A, PVC Rigid A, LDPE A
Fluoropolymers
PTFE A, PVDF A, FEP A, ECTFE/ETFE A
Elastomers
Viton (FPM) A

About PVC Flexible

Flexible PVC shares the solvent weaknesses of rigid PVC, and any liquid that extracts the plasticiser also hardens it. It is generally less resistant than rigid PVC.

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.