Material guide
PETG, polyethylene terephthalate with glycol
PETG, polyethylene terephthalate with glycol, is the easy-forming transparent plastic. Tough and simple to bend and thermoform cold without turning white, a forgiving choice for guards, signs and displays. It sits midway between acrylic and polycarbonate, and it takes color and print really well.
What it is
PETG, polyethylene terephthalate with glycol, is a transparent plastic in the polyester family, related to PET but modified with glycol so that it becomes tougher and much easier to form. The glass clear surface and the good impact resistance put it midway between acrylic and polycarbonate: not quite as scratch resistant as acrylic, not quite as impact resistant as polycarbonate, but easy to machine and dimensionally stable in the sense that it can be bent cold without cracking or turning white. It is food approved in suitable grades and easy to thermoform, which makes it common in guards, signs and packaging related parts.
Properties
Transparent with good light transmission
Good impact resistance, tougher than acrylic
Easy to bend and thermoform, cold as well, without turning white
A forgiving choice for signs and displays
In suitable grades
Easy to machine and dimensionally stable in use
Common applications
PETG sits in protective screens, partitions, signs, displays, showcases and packaging related parts where it has to be see-through, tough and easy to form. The cold bendability makes it popular for angled guards and display structures that would otherwise call for heat. When a customer wants material for a transparent part that takes a knock and is quick to form, without going all the way to polycarbonate, the choice often lands on PETG.
Limitations
PETG is not a high temperature material and does not take heat in the class of the engineering plastics, so keep it away from hot environments. The surface is softer and scratches more easily than acrylic, so for a surface that has to stay perfectly glossy acrylic can be a better choice, and for maximum impact resistance you pick polycarbonate. Chemical resistance is moderate, especially against solvents.
Grades and variants
PETG is supplied above all in its transparent standard form, and the differences between the variants come down to surface finish and additive.
Base grades
- PETG transparent, the most common grade. Tough and formable, for guards, signs and displays.
- Matte surface, matte finish for signs and decor where a different surface is wanted.
- Colored grades, colored sheets where a color is needed instead of transparent.
PET, the hard engineering polyester, is a material of its own and a stiffer one, in the engineering plastics tier, not a PETG grade.
Machining
PETG is sawn, milled and drilled, and it can be bent cold without cracking, which is one of its best sides. The surface scratches more easily than acrylic, so if the part has to take daily handling, polycarbonate is a better choice.
Formats we can supply
We carry PETG as sheet and as welding rod. You can see formats and dimensions in the range. Do you want a piece cut to size? Enter the dimensions in VisualCutter and you will see the price right away.