PTFE (Teflon)
Semi-crystalline fluoropolymer; lowest friction of any solid plastic, chemically inert, but soft and creep-prone.
Also called: Teflon, PTFE, polytetrafluoroethylene, fluoropolymer
| Property | Value | Source | Method | Conditions | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 2.17 g/cm³ | Callister & Rethwisch, Materials Science and Engineering, 10th ed. | ASTM D792 | 23 °C, dry | — |
| Young's modulus E | 0.5 GPa | Callister & Rethwisch, Materials Science and Engineering, 10th ed. | ASTM D638 | 23 °C, dry | — |
| Tensile strength | 24 MPa | Callister & Rethwisch, Materials Science and Engineering, 10th ed. | ASTM D638 | 23 °C, dry | — |
| Melting point Tm | 327 °C | Callister & Rethwisch, Materials Science and Engineering, 10th ed. | DSC | 23 °C, dry | — |
PTFE — sold as Teflon — is a fully fluorinated, semi-crystalline thermoplastic. It has the lowest friction of any solid, is chemically inert to almost everything, and works across a very wide temperature range (continuous use to roughly 260 °C).
The trade-off is mechanical: it is soft, has low strength and stiffness, and creeps (cold-flows) under sustained load. It also can't be melt-processed conventionally, so parts are sintered or machined from stock.
Typical uses are seals, gaskets, bearings and bushings, non-stick coatings, and chemical-plant linings — anywhere low friction or chemical resistance matters more than strength.
See where PTFE fits in a real product, and what it competes with:
- Callister & Rethwisch, Materials Science and Engineering, 10th ed.
Typical room-temperature values for learning and preliminary design; grades vary. Always confirm against the supplier datasheet before design work. Data policy: docs/DATA-SOURCES.md in the repository.