Polyurethane vs Polyethylene Tubing

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Due to their flexible, durable, leak-resistant construction, polyurethane and polyethylene tubing has become a favorite for medical and food and beverage applications. Each material's unique chemical composition directly affects its performance and durability, allowing them to be used for different applications. Both polyurethane and polyethylene provide excellent strength and flexibility, making them ideal for use in various industries.

Contact us for more information regarding our polyurethane and polyethylene tubing products, or call us at 888-373-9233 and we will gladly assist you with your questions. Freelin-Wade is your trusted source for high-quality standard and custom polyurethane and polyethylene tubing products.

Polyurethane Vs Polyethylene Tubing Material Advantages

Polyurethane is a highly stretchable material. It provides excellent flexibility, heat resistance and cracking and puncture protection, which means that it is highly useful for applications that must withstand harsh environments. Fre-Thane is our most versatile product, with more variations—including ester-based and ether-based tubing—and color options than any other Freelin-Wade product.

Conversely, polyethylene provides increased moisture protection, while maintaining good strength and durability features. Since it is FDA approved, poly tubing is often used within the food and beverage industries.
Even though it is not as flexible as polyurethane, polyethylene still provides excellent moisture protection and resistance from cracks and puncture-related problems.

Polyurethane Beneficial Qualities

Polyurethane tubing is renowned for its ability to resist cracks, punctures, and its superior flexibility. Additional polyurethane benefits include:

Extremely flexible with excellent memory
Kink & abrasion resistant
Low gas permeability, extractables and compression set
Resistant to chemicals, water, fuel, oil and fungus
Transparent / Wide range of opaque colors

Freelin-Wade offers ester-based and ether-based polyurethane tubing. Ester-based polyurethane tubing is less expensive and provides slightly better fuel and oil resistance, while ether-based polyurethane tubing is better at withstanding deterioration from moisture. All of our catalog products are ether-based and a great choice for pneumatic applications.

Polyethylene Beneficial Qualities

As an FDA-approved tubing option, polyethylene is ideal for a wide range of liquid, gas and fluid transfer applications. Polyethylene tubing resists leakage, which in turn helps to prevent contamination. Due to its strength and durability, polyethylene is often used to create plastic bottles as well as corrosion-resistant pipes.

Superior moisture protection compared to polyurethane
FDA approved
Ideal for the food & beverage industry
Impermeable to gas and moisture
Economical

We can provide both LLDPE tubing and Liquiflex POE tubing in a wide range of materials and sizes.

Polyurethane Tubing Options

At Freelin-Wade, we stock a wide range of polyurethane tubing products. Our PU tubing provides numerous beneficial qualities and can be used for a wide range of applications, especially pneumatic air lines. We offer many options of polyurethane tubing products, including

Polyethylene Tubing Options

Freelin-Wade carries a variety of polyethylene tubing options, including low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) tubing and ultra-flexible Liquiflex tubing. Learn more about the efficient, clean fluid handling capabilities of polyethylene tubing by visiting our polyethylene tubing page or following the specific links below.

Contact Freelin-Wade For Polyurethane And Polyethylene Tubing Today

Contact us for more information regarding our polyurethane tubing and polyethylene tubing options or call us at 888-373-9233 and we will gladly assist you with your specific Polyurethane vs Polyethylene tubing questions. Freelin-Wade is your trusted source for advanced PU tubing products.