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Polycarbonate and Transformer Oil: Chemical Resistance

Polycarbonate

Rating

Concentration20 °C50 °CRemark
concentration not statedC*–

* estimated rating, given in the source without a temperature

Material comparison at 20 °C

Transformer Oil: Material comparison at 20 °CPolycarbonate: C (highlighted); Aluminium: A; FEP: A; HDPE: A; Nylon (PA): A; PETG: A.Aluminium: AFEP: AHDPE: ANylon (PA): APETG: APMP: APP: APolystyrene: APolysulfone: APTFE: APVC Rigid: ASAN: ASS 304: ASS 316: AViton (FPM): BLDPE: CNBR: CPolycarbonate: CPCAcetal (POM): CPVDF: CEPDM: DECTFE/ETFE: –PVC Flexible: –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

Polycarbonate has limited resistance (C) to Transformer Oil 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

Transformer Oil is commonly encountered in water treatment and electroplating. Polycarbonate (Polycarbonate) is a thermoplastic typically used for tanks, piping, containers and liners. The compatibility between these two is therefore an important consideration for engineers and procurement teams selecting containment, transfer, or processing equipment.

Practical recommendation

Polycarbonate has limited resistance to Transformer Oil 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, Nylon (PA), PETG offer significantly better resistance and are rated A.

Did you know?

Temperature is often the deciding factor when selecting materials for Transformer Oil: 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, PVC Rigid A, Nylon (PA) A, Polystyrene A, Polysulfone A, PETG A, PMP A, SAN A
Fluoropolymers
PTFE A, FEP A
Elastomers
Viton (FPM) B
Metals
SS 316 A, SS 304 A, Aluminium A

About Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate is attacked by alkalis, amines, ketones, esters and many organic solvents, and it stress-cracks under load in contact with them.

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.