Acrylic fibre, PAN, Polyacrylonitrile
Acrylic fibre is prized for its soft, wool-like properties. It is textured and spun into bulky ya...
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, ABS
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) is used in so many everyday applications that it has become...
Acrylonitrile styrene acrylate, ASA
Acrylic styrene acrylonitrile (ASA) is a transparent thermoplastic with superior resistance to we...
Alloy steel
The properties of steel are transformed with the addition of alloys – such as chromium (Cr)...
Aluminium, Al
Aluminium is a versatile and lightweight metal used in a range of applications, from decorative a...
Aluminosilicate glass, Al-Si
Adding alumina (Al2O3) to silica glass – in combination with modifying cations (positively ...
Aramid fibre, AF
Aramid is a very high performance material. There are two distinct groups: para-aramids are stron...
Ash, Fraxinus
Ash is prized for its lightness, strength and toughness – the Vikings considered it the ...
Balsa, Ochroma pyramidale
Balsa is a tropical hardwood, and one of the fastest growing woods due to its low density. There ...
Bamboo, Bambusoideae
Bamboo is classified as a type of grass and its stem is converted into timber products, paper, fi...
Basalt
Basalt is a fine-grained igneous rock, formed from the rapid cooling of volcanic lava. It makes u...
Beech, Fagus
Beech is a popular wood, and reasonably priced, for many interior and household applications due ...
Biodegradable polyester, PLA, PHA, PHB, PBAT, PBS
Biodegradable polyesters include a range of microbiologically produced polymers with tuneable mec...
Birch, Betula
Birch is a clean-looking light-coloured timber, with a uniform grain, that has been used in many ...
Borosilicate glass
The addition of just 5-15% of boron – in the form of diboron trioxide (B2O3) or boric acid,...
Brick
Clay bricks, also called burnt clay, are the oldest structural man-made building material. They h...
Carbon fibre, CF
Carbon fibre (CF) is prized for its strength, stiffness and stability coupled with high resistanc...
Carbon steel
Steel is an immensely important material. Made up of iron (Fe) and 0.06-2% carbon (C), plain carb...
Cellulose acetate, CA, Acetate
Cellulose acetate (CA) is a family of bio-based semi-synthetic plastics, some of which are biodeg...
Cellulose fibre
Cellulose is a natural polymer that makes up the majority of plant cell walls and vegetable fibre...
Cement & concrete
Concrete is a complex composite, which can contain all manner of material, including cement, plan...
Ceramic
Pottery ceramics are made by forming clay, along with some fluxes and impurities, and firing at h...
Chestnut, Castanea
Chestnut is a durable hardwood that can survive outdoors, untreated. It has a distinctive brown h...
Coir, Coconut fibre
Coir is a short, coarse fibre extracted from the shell of coconuts. Copra, milk and desiccated co...
Copper alloys, Cu
Copper combines electrical and thermal conductivity with very good strength and stiffness. As a r...
Cork, Quercus Suber L.
Cork has some impressive qualities, unmatched by manmade materials. Once dried, it is lightweight...
Cotton, Gossypium genus
Cotton is a very important fibre that makes up 80% of all natural fibre sales and accounts for ar...
Cowhide, Bovine
Tanned animal hides, once an essential part of our ancestors’ survival, have become a luxur...
Crystal glass, Lead alkali silicate
Crystal glass is known for its incredible clarity and brilliance. Also called lead alkali glass, ...
Douglas fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii
Douglas fir, also called Oregon pine, is an evergreen conifer like pine and spruce that yields a ...
E-glass fibre, Borosilicate
E-glass, so-called because it was originally developed for electrical insulators (the boron in it...
Engineered wood, Composite wood
Engineered wood includes panels, plywood and lumber. Also called mass timber and composite wood, ...
Epoxy, EP, Polyepoxide
Epoxy is a high performance thermosetting resin, which is the product of a one-way chemical react...
Ethylene vinyl acetate, EVA
Polymerising polyethylene with vinyl acetate (EVA) produces a very tough, rubber-like, semi-opaqu...
Flax, Linum usitatissimum, Linen
Flax is a bast fibre, like hemp and jute, which is extracted from the stalk of the blue-flowered ...
Float glass, Soda lime glass
Float glass is soda lime glass produced as flat sheet, which can be further processed by bending,...
Fluoropolymer, PTFE, Teflon
Fluoropolymers are at the high end of engineering plastics. They have very high resistance to che...
Fungus, Mycelium
Fungi offers amazing potential for low carbon, circular, plastic free and animal free biomaterial...
Fur, Pelage
Fur is a controversial material in that animals are farmed and killed for their skins (pelage). W...
Glass ceramic
Glass ceramic is a family of materials that combines the benefits of both: they are formed like c...
Gold, Au
Gold is revered for its properties: a combination of colour, corrosion resistance, weight and mal...
Granite
Granite is an igneous rock (formed from magma) consisting mainly of silica (SiO2), feldspar and o...
Grass
The stems of many different types of grass, seagrass, rush, bulrush and sedge, are used to make f...
Gypsum, CaSO4·2H2O, Calcium sulphate
Gypsum mineral is heated to produce materials useful for building. It is a soft sulphate mineral ...
Hemp, Cannabis sativa L.
Hemp (Cannabis sativa) is cultivated for its fibres, seed oil and woody stem. While the seeds are...
High modulus glass fibre, Al-Si, Aluminosilicate
High modulus glass fibre, used in the production of high strength laminated composites, is produc...
Iron, Fe
Iron is a valuable modern engineering material that, in the past, played an import role in the de...
Jute fibre, Corchorus
Jute is a low cost and popular fibre, second only to cotton in terms of annual production. It yie...
Larch, Larix
Larch is a softwood and member of the pine family. It is prized for its strength and durability, ...
Lignin bioplastic
Lignin leftover from paper making is the main component in a new class of innovation bio-based pl...
Lime
Lime is an ancient building material that continues to be used today, because it has many benefit...
Limestone, CaCO3
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It is formed underw...
Magnesium, Mg, Mag alloy
Magnesium alloys, whether cast or wrought (extruded), have very good strength to weight and low d...
Maple, Acer
Maple is a hard timber prized for its light colour, high strength and shock resisting properties....
Marble, CaCO3
Marble is a metamorphic rock, formed when limestone is exposed to high temperatures and pressures...
Moulded pulp, PAP, Paper pulp
Moulded pulp uses the same wood-based raw materials as paper production, plus a range of plants f...
Natural rubber, NR
Natural rubber is a relatively low cost industrial material produced from the sap of the Pará rub...
Nickel, Ni
Nickel is a bright silvery metal with outstanding corrosion resistance, chemical resistance and h...
Oak, Quercus
Traditionally used in a wide range of applications – from toys to floors and boats to build...
Paper
Ranging from webs designed for printing at incredible speeds with precise surface quality to soft...
Pine, Pinus
Pine ranges from light brown heartwood to white sapwood, with conspicuous growth rings. It has mo...
Pineapple fibre, Ananas comosus
Pineapple (Ananas comosus) leaf fibres, sometimes abbreviated as PALF, are a by-product of pineap...
Polyamide, PA, PPA, PARA, Nylon
Polyamide (PA), nylon, is a significant engineering material and important in textiles, films and...
Polyamide fibre, PA, Nylon
As well as being utilised in 100% polyamide (PA) nylon fabrics, it is blended with cotton and vis...
Polycarbonate, PC
Polycarbonate (PC) is an important engineering plastic. It offers excellent transparency, toughne...
Polyester fibre, PET, PBT, PTT
Polyester fibre is the most common of the synthetic fibres. Of the different types, polyethylene ...
Polyethylene, PE
Polyethylene (PE) is a cheap and versatile plastic used in many everyday food contact application...
Polymethyl methacrylate, PMMA, Acrylic
Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), acrylic, is a transparent plastic often compared to glass. Indeed...
Polypropylene, PP
A lightweight, low cost, widely recycled commodity plastic useful in packaging, textiles, automot...
Polystyrene, PS
Polystyrene (PS) is a cheap plastic used for moulded packaging and disposables, as well as a rigi...
Polyurethane resin, PUR, Urethane
Polyurethane resin (PUR) is an extremely versatile and durable plastic that may be thermoplastic ...
Polyvinyl chloride, PVC, Vinyl
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), often referred to simply as vinyl, is an important industrial material ...
Poplar & Aspen, Populus
Poplar and aspen are lightweight, and soft, hardwoods with very good strength to weight. They pro...
Seaweed bioplastic
Bio-based plastics produced from seaweed have the potential to replace conventional plastics in m...
Silica, SiO2, Silicone dioxide
Silica is an abundant mineral – sand is a form of silica, although it often contains many i...
Silicone
Silicone rubber is inorganic and unique among the elastomers. Made up of polysiloxane (silicon-ox...
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fibre produced by silkworms. Used for millennia, it is prized for its l...
Soda lime glass
Soda lime is the most common type of glass, and is used in packaging, products, furniture and lig...
Spruce, Picea
Spruce is a light coloured softwood, with little contrast between heartwood and sapwood. Unlike p...
Stainless steel
Stainless steels have very good corrosion resistance compared to carbon steels, coupled with impr...
Starch
Starch is a natural polymer, a polysaccharide which functions as a carbohydrate (sugar) store, fo...
Synthetic rubber
Synthetic rubbers are important engineering materials with properties that cross-over with silico...
Technical ceramic
Technical ceramics, also called advanced ceramics, are a group of very hard, inert, and dimension...
Thermoplastic elastomer, TPE
Thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) are rubber-like plastics, that can be converted by injection mouldi...
Thermoplastic polyester, PET, PBT, PCT
Thermoplastic polyester offers an amazing balance of properties considering its very low price. A...
Thermoplastic polyurethane, TPU
Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) has the characteristics of both plastic and rubber. Unlike polyu...
Titanium, Ti
Named after the first Greek gods, the Titans, titanium is prized for its corrosion resistance, st...
Polyester resin, UPR
Unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) is a relatively low cost and durable thermosetting plastic made...
Wool
Wool and hair are insulating and protective in nature. For millennia, these qualities have been t...
Zinc, Zn
Zinc is used mainly as protection for steel (galvanised or electroplated), in brass (copper alloy...