Chemical resistance for industrial hoses
The manufacturer's table from NORRES BAGGERMAN covers over 1,400 media against 16 hose materials at operating temperatures from 20 °C to 100 °C. Use it to determine whether the hose you are considering can handle the chemical that needs to run through it — or whether the material should be chosen differently.
Why material choice is critical
The wrong material on an industrial hose often costs more than the hose itself. Cumulative chemical attack happens slowly — an ester PUR turning brittle and cracking after two months, a PVC that softens and leaks, or a silicone hose that swells from solvents. When the hose is allowed to fail in service, the consequence is rarely just the replacement. It also becomes a lost product batch, a contaminated process, or a safety incident if the medium is aggressive enough.
Resistance is not a binary property. It depends on four factors at once: the medium (the chemical being transported), its concentration, the temperature, and the contact time. A PVC that can handle 10 % hydrochloric acid at 20 °C may be unsuitable for 40 % at the same temperature. A PTFE liner that withstands almost everything up to 100 °C can still fail under continuous friction with an abrasive particle. The NORRES BAGGERMAN resistance table provides a qualified starting point for material selection — but the final decision requires knowledge of your specific process.
16 materials in the resistance table
The table is split across two documents. Table 1 (Technical Hoses – 1) covers 13 plastic and elastomer types in the NORRES BAGGERMAN primary hose programme, and Table 2 (Technical Hoses – 2) supplements with three traditional rubber types plus a comparison column for PUR and PVC.
- Ester-PURstandard polyurethane, high abrasion resistance
- Ether-PUR (FOOD)hydrolysis-resistant, FDA-suitable
- Soft PVCflexible polyvinyl chloride
- LLDPEAIRDUC® and PROTAPE® ranges
- HDPE / LDPECP series, chemical hoses
- TPEthermoplastic elastomer
- NEOPRENE®chloroprene rubber
- HYP (CSM)hypalon — chemical and UV resistant
- VITON®fluoroelastomer, acid and solvent resistant
- Siliconetemperature-resistant up to 200 °C
- PTFEnearly universal liner material
- PA (polyamide)nylon, mechanically strong
- ARAMIDreinforcement fibre
- NBRnitrile rubber, oil-resistant
- EPDMhot water, steam and polar solvents
- NR (natural rubber)classic elastic rubber
How to read the resistance table
The two tables use different notations, and it matters that you have the difference clear:
- In Table 1 a numerical scale is used: 1 = good resistance, 2 = limited (resistant under specific conditions, requires testing), 3 = unsuitable. An empty cell means not tested — which is not automatically the same as unsuitable.
- In Table 2 the letters A = good, B = limited, C = unsuitable are used.
- Each material column is subdivided into two temperatures: typically 20 °C and 60 °C for plastics, 20 °C and 80 °C for elastomers, and 20 °C and 100 °C for PTFE and ARAMID.
Three rules trump everything else: the values apply to one medium at a time — mixtures can both improve and worsen resistance. Higher temperature typically extends contact effect and accelerates chemical attack. And mechanical load on top of the chemical attack (vibration, bending, abrasion) can shift a material from "1" to "2" in practice.
Three practical examples
The examples below are drawn directly from the two NORRES BAGGERMAN resistance tables. They show how the table value (1/2/3 in Table 1, A/B/C in Table 2) translates into a concrete material recommendation.
1. Hydrochloric acid 40 % at 20 °C
Aggressive strong acid — seen in metal cleaning, boiler descaling and certain chemical production steps.
Recommended (Table 1): PTFE (1), VITON® (1) and HYP/CSM (1) are all resistant. Hard PVC can often be used; soft PVC should be limited to low temperatures.
Avoid: Ester-PUR and Ether-PUR have no primary data for 40 %, and NEOPRENE® and natural rubber (NR) are not an obvious choice at such high acid concentration.
2. Ethanol (100 %) in industrial use
A classic solvent and cleaning medium in food, pharma and chemical industry.
Recommended: HDPE/LDPE (CP series) and LLDPE (AIRDUC®/PROTAPE®) score 1/1 in Table 1 at both 20 and 60 °C. PTFE is 1, and VITON® is 1. In Table 2, EPDM, NBR, SBR and NR all score "A" (good) for ethanol.
Caution: Ester-PUR scores 2 (limited) at 20 °C and the data at 60 °C is not unambiguous — it is not a first choice for ethanol exposure at higher temperature. Soft PVC is fine at 20 °C, but 60 °C is problematic and should be avoided.
3. Acetone (pure solvent)
Polar ketone — widely used for paint stripping, cleaning and technical washing. Acetone is famous for attacking many standard plastic materials.
Recommended: PTFE is 1/1 (good at both 20 and 100 °C) in Table 1, and LLDPE is 1/1. In Table 2, EPDM scores "A" for acetone — often the economical choice when a pure elastomer is needed.
Avoid: NBR is "C" (unsuitable) in Table 2 — nitrile rubber loses structure in acetone. HDPE/LDPE scores 2 (limited). PUR (Ester-PUR) and soft PVC have no safe data and are practically discouraged for acetone lines.
When your medium is not in the table
The table contains around 1,400 substances — but that does not necessarily mean every mixture, concentration or specialty product is covered. In case of doubt we can do three things: consult the NORRES BAGGERMAN application database for comparable media, propose a test setup that can be run at your site or at NORRES BAGGERMAN, or commission a laboratory resistance test. Contact us with the product name, concentration, operating temperature and contact time — with those four data points we can usually offer a well-qualified first proposal within a few business days.
Download resistance tables
Frequently asked questions about chemical resistance
What do the values 1, 2 and 3 mean in the resistance table?
1 = good resistance (recommended), 2 = limited resistance (test at the specific temperature and concentration), 3 = unsuitable (avoid). An empty cell means "not tested" — which is not automatically the same as unsuitable.
What is the difference between Table 1 and Table 2?
Table 1 (Technical Hoses – 1) uses the numerical scale 1/2/3 and covers 13 plastic and elastomer types in the main programme. Table 2 (Technical Hoses – 2) uses the letters A/B/C and supplements with traditional rubber types plus a PUR/PVC comparison.
Is PTFE resistant to all chemicals?
PTFE has the broadest resistance profile of the tested materials and scores 1 (good) for most media at both 20 and 100 °C. But PTFE has lower mechanical wear resistance than PUR and should not be chosen if abrasive wear is the primary challenge.
Which hose is recommended for hydrochloric acid?
For 40 % hydrochloric acid at 20 °C, PTFE (1), VITON (1) and HYP/CSM (1) are all resistant per NORRES BAGGERMAN's table. Ester-PUR and Ether-PUR have no primary data for 40 %. Hard PVC often works; soft PVC should be limited to low temperatures.
Which hose is recommended for solvents like acetone?
PTFE is resistant to acetone (1/1 at 20 and 100 °C). LLDPE is also resistant (1/1). EPDM scores A in Table 2 for acetone. NBR (nitrile rubber) is C (unsuitable) — avoid it. PUR and soft PVC are not recommended for acetone lines.
What if my chemical is a mixture?
The table values apply to one medium at a time. Mixtures can both improve and worsen resistance — so it's not possible to look it up directly. Contact us with the mixture's components, their concentration, temperature and contact time, and we'll find a qualified match.
Does temperature affect resistance?
Yes. Each material column has two temperature sub-columns (typically 20 and 60 °C, or 20 and 80 °C for elastomers). Higher temperature typically leads to faster chemical attack and can shift a material from "1" to "2" or "3".