Chemical Resistance Quick-Ref: Uhmwpe/Hdpe Vs Common Industrial Media

If you choose the wrong plastic for a tank, liner, or ground mat, you don’t just replace one sheet.
You lose production, you clean a big mess, and sometimes you even scrap a full batch.

That’s why we talk so much about chemical resistance when we design UHMWPE & HDPE sheets and plates at Dongxing Rubber.
Let’s walk through the real picture, in simple words, with a quick table you can keep in mind.

Why Chemical Resistance For UHMWPE/HDPE Sheets Matters

UHMWPE and HDPE look similar on paper:

both are polyethylene
both are light, tough, and easy to machine
both are common for tanks, chute liners, road mats, ice rink boards, and fender pads

But in the field you care about other things:

will this sheet soften or swell in my chemical?
what happens when the temperature jumps?
does it still behave the same after five years of wash-down and CIP?
can I put the same material into food area and acid area?

If the answer is wrong, your nice UHMWPE HDPE sheets & plates become just one more maintenance headache.

Chemical Resistance Of UHMWPE/HDPE To Non-Oxidizing Acids, Bases, And Salts

Good news first. For most “normal” process media, both materials perform very well.

Typical “green zone” media:

hydrochloric acid at low and medium concentration
diluted sulfuric acid
many organic acids like acetic (at normal levels)
sodium hydroxide / caustic soda cleaning solutions
salt brines, fertilizer solutions, many neutral salt baths

In these cases:

UHMWPE: very little attack, surface stays stable
HDPE: also very little change, even after long contact at room temperature

This is why so many plants use PP/PE products and MG engineering plastic sheets for:

pickling tanks
fertilizer hoppers
salt water storage
flue gas washing skids
chemical transfer trays

If your media list is mostly non-oxidizing acids, alkalis, and salts at moderate temperature, UHMWPE and HDPE are both safe starting points.

Limits In Strong Oxidizing Acids And Oxidizing Agents

Now the red zone.

Both UHMWPE and HDPE don’t like:

high-concentration nitric acid
very strong sulfuric (70–98 %) at high temperature
fuming acids
strong oxidizing mixes (like acid + oxidizer)
aggressive peroxide blends at high temperature
free halogens (chlorine, bromine) in strong form

Here the polymer chain can crack, the surface can get brittle, and you can see crazing, stress cracking, or full attack.

In this area, the normal playbook in plant design:

don’t push UHMWPE and HDPE too hard
think about fluoropolymers or other high-end materials
or keep exposure short and cold, if you really must

So for a nitric acid pickling line, for example, PE sheets are usually not your main wall material, they may only appear in small parts with controlled contact.

UHMWPE/HDPE Chemical Resistance In Organic Solvents

Organic solvents are a bit more tricky. The name of the solvent is not enough; you also need the family.

In general:

Alcohols (ethanol, isopropanol, many glycols)
- UHMWPE: behaves well at room temperature
- HDPE: also stable, surface change is very small
Aliphatic hydrocarbons (hexane, mineral oil, diesel-type stuff)
- UHMWPE: usually “OK but watch swelling”
- HDPE: similar behavior, small swelling under some conditions
Aromatics (toluene, xylene) and chlorinated solvents
- both UHMWPE and HDPE can swell a lot
- mechanical properties drop, especially under load
- at high temperature this get really bad

So if you run a pump skid with hexane and a bit of alcohol, PE can be fine.
But for hot toluene recirculation at high temperature, this is not a good idea. You don’t want your support pads to creep and sag under the pump frame.

Effect Of Temperature And Concentration On Chemical Resistance

Here is where many design mistakes happen. The name of the chemical is the same, but the conditions are not.

Key rules of thumb:

higher temperature = faster attack, more swelling
higher concentration = stronger attack
longer exposure time = more damage
mechanical stress + chemical = stress cracking risk

So a HDPE tank that looks perfect for 30 % acid at 25 °C can start to suffer if you move to 60 % at 60 °C.
Same chemical name, but a different world.

When you talk with Dongxing Rubber about a project, don’t just send “sulfuric acid”.
Send:

concentration range
working temperature and cleaning temperature
contact time (continuous, batch, splash)
mechanical load (static, dynamic, impact)

This is real process engineer talk, not just catalog talk.

UHMWPE vs HDPE Chemical Resistance And Mechanical Safety Margin

From a chemistry point of view, UHMWPE and HDPE are very close.
In many charts, their chemical resistance rating looks almost same.

So why do designers still pay more attention to UHMWPE for hard jobs?

Because UHMWPE has:

much higher molecular weight
better impact strength
better wear resistance
excellent sliding behavior

So the chemical window is similar, but the mechanical safety margin is bigger.

Typical logic in real projects:

HDPE for tanks and big plates in soft service
UHMWPE for liners, impact zones, chute bottoms, chain guides, and ground protection & road mats

When you combine chemical attack + abrasion + impact, UHMWPE is the “more safe” choice in many scenarios, even if the pure chemical rating is same.

Chemical Resistance In Food, Beverage, And Pharma Cleaning Media

In food and cold-chain projects, you don’t only fight chemicals.
You fight them together with:

repeated hot water rinse
frequent caustic cleaning
disinfectants like hypochlorite
mechanical impact from trays, trolleys, pallets

Here UHMWPE is popular in:

ice rink products and boards
conveyor side guides
cutting boards and wear strips
cold room bumpers and impact pads

Why? Because:

it resists typical CIP alkalis and mild acids
it handles salt spray and brine
it doesn’t suck up water
it keeps low friction for a long time

For radiation areas or nuclear medicine rooms, lead-boron polyethylene plates add another layer:

base PE matrix with good chemical behavior
plus shielding fillers for neutrons and gamma

So you still get similar compatibility with many cleaning chemicals, plus the shielding function.

Example Quick-Ref Table For UHMWPE/HDPE Chemical Resistance

You can use this table inside your design notes.
It’s not a full spec, but it gives a fast feeling.

Media group	Typical examples	UHMWPE behavior (ambient)	HDPE behavior (ambient)	Design comment
Non-oxidizing acids	HCl, diluted H₂SO₄, acetic	Very good, little or no visible attack	Very good, little or no visible change	Often first choice for sheets & plates and liners.
Caustics and alkalis	NaOH, KOH cleaning liquids	Excellent, stable even at high conc. if not too hot	Excellent, also very stable	Ideal for CIP tanks, wash lines, cabinet interiors.
Salt solutions / brines	NaCl, nitrates, sulphates	Excellent, almost no effect	Excellent, almost no effect	Good for fertilizer, brine tanks, cold-room hardware.
Alcohols & glycols	Ethanol, IPA, glycols	Very good, low swelling	Very good, low swelling	OK for dosing systems and wash fluids.
Aliphatic hydrocarbons	Hexane, mineral oils	Good, some swelling at higher temp & long time	Good, similar pattern	Watch for combined load + temperature, design some margin.
Aromatics/halogenated	Toluene, xylene, chlorinated solvents	Swelling, property drop in long or hot service	Swelling, often not recommended in hot service	Better to go for other plastics here, not UHMWPE/HDPE.
Strong oxidizing acids	Concentrated HNO₃, hot strong H₂SO₄	Poor, strong attack and cracking possible	Poor to limited, especially at high temp	Use more resistant materials, PE only for very soft conditions.

Of course, always check final data with the detailed chart, but this at least keep your mind in the right zone.

How To Use Chemical Resistance Charts Before You Call Dongxing Rubber

To wrap up, here is a short “engineer checklist” you can use before you send your RFQ:

List every medium, including cleaning liquids and emergency chemicals.
For each one, write concentration, temperature, and contact time.
Mark which parts see impact, sliding, or heavy wear.
For wear zones, think UHMWPE sheets and liners first.
For big, static panels with gentle media, HDPE plates often enough.
For shielding plus chemical resistance, look at lead-boron polyethylene plates.

When you share this info with Dongxing Rubber, we can match you with:

the right UHMWPE HDPE sheets & plates
custom cut size and machining
OEM/ODM support for PP/PE products, nylon sheets, ground mats, ice rink boards, and more
bulk wholesale options for your long-term projects

This way you don’t just “guess a plastic”.
You build a line that runs stable, less leak, less fire-fighting maintenance, and your customer feel you really know the process, not only the catalog.