Buna N Gasket Sheet Material

Nitrile, also known as Buna-N or Buna N gasket sheet, is one of the most versatile and widely used gasket materials. Except when produced for food use it has a shiny black appearance. Notable properties are excellent impact and abrasion resistance and resistance to attack by a wide range of chemicals.

Nitrile Buna-N Gasket Material Specifications:

Durometer:  40 to 70 Shore A
Thickness:  1/32” to 1”
Width:  48” rolls, Buna N Gasket Sheet cut to your specs
Temp Range:  -20°F to 170°F
Tensile Strength:  750 psi

Nitrile Buna-N gasket material is made in a range of formulations with varying properties. “Standard” nitrile is available in durometers from 40 to 70 Shore A and thicknesses from 1/32” up to 1”. Widths are 36” and 48”. It works well with oils, including vegetable and animal, as well as gasoline, caustics and aliphatic hydrocarbons. (Examples of that last group are methane, propane and ethane.) It also has good water resistance. Flexibility remains good from -20 to 170 °F and tensile strength is 750 psi.

The major limitation of nitrile, (besides the relatively low upper temperature limit,) is poor resistance to solvents and chlorinated hydrocarbons. (Those include chloroform and many of the chemicals used in plastics and solvent manufacturing.) Weather resistance is only fair.

Buna N gasket sheet material is also available in cloth-inserted (CI) grades and higher quality formulations. Higher quality formulations offer improved strength, elongation and temperature limits. For example, Thermodyne’s HNBR C3-5100 is rated at 325 °F continuous and 2,500 psi, and elongation of 700%.

In addition to gaskets and seals, Buna N gasket sheet has numerous uses in manufacturing, packaging and elsewhere. These include impact protection, protective coverings, floor mats and bumpers.