Polyamides (nylons)

polyamides

6 materials across 1 types

About polyamides (nylons)

Polyamides (PA6, PA66, PA11, PA12, PA46, PPA): strength, moisture uptake and temperature data with sources.

Nylons are tough, wear-resistant plastics used for gears, bearings, fasteners and 3D printing. They absorb water from the air, which lowers stiffness, so values are given dry or conditioned as the source states.

At a glance

Highest density: Polyphthalamide (PPA) reaches 1.47 g/cm³. Lowest: Polyamide 12 (PA 12) starts at 0.9 g/cm³. (6 of 6 grades have a sourced value.)
Highest tensile strength: Polyphthalamide (PPA) reaches 220 MPa. Lowest: Polyamide 12 (PA 12) starts at 45 MPa. (4 of 6 grades have a sourced value.)
Highest young's modulus: PA 46 reaches 16 GPa. Lowest: Polyamide 11 (PA 11) starts at 0.35 GPa. (4 of 6 grades have a sourced value.)

Ranges run across the conditions each source reports (temper, heat treatment, form), measured at room temperature where the source says so.

How they compare

The same measurements for every material in the collection. A range means the grade has values under several conditions; "at least" means the source gives a specified minimum. "no data" means no sourced value yet. For ranked tables, open a benchmark.

Polyamides (nylons): how the grades compare
Material	Density	Tensile strength	Young's modulus	Glass transition	Heat deflection temperature	Maximum service temperature
Polyamide 11 (PA 11)semicrystalline engineering thermoplastic made from castor oil; the plasticised Rilsan pellet grades read here are for tube extrusion and injection moulding, not for powder-bed printing	1.03 to 1.05 g/cm³	48 to 55 MPa	0.35 GPa	no data	45 to 130 °C	no data
Polyamide 12 (PA 12)semicrystalline engineering thermoplastic; the powder grade (EOS PA 2200 and similar) is the common 3D-printing feedstock for laser sintering and multi jet fusion	0.9 to 0.95 g/cm³	45 to 46 MPa	1.7 GPa	no data	no data	80 to 160 °C
PA 46high-heat engineering thermoplastic for moulded gear, housing and structural parts	1.18 to 1.19 g/cm³	55 to 103 MPa	1 to 16 GPa	no data	160 to 290 °C	100 to 200 °C
Polyamide 6 (nylon 6) (PA 6)semicrystalline engineering thermoplastic; flown as a thin film in the MISSE 2 PEACE polymer set; ground values read in dry (as-moulded) and conditioned states where the supplier states them	1.12 to 1.15 g/cm³	no data	no data	no data	200 °C	no data
PA 66engineering thermoplastic for moulded parts, with a dry and a conditioned state	1.13 to 1.14 g/cm³	no data	no data	no data	70 to 75 °C	no data
Polyphthalamide (PPA)high-temperature polyamide for moulded connectors and parts that replace metal	1.45 to 1.47 g/cm³	210 to 220 MPa	11.5 to 12.1 GPa	140 °C	260 to 303 °C	no data

Where they are used

Uses
Use	Grades
Automotive fluid-transfer and air-brake tubing	Polyamide 11 (PA 11)
Cable sheathing	Polyamide 11 (PA 11)
Ground 3D-printed parts from PA11 fine powder	Polyamide 11 (PA 11)
Aerospace and automotive parts made by powder-bed fusion	Polyamide 12 (PA 12)
Precision aerospace and medical components with low porosity	Polyamide 12 (PA 12)
Fully functional prototypes made by laser sintering (ground manufacturing)	Polyamide 12 (PA 12)
Electronic foot throttle assemblies	PA 46
Gears and structural parts (50 % glass fibre)	PA 46
Under-the-hood engine and transmission parts	PA 46
Gears and bearings	Polyamide 6 (nylon 6) (PA 6), PA 66
Load-bearing automotive and electronics parts	Polyamide 6 (nylon 6) (PA 6)
Fibres: parachutes, aircraft tyre cord and towing cables (wartime Germany)	Polyamide 6 (nylon 6) (PA 6)
Terminals and cable connectors	PA 66
Automotive under-the-hood housings and gears (33 % glass)	PA 66
Electrical and electronic connector housings and surface-mount parts	Polyphthalamide (PPA)
Pump wear rings and motor bobbins	Polyphthalamide (PPA)

When each grade fits

Best use and weak spots of each grade
Material	Best for	Weakest at
Polyamide 11 (PA 11)	Ground tubing, fluid-transfer lines and injection-moulded parts from plasticised PA11 pellets, where the Arkema datasheet values are known	UV: the only UV result read is a rising carbonyl index in a clay-filled PA11 study (Kaci 2018), with no tensile loss figure; water uptake reaches 1.6 % at equilibrium; the plasticised grades soften at 45 degC under 1.8 MPa load
Polyamide 12 (PA 12)	Ground 3D-printed functional parts from PA12 powder (laser sintering and multi jet fusion), where the printed-part values are known	UV ageing: accelerated weathering cut tensile strength by about 40 % and elongation by about 84 % for non-coated additive-manufactured PA12; water uptake reaches 1.93 % in hot water
PA 46	Heat-tolerant moulded parts that carry load: TW341 has a deflection temperature of 190 °C at 1.8 MPa, and the 50 % glass-filled TW241F10 grade has 290 °C at 1.80 MPa	Water: TW341 takes up 3.7 % moisture at 50 % RH and its tensile modulus falls from 3300 MPa dry to 1000 MPa conditioned. Strong acids and strong alkalis are rated unacceptable for Nylatron 4.6
Polyamide 6 (nylon 6) (PA 6)	Flight-proven polymer for atomic-oxygen exposure data in low Earth orbit (only one flight value read here)	Moisture uptake: the Aquafil sheet gives a saturation water uptake of 10 %, and the stiffness and strength values fall once conditioned
PA 66	Stiff moulded parts where the dry state is known: 3 GPa tensile modulus and 85 MPa yield stress in the dry BASF Q601 grade, as printed on the datasheet page	Water: 8.5 % moisture at saturation changes the stiffness and strength of the part. The conditioned Q603 grade has a tensile modulus of 1.2 GPa against 3 GPa dry
Polyphthalamide (PPA)	Moulded connector housings and parts that replace metal at high temperature: the glass-filled grades keep a heat deflection temperature of 260 to 303 degC and a melting point of 300 to 310 degC	Water and long-term heat. The Zytel 35 % glass grade absorbs 3.5 % water at saturation, and its relative thermal index for impact is 125 degC. No UV, atomic-oxygen or vacuum result for PPA was found.