High Impact Styrene
(HIS, Poly-Styrene)
*Why use High Impact Styrene:
- Great printing, painting and silk screening on smooth surface
- Has excellent vacuum forming properties
- Excellent low temperature properties
- Bonds to itself extremely well with solvent cements
- Cuts extremely well, and is easily cut with die-cutting methods
*This materials is…
an excellent choice for low temperature applications (the inside or your refrigerator and freezer is made from Styrene). Is an great material for die-cutting or stamping. Very popular material for printing, painting, and silk screening.
- Excellent Low Temperature
- Great for vacuum forming
- Bonds well to itself
- Cuts well with standard cutting tools, easy to fabricate
This material is a very common and widely used material. In a expanded or foamed form, it is know as Styrofoam. The inside wall surfaces in your refrigerator, the 8″ X 12″ signs (like ‘For Sale’ or ‘Garage Sale’) are normally Styrene. It is the most popular rigid surface for the silk screening, printing and die cutting industries. It forms beautifully, and can be painted, sanded and processed to make prototype parts quickly. Many household items are made from this material, included these injection molded items: pens, pencil holders, packaging, small rulers 
and small plastic boxes,. In its crystalline form manufacturers produce clear water glasses and the ‘cracked ice’ ceiling panels in your kitchen. This is a relatively inexpensive material, and is available in a very wide range of thin sheet thicknesses.
 Machining Guidelines |  Chemical Resistant Chart |
Applications – Frequently used in:
- Vacuum Formed and Die Cut Parts
- Cold Temperature Parts (refrigerators)
- Beautifully printed, painted or silk screened panels or parts
- Easy to Fabricate parts, Easily Cut and Shaped
Materials Available As
Sheet:
.020″ – .250″ up to 48″ X 96″ in Natural (White) and some Black
Typical Resin Properties:
| General Property | ASTM Test | Typical Value |
| Specific Gravity | D792 | 1.045 |
| Tensile Strength Yield | D638 | 3,300 |
| Tensile Modulus | D638 | 45 |
| Izod Impact – Notched | D256 | 1.45 |
| Hardness – Rockwell | D785 | L68 |
| Deflection Temp @ 264psi | D648 | 190 |
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| Machining Guidelines | Chemical Resistant Chart |
These Properties are for evaluation purposes only. This information is not to be construed as a warranty, guarantee or assurance that you may achieve the same results. Materials made from different resin types, manufacturing techniques and manufacturers will react differently. The information should be used to compare against other materials only, and each user should make his own tests to determine suitability. No warranty as to this materials suitability are either expressed or implied.