English 
In the world of plastics, there are many types of materials that are available. Luckily, in our world of edgebandings, the main plastics are PVC and ABS (some are considering PP for the time being, but the main products are still PVC and ABS).
We are receiving many questions about the difference between two materials. The customers are asking why they should prefer PVC over ABS or visa-versa.
| Parameter | PVC | ABS |
|---|---|---|
| Environment | PVC can be recycled; however, burning PVC can expose harmful gas to the environment. PVC takes longer time than ABS to be decomposed. | ABS is considered to be the 'Green' because it can be recycled. However, the recycling can be done by burning the material also, no harmful gas is exposed. ABS takes shorter period of time to decompose in the ground. |
| Resistant to Fire | PVC is also resistant to fire, however, in case of fire, the gas exposure is risky and unhealthy. | ABS more resistant to fire. Even if there is fire, the exposure of harmful is limited. C |
| Durability | PVC is more resistant to solvent and UV lights. It is possible to use the strongest form of solvent. | ABS can be damaged if a strong solvent is used. ABS is less resistant to lights. However, at Tece, we are using the best pigment to have the better results. |
| Costing | PVC is cheaper than ABS and other plastic materials. | ABS is the most expensive edgebanding solution in the plastic segment. |
| Processing | PVC is a good product for all sorts of edgebanders. However, due to its strong composition, it is little harder to process than ABS in edgebanders. | It is more convenient to process ABS on edgebanders. The lifetime of trimming knives of the edgebanding is longer. Only be careful with the selection of solvent to be used for cleaning. |
| Availability | At Tece, both products are readily available. For PVC, our capacity is high, minimum order requirement is higher. | For ABS, we have one advantage which is we have a smaller line whom we can supply lesser quantity. |
| For laser edgebanding | If PVC is burned, the exposure of the gas is harmful. Therefore, for laser, or airtech technolody, PVC cannot be used. | ABS is the perfect product for laser technology due to its resistant to fire and also when burned, there is not harmful gas. It is only recommended to used minimum thickness of 1mm for laser edgebanding processed. |
| Color strength | At Tece, we use the same technology of printing for PVC as well as ABS. So they are both on the same level. | For ABS, we are using the highest quality of pigments to avoid any yellowing or fading issue on plain colors. |
| Dimensions | In PVC, thickness between 0.3mm and 2.8mm is possible. The width can be between 14mm and 610mm | In ABS, thickness between 0.3mm and 2mm is possible. The width can be between 14mm and 250mm |
At Tece, we believe that both PVC and ABS are decent products. Yet, right now, each market needs different product. Simply put, 'neither furniture producer or edgebanding supplier do not decide which product to go for'. Yet, the market decides which products needed. In Germany, only ABS is preferred; in India, people don't even know ABS. In USA, both products are sold.
For more information or to receive samples in both products, please get in touch with us.
