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SAN and Iodine Tincture: Chemical Resistance

Styrene-acrylonitrile

Rating

Concentration20 °C50 °CRemark
concentration not statedCC

Material comparison at 20 °C

Iodine Tincture: Material comparison at 20 °CSAN: C (highlighted); Aluminium: A; ECTFE/ETFE: A; Viton (FPM): A; HDPE: A; LDPE: A.Aluminium: AECTFE/ETFE: AViton (FPM): AHDPE: ALDPE: APMP: AAcetal (POM): APP: APTFE: APVDF: ASS 316: AEPDM: BSS 304: BNBR: CPolycarbonate: CPolystyrene: CSAN: CSANNylon (PA): DPVC Rigid: DPVC Flexible: DFEP: –PETG: –Polysulfone: –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

SAN has limited resistance (C) to Iodine Tincture at 20 °C. This indicates that the chemical has a noticeable effect on the material, which may include visible swelling, softening, or a measurable loss of tensile strength. Use is generally limited to short-term or intermittent contact where full structural integrity is not required. 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

Iodine Tincture is commonly encountered in bleaching and waste treatment. SAN (Styrene-acrylonitrile) is a thermoplastic typically used for tanks, piping, containers and liners. Since Iodine Tincture 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

SAN has limited resistance to Iodine Tincture 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, PMP offer significantly better resistance and are rated A.

Did you know?

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

Materials rated A or B at 20 °C

Thermoplastics
HDPE A, PP A, LDPE A, Acetal (POM) A, PMP A
Fluoropolymers
PTFE A, PVDF A, ECTFE/ETFE A
Elastomers
EPDM B, Viton (FPM) A
Metals
SS 316 A, SS 304 B, Aluminium A

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.