Material guide
Low-Friction Plastics for Wear Strips, Guides and Bushings
Which plastic has the lowest friction, and which actually lasts as a wear strip, guide rail or bushing? UHMW, PTFE, acetal, filled nylon and PEEK compared, with how to pick by load, speed, heat and abrasion.
PTFE has the lowest friction, but UHMW is the best all-around wear strip: slippery, very abrasion and impact resistant, and inexpensive. Use acetal (or PTFE-filled acetal) for precise guides and bushings, oil- or MoS2-filled nylon for heavy, slow loads, and PEEK or polyimide bearing grades when heat or speed is beyond what UHMW can handle.
Low friction isn't the same as long wear
The slipperiest plastic doesn't always last longest. PTFE has the lowest friction but is soft and wears quickly on its own. UHMW is slightly less slippery but far more wear and impact resistant. Pick by the whole job: load, speed, temperature, abrasion, and whether the part must hold a precise shape.
| Material | Friction (typical, vs steel) | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| UHMW | Very low (~0.10–0.20) | Wear strips, chain guides, liners, star wheels | ~180°F limit, high thermal expansion, soft |
| PTFE | Lowest (~0.05–0.10) | Slide plates, seals, low-load sliding, high temps | Creeps and wears unfilled; use filled grades |
| Acetal / PTFE-filled acetal | Low (~0.15–0.30) | Precise guides, bushings, rollers, gears | Less abrasion resistant than UHMW |
| Nylon, oil or MoS2 filled | Low (~0.15–0.25 filled) | Heavy, slow loads, wear pads, large bushings | Absorbs moisture; looser fits needed |
| HDPE | Low (~0.20–0.30) | Light-duty slides, low-cost guards | Wears faster than UHMW |
| PEEK, Torlon, Vespel bearing grades | Low (filled) | High heat, high PV, high-speed bearings | Cost |
Friction values are rough ranges; real values depend on load, speed, finish and mating surface.
Wear strips and chain guides
UHMW is the default for conveyor wear strips, chain and belt guides, and chute liners. For faster lines or higher loads, look at lubricated or filled UHMW grades, which run cooler and wear longer. Use slotted mounting holes and expansion gaps, since UHMW grows noticeably with temperature. On food lines, natural or metal-detectable UHMW grades are common.
Bushings and bearings
- Light to moderate load, precise fit: acetal or PTFE-filled acetal (Delrin AF type).
- Heavy load, slow speed, dirty environment: oil-filled or MoS2-filled cast nylon.
- High temperature or high speed: PEEK, Torlon or polyimide bearing grades filled with carbon, graphite and PTFE.
- Chemical exposure or very low load: filled PTFE.
Heat: the usual failure
Most plastic wear parts fail from heat, not load alone. Friction makes heat, and polyethylenes, acetal and nylon all soften well below 250°F. If a wear strip or bushing is glazing, melting or wearing fast, reduce speed or load, add clearance, switch to a filled grade, or step up to a high-temperature bearing material.
Quick picks
Use UHMW for
- Conveyor wear strips and chain guides
- Chute, hopper and truck-bed liners
- Star wheels and scrapers on food lines
Use something else when
- The part must hold a tight tolerance (acetal)
- Loads are heavy and slow (filled cast nylon)
- It runs hot or fast (PEEK or Torlon bearing grades)
- Friction must be as low as possible (filled PTFE)
Tip from the counter: when a customer says a wear strip "doesn't last," ask about speed and heat before changing materials. A filled UHMW grade or better mounting often fixes it for less than jumping to an engineering plastic.
Related: Delrin vs UHMW, UHMW vs HDPE, Delrin vs nylon.
Common questions
What plastic has the least friction?
PTFE (Teflon) has the lowest coefficient of friction of any solid plastic, often around 0.05 to 0.10 against steel. But unfilled PTFE is soft, creeps under load and wears quickly, so for wear strips and bearings it's usually used filled (with glass, carbon or bronze) or as a filler in other plastics like acetal or PEEK.
What is the best plastic for wear strips?
UHMW is the standard choice for conveyor wear strips, chain guides and liners: very low friction, outstanding abrasion and impact resistance, FDA grades, and low cost. Step up to a lubricated or filled UHMW for faster lines, acetal for precise guides, or PEEK and PTFE-based materials above UHMW's roughly 180°F limit.
What is self-lubricating plastic?
A plastic that slides without grease or oil, either because the base polymer is naturally slippery (UHMW, PTFE, acetal) or because it's filled with lubricants like PTFE, MoS2, graphite, wax or oil. Self-lubricating plastics are used where grease would contaminate product or attract dirt.
Is UHMW or Delrin better for a wear strip?
UHMW for most wear strips: it's slipperier, more abrasion and impact resistant, and cheaper in long lengths. Delrin is better when the guide must hold a precise profile or tolerance, or carries heavier steady loads. See our Delrin vs UHMW guide for the full comparison.
What is PV limit?
PV is pressure (load per area) times sliding velocity. Every bearing material has a PV limit above which it overheats and wears rapidly. Low-friction plastics like UHMW have low PV limits; filled PEEK, Torlon and polyimide bearing grades handle much higher PV. If a plastic bushing or wear strip is melting or wearing fast, PV is usually the reason.
Friction and wear figures in this guide are typical, for general comparison only. Real-world friction and wear depend on load, speed, temperature, surface finish, the mating material and contamination. Check the manufacturer's datasheet and material certs for your exact grade, and test in your application when it matters.
Who stocks and machines it
Distributors that stock these materials and shops that machine or fabricate them, from the Stock & Shape directory.
UHMW
- Calsak Plastics – Tucson Tucson, AZ
- Laird Plastics – Detroit Shelby Township, MI
- Piedmont Plastics – Dallas Grand Prairie, TX
- Total Plastics – Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
- CGR Products – Greensboro Greensboro, NC
- Hi Rel Plastics & Molding Riverside, CA
- K&E Plastics Bennington, VT
- Portland Precision Manufacturing Portland, OR
PTFE (Teflon)
- Calsak Plastics – Portland Portland, OR
- Curbell Plastics – Dallas-Fort Worth Arlington, TX
- Piedmont Plastics – Salt Lake City Sandy, UT
- Total Plastics – Tampa Tampa, FL
- Carlson Tool & Manufacturing Cedarburg, WI
- H. H. Arnold Co. Rockland, MA
- MF Engineering Company Bristol, RI
- NN, Inc. – Algonquin Algonquin, IL
Acetal (Delrin)
- Cope Plastics – Hiawatha Hiawatha, IA
- Interstate Advanced Materials – Portland Portland, OR
- Laird Plastics – Orlando Orlando, FL
- Piedmont Plastics – Westchester Thornwood, NY
- Ehren-Haus Industries Fort Mill, SC
- J & N Metal Products Brazil, IN
- Maximum Industries Irving, TX
- Miles Products Brunswick, OH
Nylon
- Calsak Plastics – Minneapolis Blaine, MN
- Curbell Plastics – Hartford Windsor, CT
- Laird Plastics – Tampa Tampa, FL
- Piedmont Plastics – Salt Lake City Sandy, UT
- Arctic Manufacturing Services Anchorage, AK
- Grand Traverse Machine Co. Traverse City, MI
- Pilgrim Harp Avon Lake, OH
- Seastrom Mfg. Co. Twin Falls, ID