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PVC Flexible and Potassium Hydroxide: Chemical Resistance

Flexible (plasticised) polyvinyl chloride

Rating

Concentration20 °C50 °CRemark
1 %––
10 %––
30 %A–
50 %A–
concentratedA–

Material comparison at 20 °C

Potassium Hydroxide: Material comparison at 20 °CPVC Flexible: A (highlighted); ECTFE/ETFE: A; EPDM: A; FEP: A; HDPE: A; LDPE: A.ECTFE/ETFE: AEPDM: AFEP: AHDPE: ALDPE: ANylon (PA): APMP: APP: APolysulfone: APTFE: APVC Rigid: APVC Flexible: APVC-PSAN: ASS 304: ASS 316: APolystyrene: BNBR: CAcetal (POM): CPVDF: CAluminium: DViton (FPM): DPolycarbonate: DPETG: 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

PVC Flexible shows excellent resistance to Potassium Hydroxide across all 3 tested concentrations (30 %, 50 %, concentrated) 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

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

Practical recommendation

PVC Flexible can be used with confidence for Potassium Hydroxide 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?

Flexible (plasticised) polyvinyl chloride was first developed in the 1920s 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
HDPE A, PP A, PVC Rigid A, LDPE A, Nylon (PA) A, Polystyrene B, Polysulfone A, PMP A, SAN A
Fluoropolymers
PTFE A, FEP A, ECTFE/ETFE A
Elastomers
EPDM A
Metals
SS 316 A, SS 304 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.