ForMatter/Materials/polymer/Polycarbonate (PC)
mat_polycarbonate_pc

Polycarbonate (PC)

amorphous engineering thermoplastic, transparent, high impact · PC, Lexan (SABIC), Makrolon (Covestro), polycarbonate
highlast updated 2026-04-27
metallic 0.00
hue shift +0°

The transparent thermoplastic safety glasses, riot shields, motorcycle helmet face shields, and Apple's iPhone 5C are made of. About 200 times more impact-resistant than glass at the same thickness, and clear enough that you can use it as window glazing. Scratches more easily than acrylic — the trade for the impact resistance.

Amorphous thermoplastic, repeating bisphenol-A carbonate ester. Tg ~150 °C. Density 1.20 g/cm³. Tensile strength 65 MPa, Charpy notched impact 800–1000 J/m (versus 30 J/m for PMMA). Refractive index 1.586. Solvent-attacks readily by aromatic and chlorinated hydrocarbons. Stress-cracks in contact with many cleaning agents — the design constraint.

mechanical

  • tensile_strength_mpa65
  • yield_strength_mpa62
  • elastic_modulus_gpa2.4
  • elongation_pct_at_break110
  • charpy_notched_impact_j_m850
  • density_kg_m31200
source: MakeItFrom; Covestro Makrolon datasheet

thermal

  • glass_transition_c150
  • service_max_c120
  • thermal_conductivity_w_mk0.21
source: Covestro datasheet

optical

  • refractive_index1.586
source: MakeItFrom

Sustainability

  • embodied carbon kg co2e per kg7.6
  • 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.
  • embodied carbon recycled kg co2e per kg1.9
  • recyclabilitymoderate — recyclable as PC #7 "other" stream; bisphenol-A in mainstream feedstock is regulated for food contact in many jurisdictions
  • biodegradableFalse
  • certificationsUL94 V-0 (flame-retardant grades), FDA 21 CFR 177.1580 (food contact, restricted)
visual
water-clear in unfilled grade; tints across full color range available; warmer transparent tone than acrylic
tactile
lighter under the hand than glass at the same thickness, slightly warmer than acrylic

PBR starter values

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

# finish:      transparent
albedo        #c8d8e0
metallic      0.00
roughness     0.05
ior           1.50
transmission  1.00
clearcoat     0.00
sheen         0.00
anisotropic   0.00
copy as JSON 
{
  "albedo": "#c8d8e0",
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.05,
  "ior": 1.5,
  "transmission": 1.0,
  "clearcoat": 0.0,
  "sheen": 0.0,
  "anisotropic": 0.0
}
Blender 4.x Python 
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# Polycarbonate (PC) · finish: transparent
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_polycarbonate_pc")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value         = (0.5776, 0.6867, 0.7454, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value           = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value          = 0.050
bsdf.inputs["IOR"].default_value                = 1.500
bsdf.inputs["Transmission Weight"].default_value = 1.000
bsdf.inputs["Coat Weight"].default_value        = 0.000
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
# Polycarbonate (PC) · finish: transparent
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_polycarbonate_pc", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse",      (200, 216, 224))   # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic",     0.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness",    0.050)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 1.500)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 1.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.000)
Substance pbrMetalRough 
{
  "_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
  "_about": "Polycarbonate (PC) \u00b7 finish: transparent",
  "baseColor": {
    "r": 0.5776,
    "g": 0.6867,
    "b": 0.7454
  },
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.05,
  "ior": 1.5,
  "opacity": 0.0,
  "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_polycarbonate_pc",
      "pbrMetallicRoughness": {
        "baseColorFactor": [
          0.5776,
          0.6867,
          0.7454,
          1.0
        ],
        "metallicFactor": 0.0,
        "roughnessFactor": 0.05
      },
      "extensions": {
        "KHR_materials_transmission": {
          "transmissionFactor": 1.0
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
USD Preview Surface 
# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# Polycarbonate (PC) · finish: transparent
def Material "mat_polycarbonate_pc" {
    token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_polycarbonate_pc/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>

    def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
        uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
        color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.5776, 0.6867, 0.7454)
        float   inputs:metallic     = 0.000
        float   inputs:roughness    = 0.050
        float   inputs:ior          = 1.500
        float   inputs:opacity      = 0.000
        float   inputs:clearcoat    = 0.000
        token   outputs:surface
    }
}
↓ download glTF material
ProcessInjection Molding · CNC Milling · Laser Cutting · Vacuum Forming (Thermoforming) · FDM 3D Printing (Fused Deposition Modeling) · Adhesive Bonding
Used inEyewear Frame · Consumer-Electronics Enclosure
Substitutes
PMMA (Acrylic)
PETG (Glycol-Modified PET)

Citations