Difference between TPU and rubber

TPU and rubber are both elastic plastic materials, which are both widely used in daily life and industrial field. But they are absolutely different materials.

TPU, with full name Thermoplastic polyurethanes, is a type of sustainable eco-friendly material. It’s a man-made material. While for rubber, it has two types: natural rubber and man-made rubber. Natural rubber is origin from Hevea brasiliensis.

Here we have different feature between TPU and rubber.

1.Abrasion performance

TPU has better abrasion performance than rubber. Besides, TPU is more breathable than rubber.

2.Temperature endurance

For heat resistance, rubber does better job than TPU, which is said to adapt temperature at 400-500 degrees. But TPU also has good performance when it is put into where’s even at -50 degrees. Its elasticity and tenacity are still in an excellent status, while rubber will be broken at such a low degree.

3.Price

Rubber has much lower price than TPU.

4.Recycle

TPU and rubber can be heated to process into any shapes. The shaped TPU can be re-heated to melt and re-process into another shapes, which can be recycled. However, rubber is a kind of thermosetting plastic. This is a type of plastic that can only be heated to shape one time. Rubber can melt when it heated at the first time. Then process into the shape you want. Finally, cooling it down and get a shaped rubber product. But the final shaped rubber product can not be melted again as TPU one. So rubber can not be recycled.

5.Hand feel

TPU not only owns soft and flat surface but also has no smell, which does no harm to health. Thus TPU is widely used in products that press close to people. On contrast, rubber is felt sticky, especially for adsorb dirt, which is difficult to clean up.

6.Elasticity

Rubber has better elasticity than TPU.

No matter for TPU or rubber, they have their own strength and weakness. In different fields, opting the right material would make resources utilized sufficiently.