Material guide
Polycarbonate vs Acrylic: Which Clear Plastic Should You Use?
Polycarbonate is nearly unbreakable; acrylic is clearer, more scratch resistant and cheaper. Here's how they compare on impact, clarity, UV, heat, fabrication and cost, and which to use for guards, displays, signs and windows.
Choose polycarbonate when it can't break: machine guards, safety glazing, shields and anything that gets hit. Choose acrylic when it needs to look good and stay clear: displays, signs, light covers, cases and outdoor glazing that won't take impacts. Acrylic is clearer, more scratch resistant, more UV stable, easier to fabricate cleanly and usually cheaper.
The short version
Both are clear, rigid plastics sold in sheet, rod and tube, and they look alike on the shelf. Polycarbonate (PC) is about toughness: it's dramatically more impact resistant and handles more heat. Acrylic (PMMA) is about optics and finish: it's clearer, harder, weathers better and gives beautiful polished and laser-cut edges.
| Polycarbonate | Acrylic | |
|---|---|---|
| Impact resistance | Extremely high (often cited as ~30x acrylic) | Moderate; can crack or shatter |
| Light transmission | ~88–90% | ~92% |
| Scratch resistance | Low (hard-coated grades available) | Better |
| UV / outdoor stability | Yellows unless UV grade | Excellent |
| Heat resistance | Higher (~250°F service) | Lower (~160–190°F) |
| Cold bending | Yes, can be cold-formed | No; cracks, must be heated |
| Laser cutting | Poor (brown, rough edges) | Excellent (clean, polished edge) |
| Flame rating | Self-extinguishing grades available | Burns (HB) |
| Relative cost | $$ | $ |
Typical values for general-purpose sheet. Grades and coatings vary; confirm with the datasheet for your grade.
Impact and safety
Polycarbonate's toughness is the reason it exists. It flexes and absorbs impacts that would crack acrylic or shatter glass, which is why it's used for machine guards, riot shields, face shields, safety glazing and anything near moving equipment or people. If a part could take a hit, polycarbonate is the safer default.
Clarity, scratches and UV
Acrylic is slightly clearer, noticeably harder and more scratch resistant, and naturally UV stable, so it stays clear outdoors for years. That's why it's used for signs, displays, light fixtures, aquariums and retail fixtures. Polycarbonate scratches easily and yellows in sunlight unless you buy UV-protected or hard-coated grades.
Fabrication
- Laser cutting: acrylic cuts beautifully with a flame-polished edge; polycarbonate burns and discolors, so it's better routed or sawn.
- Bending: polycarbonate can be cold-bent on a brake; acrylic must be heated (line bending) or it will crack.
- Machining: both machine well with sharp tools. Acrylic can chip if tools are dull; polycarbonate can get gummy.
- Bonding: acrylic solvent-welds into nearly invisible joints, a big plus for displays and cases.
- Cast vs extruded acrylic: cast acrylic machines and laser cuts better; extruded is cheaper and more consistent in thickness.
See laser cutting, CNC routing and line bending shops below.
Cleaning and chemicals
Both are attacked by many solvents. Polycarbonate is also damaged by alkaline cleaners like ammonia, and acrylic can craze with alcohol and solvent cleaners. Use mild soap and water or a cleaner made for plastics, and a soft cloth.
When to choose each
Choose polycarbonate for
- Machine guards and safety shields
- Security, school and sports glazing
- Face shields, sneeze guards in high-traffic areas
- Parts that need cold bending or higher heat
- Flame-rated clear parts
Choose acrylic for
- Signs, displays and retail fixtures
- Light covers and lenses
- Cases, enclosures and showpieces
- Outdoor glazing without impact risk
- Laser-cut and polished-edge parts
Tip from the counter: for machine guards, ask whether operators will clean them with shop solvents. If so, consider a hard-coated, chemical-resistant polycarbonate grade, or the guard will cloud and craze within months.
Common questions
Is Lexan the same as polycarbonate, and Plexiglas the same as acrylic?
Yes. Lexan and Makrolon are well-known polycarbonate brands. Plexiglas, Acrylite and Optix are acrylic (PMMA) brands. "Plexiglass" is often used generically for any clear plastic sheet, so confirm which material a print or quote actually means.
What are the disadvantages of polycarbonate?
It scratches more easily than acrylic, yellows in sunlight unless it's a UV-protected grade, costs more, and is attacked by many solvents and by alkaline cleaners like ammonia. It also doesn't laser cut cleanly; edges come out brown and rough.
Does polycarbonate crack easily?
No. Polycarbonate is one of the most impact-resistant clear materials available, far tougher than acrylic or glass. It can crack from chemical attack (stress cracking from solvents or harsh cleaners) or around tight, overstressed fasteners, but not from normal impacts.
Does polycarbonate turn yellow in the sun?
Standard polycarbonate does yellow and lose strength with long UV exposure. For outdoor use, specify a UV-protected (UV-coextruded or UV-stabilized) grade. Acrylic is naturally UV resistant and stays clear outdoors for many years.
Why not use acrylic for windows?
Acrylic is used for many windows, including aircraft and aquarium windows, because it's clearer and weathers well. Where impact or break resistance matters (security glazing, machine guards, school and sports glazing), polycarbonate is used instead because acrylic can crack or shatter on hard impact.
Values in this guide are typical figures for common unfilled grades, for general comparison only. Properties vary by manufacturer, grade, filler, and shape. Before you specify, buy or machine a material for an application, check the manufacturer's datasheet and the material certifications for the exact grade you're getting, and confirm suitability with your supplier.
Who stocks and machines it
Distributors that stock these materials and shops that machine or fabricate them, from the Stock & Shape directory.
Polycarbonate
- Laird Plastics – Chicago Bensenville, IL
- Midwest Plastics Omaha, NE
- Piedmont Plastics – Charlotte Charlotte, NC
- Port Plastics – Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
- Ardel Engineering & Manufacturing Minneapolis, MN
- BeraTek Industries Cedar Rapids, IA
- Grovtec Machining Wood Village, OR
- Steven Plastics Hoffman Estates, IL
Acrylic
- Calsak Plastics – Minneapolis Blaine, MN
- Curbell Plastics – Rochester Rochester, NY
- Piedmont Plastics – Greenville Greenville, SC
- Port Plastics – San Diego San Diego, CA
- CGS Precision Technologies Webster, NY
- Cutting Experts Tucker, GA
- NewEra Manufacturing Saint George, UT
- Sigma CNC Machine Works Avondale, AZ