ForMatter/Materials/polymer/ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)
mat_abs

ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)

thermoplastic, amorphous · ABS plastic, Lego plastic, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
highlast updated 2026-04-26
metallic 0.00
hue shift +0°

The Lego brick plastic. Tough, slightly matte, scratches don't show, glues with cement. The default for prototype enclosures, automotive trim, and any consumer product that needs to take a drop without shattering. Smells noticeable when cut or 3D-printed.

Amorphous terpolymer of acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene. Notch-tough across a wide temperature range, dimensionally stable, opaque. Glass transition ~105 °C. Solvent-bondable with MEK or acetone-class solvents. Common processes: injection molding, extrusion, FDM 3D printing, vacuum forming.

mechanical

  • tensile_strength_mpa42
  • yield_strength_mpa41
  • elastic_modulus_gpa2.3
  • elongation_pct30
source: MakeItFrom

thermal

  • glass_transition_c105
  • thermal_conductivity_w_mk0.18
source: MakeItFrom

physical

  • density_kg_m31050
source: MakeItFrom (typical ABS, unfilled)

Sustainability

  • embodied carbon kg co2e per kg3.1
  • sourceEditorial estimate from ICE / Granta CES EduPack class databases — industry mean, with cradle-to-gate boundary unless otherwise noted. Embodied carbon for any specific product depends on supplier mix, recycled content, and energy grid; verify against a primary source before using these numbers in a sustainability claim.
  • recyclabilitymoderate — recyclable code 7 (other), but rarely recovered curbside; industrial closed-loop common in automotive
  • biodegradableFalse
  • certifications—
visual
matte to satin, takes pigment evenly, no transparency
tactile
warm to the touch, slight grain underfingers, neither slick nor sticky
weight perception
light
acoustic
dull tap — the unmistakable sound of consumer-product housing

PBR starter values

Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere glossy finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material.

# finish:      glossy
albedo        #3a4a68
metallic      0.00
roughness     0.25
ior           1.45
transmission  0.00
clearcoat     0.40
sheen         0.00
anisotropic   0.00
copy as JSON 
{
  "albedo": "#3a4a68",
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.25,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "transmission": 0.0,
  "clearcoat": 0.4,
  "sheen": 0.0,
  "anisotropic": 0.0
}
Blender 4.x Python 
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) · finish: glossy
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_abs")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value         = (0.0423, 0.0685, 0.1384, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value           = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value          = 0.250
bsdf.inputs["IOR"].default_value                = 1.450
bsdf.inputs["Transmission Weight"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Coat Weight"].default_value        = 0.400
bsdf.inputs["Sheen Weight"].default_value       = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value        = 0.000
KeyShot Python (lux) 
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) · finish: glossy
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_abs", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse",      (58, 74, 104))   # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic",     0.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness",    0.250)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 1.450)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 0.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.400)
Substance pbrMetalRough 
{
  "_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
  "_about": "ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) \u00b7 finish: glossy",
  "baseColor": {
    "r": 0.0423,
    "g": 0.0685,
    "b": 0.1384
  },
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.25,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "opacity": 1.0,
  "anisotropyLevel": 0.0,
  "_notes": "Channels listed are the standard Substance pbrMetalRough output. Drop into a Uniform Color node per channel, or as the constant input on a layered stack."
}
glTF 2.0 Metallic-Roughness 
{
  "asset": {
    "version": "2.0",
    "generator": "ForMatter"
  },
  "materials": [
    {
      "name": "mat_abs",
      "pbrMetallicRoughness": {
        "baseColorFactor": [
          0.0423,
          0.0685,
          0.1384,
          1.0
        ],
        "metallicFactor": 0.0,
        "roughnessFactor": 0.25
      },
      "extensions": {
        "KHR_materials_ior": {
          "ior": 1.45
        },
        "KHR_materials_clearcoat": {
          "clearcoatFactor": 0.4
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
USD Preview Surface 
# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) · finish: glossy
def Material "mat_abs" {
    token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_abs/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>

    def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
        uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
        color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.0423, 0.0685, 0.1384)
        float   inputs:metallic     = 0.000
        float   inputs:roughness    = 0.250
        float   inputs:ior          = 1.450
        float   inputs:opacity      = 1.000
        float   inputs:clearcoat    = 0.400
        token   outputs:surface
    }
}
↓ download glTF material
ProcessInjection Molding · FDM 3D Printing (Fused Deposition Modeling) · Vacuum Forming (Thermoforming) · CNC Milling · Adhesive Bonding
Used inConsumer-Electronics Enclosure · Prototype / Concept Model
Substitutes
PMMA (Acrylic)
PETG (Glycol-Modified PET)

Citations