Tensile Strength

Also called: Tensile strength at yield, tensile strength at break, elongation

Tensile strength is the maximum pulling stress a plastic withstands before yielding or breaking, reported in MPa along with elongation.

Tensile strength is the stress a material can bear while being pulled before it yields or breaks. For plastics it is measured on dumbbell-shaped specimens following ASTM D638 or ISO 527, and reported in megapascals (MPa). Elongation at break, the percentage a sample stretches before breaking, is reported in the same test.

Why it matters when buying recycled plastic

• Tensile strength and elongation show whether recycled material can carry load in parts such as straps, raffia tapes, pipes and structural mouldings.
• Degraded material often keeps similar tensile strength but loses elongation, becoming brittle; ask for both values.
• Fillers and glass fibre change results considerably. Compare like with like and check ash content.
• Moisture affects results for nylon, so state whether samples were tested dry or conditioned.

Using the data

Single tensile values from a datasheet describe a sample, not the whole lot. For critical applications, test samples from the delivered lot or run trials, and include the requirement in your RFQ. Pair tensile data with impact strength for a fuller picture.