Viton® Gasket Material: Sheet & Rolls

When you need a high-quality elastomer that works well in a wide range of applications, take a look at Viton gasket material. It’s not cheap, but it will perform better than almost anything else, and that could lead to substantial maintenance savings.

Viton is the Chemours (formerly DuPont,) tradename for what’s called a “fluoroelastomer”. It’s also known as FKM in North America and as FPM in Europe. Viton is a synthetic rubber made in four grades with differing concentrations of fluorine, and it has some extremely useful qualities.

In terms of chemical compatibility, Viton pairs well with gasoline and aviation fuel, aliphatic hydrocarbons like methane, ethane and propane, and water. It also withstands weathering and exposure to ozone. However, resistance to steam is poor and exposure to some ketones, (like acetone,) strong caustics and strong acids will cause swelling and/or degradation.

The working temperature range for Viton gasket sheet material is around -10 to 400 °F, which is a higher upper limit than most elastomers. Higher concentrations of fluorine increase chemical resistance but also raise the minimum temperature.

Fluorine also has excellent compression set resistance and good abrasion resistance. Depending on grade, tensile strength is around 1,000 psi and durometer is between 50 and 90.

Viton gasket material is available in thickness from 1/16” – ¼”, widths of 36” and 48” and in rolls up to 50’ long. As it’s highly inert, Viton gasket sheet is also produced in an FDA-approved grade for food, medical and pharmaceutical applications.