Tolerances for the length and width of standard cut-to-size acrylic plexiglass panels range +/-1/8″ (but these do tend to be more precise). If you or your team require a greater degree of accuracy, please contact us.

Tolerances for acrylic sheet thickness can range between +10% and – 10% . These can differ throughout the plexiglass panel, but variations are typically less than 5%. Nominal and actual sheet thicknesses can be found below:

• 0.06″ plexiglass sheet = 1.5mm plexiglass sheet
• 0.08″ plexiglass sheet = 2mm plexiglass sheet
• 0.09″ plexiglass sheet = 2.3mm plexiglass sheet
• 0.098″ plexiglass sheet = 2.5mm plexiglass sheet
• 1/8″ plexiglass sheet = 3mm plexiglass sheet = 0.118″ plexiglass sheet
• 3/16″ plexiglass sheet = 4.5mm plexiglass sheet = 0.177″ plexiglass sheet
• 1/4″ plexiglass sheet = 5.5mm plexiglass sheet = 0.217″ plexiglass sheet
• 3/8″plexiglass sheets = 9mm plexiglass sheets = 0.354″ plexiglass sheet
• 1/2″ plexiglass sheet = 12mm plexiglass sheet = 0.472″ plexiglass sheet
• 3/4″ plexiglass sheet = 18mm plexiglass sheet = 0.709″ plexiglass sheet
• 1″ plexiglass sheet = 24mm plexiglass sheet = 0.945″ plexiglass sheet
• 1.25″ plexiglass sheet = 30mm plexiglass sheet = 1.18″ plexiglass sheet
• 1.5″ plexiglass sheet = 38mm plexiglass sheet = 1.50″ plexiglass sheet
• 2″ plexiglass sheet = 50mm plexiglass sheet = 1.97″ plexiglass sheet
• 3″ plexiglass sheet = 75mm plexiglass sheet = 2.95″ plexiglass sheet

Plexiglass Acrylic Sizing

At Silk Road Trading Egypt  Plastics, our standard panel sizes can be found on our main acrylic sheets page.

However, if you need plexiglass acrylic sheets in other sizes (such as 4×8, 4×10, 4×12, 5×7, 6×10, 8×10, 12×12, 12×36, 14×14, 18×24, 24×36, 30×36), we recommend choosing from our cut-to-size options on this page.

Can Plexiglass Be Cut?

Yes, plexiglass can be cut. In fact, plexiglass can be shaped in many ways and cut with a variety of tools including but not limited to a jigsaw, a scoring knife, a laser, a Dremel, and a saw.

How Do You Cut Thick Acrylic?

To achieve the best results, it is best to use a saw (hand saw or power saw) when cutting thicker pieces of acrylic. Steps to cut your piece should be as follows:

Measure and mark where you want to cut your plexiglass
Position your plexiglass on a sturdy table
Place the piece you wish to cut over the edge
Begin to saw through your acrylic

Can You Cut Acrylic With A Dremel?

Dremels are a popular way of cutting thin acrylic sheets, as Dremels are more accessible than most professional tools. As a result, Dremel with special acrylic cutting bits is commonly used among those who enjoy home projects.

How Do You Cut Shapes In Acrylic?

First and foremost you will want to properly measure and mark where you want to cut your acrylic sheet. From there you’ll want to choose your tool accordingly. Consumers will typically want to stick to tools such as a Dremel with an appropriately sized drill. However, many workshops and manufacturers can use a jigsaw or laser cutting to cut shapes for better precision.

For more intricate designs you may want to play around with extruded vs acrylic plastic. Each will give you vastly different results for engraving and designing.

Can You Cut Acrylic With A Jigsaw?

Yes, you can cut acrylic with a jigsaw. This has many benefits as it is a handheld tool that allows you to have more control over cutting your shapes. Using a jigsaw is a great option if you plan to cut more curves or circular designs into your sheet.

Can A Glass Cutter Cut Acrylic?

Yes, plexiglass acrylic is very versatile and can in fact be cut by a glass cutter. Plexiglass is shatterproof and does not require a glass cutter, however, it can in fact be used to cut plexiglass.

How Do You Cut Curves In Plexiglass?

In order to cut curves into plexiglass, you can opt for a jigsaw, a Dremel, or you can take a more manual approach. This would include using a table saw with closely spread teeth, cutting the edges off of the sides around your acrylic to make it as circular as possible. Then, sand the circumference of your sheet.

What Kind Of Blade Do I Use To Cut Plexiglass?

An industry favorite way to cut thin plexiglass is through the use of a circular saw blade with carbide-tipped metal. If your plexiglass is on the thicker side, it is advised that you use a saw.

What’s The Easiest Way To Cut Plexiglass?

Does plexiglass break?

Plexiglass is shatter-resistant and has 17 times the impact strength of glass but can be broken when enough force is applied. However, when plexiglass does break, it does not shatter into sharp pieces, like its glass counterpart.

Does plexiglass come in colors?

Plexiglass comes in a large variety of colors and opacities. Popular colors include blue, red, bronze, white, black, yellow, and green. Many colors are available as transparent, translucent, or opaque options. At Silk Road Trading Egypt we carry a wide selection of colors for your team to choose from.

How do you cut thin plexiglass by hand?

Plexiglass can be cut by hand using a scoring knife or a Dremel tool. In both instances, you would use a marker or ruler to indicate where you intend to cut it. To cut the material with a scoring knife, you should make a small cut in the marked area. Then place the sheet on a table with the marked side facing up. Bend the acrylic over the edge to cut the acrylic sheet. For a Dremel, you should clamp the material down and slowly make the cut. Water will help ensure that the Dremel does not overheat and ruin the plastic. Sand the acrylic after for a smooth edge. More detailed instructions can be found here.

How much does 1/4 inch plexiglass weigh?

Typical cast and extruded ¼ inch plexiglass weigh roughly 1.45 lbs per square foot. It is about half the weight of most glass.

Is plexiglass good for windows?

Plexiglass has many benefits that make it ideal for windows. Plexiglass is more transparent than glass, allowing about 10% more light to pass through. Plexiglass is also shatter-resistant making it a safer option than glass.

Is plexiglass stronger than glass?

Plexiglass has approximately 17 times the impact strength of glass, making it ideal for windows, retail displays, and other applications.

What size does plexiglass come in?

Plexiglass comes in a variety of thickness, typically thicknesses are 1/16″, 1/8″, 3/16″, 1/4″, 3/8″, 1/4″, 1/2″, 1″, 1.25″, 1.5″, 2″, 2.5″, 3″, and 4″. Typical sheet sizes are 2’x4′, 4’x4′, 4’x6′, 4’x8′, 4’x10′, 5’x8′, 6’x8′ and 6’x10′.

The post Acrylic Sheets Cut-to-Size appeared first on Silkroad Egypt.

can be used in any number of ways. The rods are durable, will not bend easily, will not shrink, and will not weaken. In addition, they are lightweight and enduring and are naturally UV resistant. Additionally, various types of exposure will not compromise quality.

What Are Acrylic Rods?

Acrylic rods are solid cylindrical pieces of acrylic. They are lightweight, durable, and naturally UV resistant. Acrylic rods are very good at keeping their own shape, as they will not bend or shrink easily.

What Are Acrylic Rods Used For?

Acrylic rods have many applications, however, they are most commonly used for sign holders, crystal chandeliers, officer interior objects, skylights, glazing applications, model making, and more.

Is Acrylic Rod Flexible?

Acrylic rods have a degree of flexibility to them, allowing them to be shatter-resistant. However, they will not bend freely.

How Do you Cut Acrylic Rods?

Acrylic rods can be cut in a similar fashion to acrylic tubing. Because acrylic rods are circular in nature you may want to opt for a saw. For a detailed look into cutting acrylic rods, please refer to the video below:

What Are Acrylic Rods?

Acrylic rods are acrylic solid cylinders. They are durable, lightweight, cost-effective, and easily manipulated. Silk Road Trading Egypt Plastics offers cut-size, extruded, and cast acrylic rods.

What is Extruded Acrylic Rods?

Extruded acrylic rods are more impact resistant than and half the weight of glass rods, making it a strong, economical replacement option for glass. With greater flexibility and shatter resistance compared to glass, acrylic tubes are a better choice where safety is a concern. Extrusion manufacturing results in tighter thickness tolerances as well as ease of forming and shaping. Some popular uses include POP displays, light fixtures, podiums, display stands, and home decor. Silk Road Trading EgyptPlastics offers a wide selection of acrylic extruded clear rods in many lengths, diameter, and color options.

What are Cast Acrylic Rods?

Like its extruded counterpart, cast acrylic rods are lightweight and available in a variety of colors and thicknesses. Cast acrylic rods offer greater thermal stability, greater optical clarity, better chemical resistance, and superior machining characteristics than extruded acrylic rods. Cast acrylic is a popular choice for aquarium, engraving, and laser applications due to these characteristics. Silk Road Trading Egypt Plastics offers a wide selection of acrylic cast clear rods in many lengths, diameters, and color options.

How Do You Care For and Clear Acrylic Rods?

When using these UV enhanced materials, take care to preserve their longevity by treating them with care. Ammonia, window cleaners, and other harsh cleaners can cause damage and may result in crazing. Acrylic rods are made up of a robust material requiring minimal maintenance. Should any adhesive or sticky substance come in contact with the surface, use ONLY products intended specifically for acrylic care and cleaning.

The post What Is Acrylic Rods? appeared first on Silkroad Egypt.

Acrylic goes under many names, including PMMA, Plexiglass, Lucite, Acrylic Glass, or Acrylite. It has many of the properties of glass but is exceptionally clear and lightweight. This transparent polymer is created when a chemical reaction occurs between a monomer and a catalyst.

As compared to a standard pane of window glass with equal thickness, acrylic is lighter by up to 50% with greater transparency. Acrylic transmits more light than glass, provides better heat insulation, and has higher impact strength. While the softer surface of acrylic is more prone to scratching than glass, it is possible to polish away blemishes. The scratched glass must be replaced.

Whether fabricated in a cast or extruded forms, acrylic is less expensive and more durable than glass. Sheets or tubes transform into endless shapes for numerous uses by way of cold-forming, line bending, oven heating, drape, free-blown, or vacuum forming.

Acrylic glass is among the oldest synthetic materials still in commercial production. Applications include windows, shields including those with bullet resistance, signage, furniture, aquariums, and picture frames.

Our acrylic materials are available in a broad range of standard and custom colors. Let Silk Road Trading Egypt Plastics be the center of your one-stop plastic for plexiglass related products.

What are the Characteristics of Acrylic?

Acrylic has a number of characteristics, which make it an ideal plastic to use. Consider the following benefits:

• Highly transparent
• Highly impact resistant
• Easy to clean and polish
• High durability
• Light and easy to transport
• More scratch resistant
• Shatter-resistant

Acrylic Materials & Forms

Acrylic comes in a wide variety of forms. At Silk Road Trading Egypt Plastics, we carry the following:

• Extruded Acrylic Sheets – Extruded acrylic is a less expensive form of PMMA. It highly impacts and UV resistant. Custom sizing available.
• Cast Acrylic Sheets – Cast acrylic sheets are more labor-intensive to create, making it a more expensive alternative to its extruded acrylic counterpart. It also has a greater range of thickness and outstanding resistance to outside elements, including sunlight and weather. Custom sizing available.
• Frame Grade Acrylic Sheets – Our frame grade acrylic sheets are inspected for quality to ensure high optical clarity for the picture framing industry. Custom sizing available.
• Acrylic Rods – Our acrylic rods do not bend easily and will not shrink, making them a great alternative to other materials. A wide range of sizes are available for purchase.
• Acrylic Tubes – Our acrylic tubes are durable and strong. Browse our wide range of diameters and sizes.

What is Acrylic Plastic Made of?

Many plastics, including acrylic plastic, use methyl methacrylate as their base molecule. This molecule has a double carbon bond, one of which is broken during polymerization. This allows the molecule to bond with another molecule to create a chain. This process continues until the polymer is created. Monomers such as methyl acrylate and acrylonitrile can also be combined with methyl methacrylate to produce different forms of PMMA.

What is the Difference Between Acrylic and Plastic?

Acrylic plastic represents a family of petroleum-based thermoplastics made from natural gas. It should be noted that acrylic is plastic; however, not all plastic is acrylic—plastic is a generic term for a large family of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials. Acrylic is also known as a polyacrylate and marketed under a few brand names with Plexiglas being the most well-known brand.

What is Acrylic Plastic Used For?

Acrylic plastic is a transparent plastic that resembles glass but offers better transparency and is 50% lighter than glass. It is commonly used inside of the point of purchase displays, signage, furniture, aquariums, picture frames, roof windows, and DIY projects.

Is Acrylic Plastic Expensive?

The price of acrylic plastic varies based on the kind of acrylic material you decide to purchase. For example, clear extruded acrylic is cheaper than cast acrylic. As an overall rule, acrylic plastic is more expensive than other kinds of lower-quality plastics. However, if you want a product that is long-lasting and durable, acrylic plastic is worth the investment.

Is Acrylic a Form of Plastic?

Yes, acrylic is a form of plastic. Acrylic is considered a polyacrylate, which is one of the most common types of plastic. This material is made from Methyl Methacrylate (MMA), Poly Methyl Methacrylate (PMMA), or a combination of both.

Brands We Carry

Silk Road Trading Egypt  Plastics carries acrylic sheets from Plexiglas, Acrylite, Lucite, Plaskolite Optix, Polycast, and Chemcast in a variety of sizes, including 80″ x 120″ boards & panels. Available options include P95, P99, OP3, bullet resistant, and paper masking. Please contact us if you have specific brand requirements.

Is Acrylic a Good Material?

Acrylic boasts many great characteristics, including strength and durability. It is a less expensive alternative to both glass and polycarbonate and can be used in a wide variety of functions. It is also easy to clean and is more scratch-resistant than polycarbonate.

Is Acrylic Better than Glass?

For many functions, acrylic or plexiglass is an ideal alternative to glass. It is stronger than glass, making it a better choice where security or durability are required. It is more transparent than glass, so it is perfect for retail displays and windows. Acrylic is also lighter than glass, making it easier to install or transport. Plexiglass is also more shatter-resistant and if it does break, will not form sharp shards. Although glass is a great material, acrylic outshines glass in many aspects.

Is Acrylic Cheaper than Glass?

Acrylic is a less expensive alternative to glass. However, this cost extends beyond the price of the materials. Since plexiglass is lighter than glass and more durable, acrylic is easier to transport and less likely to break. These additional benefits could result in additional savings for your business or home.

The post What is Acrylic Plastic? appeared first on Silkroad Egypt.

Acrylic panels are sheets of acrylic that are usually rectangular or square. Oftentimes the terms acrylic panels and acrylic sheets are used interchangeably. They are often used for building signs, screens, windows, and more.

What are Cut-to-Size Acrylic/Plexiglass Sheets?

Commonly used for specific projects cut-to-size plexiglass acrylic sheets are custom cut sheets. The acrylic sheet is cut to your desired dimensions. Silk Road Trading Egypt Plastics offers cut-to-size clear and colored acrylic panels, allowing options to meet your precise specifications. Buying just what you need saves money on shipping and storage, eliminating waste.

Which Type of Plexiglass Panel Should You Choose?

• Acrylic Cast Black Sheet

  Black plexiglass is highly sought after in the fabrication of POP displays, various retail applications, and signage. It is a great choice for visual communication media, retail, furniture, and interior design, lighting, architecture and construction, and creative applications.

• Acrylic Cast White Sheet

  Cast white plexiglass is a great option for signage, displays, and lightboxes. Its white appearance will help your messages stand out. It is popularly used routinely across visual communication media, retail display and construction, furniture and interior design, architecture, creative applications.

• Acrylic Cast Color Sheet

  If you are looking for a range of colors or sizes to bring your project to life. Cast color plexiglass is a great way to go. You can choose from transparent, translucent, or fluorescent, in a variety of colors, thicknesses, and shapes.

• Acrylic P95 Sheet

  If you are looking for plexiglass that has been patterned on one side of the panel and polished on the other, P95 plexiglass may be the right one for you. It offers transparent clarity under backlighting, opening a range of creative expressions. You can apply it in decorative glazing, lighting, and skylights, privacy partitions, furniture, shelving, POP, retail, store fixture displays, and trade show and exhibition setups.

• Acrylic Mirror Sheet

  Acrylic mirror sheets are a great lightweight, impact and shatter-resistant option. Its flexibility makes it preferable to glass, and the range of colors available makes it an ideal material for multiple applications and industries, including see-through or surveillance mirrored acrylic panels.

• Bullet-Resistant Acrylic Sheet

  If you are looking for a cost-effective solution to creating safer environments, bullet-resistant acrylic is 30% less expensive than bullet-resistant polycarbonate and laminated glass. Moreover, Level 1 Bullet Resistant Plexiglass is approved by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., UL, “protection is provided against complete penetration, the passage of fragments of projectiles, or spalling (fragmentation) of the protective material to the degree that injury would be caused to a person standing directly behind the bullet-resisting barrier.”

• Acrylic Non-Glare Sheet

  Non-Glare plexiglass panels are preferable for glazing and framing applications. At 10 times the strength and half the weight of glass, non-glare acrylic sheet lends itself to projects and applications where ease of fabrication and flexibility are crucial. Non-glare plexiglass is naturally resistant to UV light degradation making the loss of light transmission and yellowing minor rather than major concerns.

How to Care and Clean Acrylic/Plexiglass Sheets?

Acrylic without additives is naturally UV resistant. Some manufacturers will add stabilizers, which extend UV protection for prolonged exposure to UV radiation. When using these UV enhanced materials, take care to preserve their longevity by treating them with care. Ammonia, window cleaners, and other harsh cleaners can cause damage and may result in crazing. Acrylic sheets are a robust material requiring minimal maintenance. Should any adhesive or sticky substance come in contact with the surface, use ONLY products intended specifically for acrylic care and cleaning.

Is an Acrylic Sheet Flexible?

Although acrylic, also known as plexiglass or PMMA, is not the most flexible type of plastic, when it is compared to its glass equivalent, a plexiglass acrylic plastic sheet is very flexible and exhibits great resistance to breakage. As it becomes warm, it softens and can be bent or shaped. The typical forming temperature range of most plexiglass acrylic panels is 275°F to 350°F (135°C to 177°C). A consistent and controlled heat source is necessary so that a plexiglass acrylic sheet bends and is smooth. This flexible ability allows plexiglass acrylic sheets to have many uses including a replacement for glass windows, skylights, doors, partitions, and works great for point of purchase displays.

Can Acrylic Sheets Withstand Heat?

Plexiglass acrylic sheets can safely withstand heat up to the temperature of 176°F (80°C) before becoming more pliable. This provides plenty of heat resistance for outdoor environments. Plexiglass acrylic panels are classified as thermoplastics due to the way plastic responds to heat. Thermoplastics become liquid at their melting point 320°F (160°C), so they can be heated to this temperature, cooled, and reheated again without significant degradation. Instead of burning, plexiglass acrylic sheets will liquefy, thus allowing them to be easily injected, molded, and subsequently recycled.

Is an Acrylic Sheet Waterproof?

Plexiglass acrylic sheet possesses water-resistant properties that make it very suitable for outdoor use and have been commonly used for windows on submarines and cars. They also play a large role in construction, engineering, outdoor displays and signage, and even underwater camera lenses. They are even considered to be dishwasher safe when used as glass substitutes in dishware and kitchenware. Because of its water-resistant properties, plexiglass acrylic panels have a weatherproof nature and make a superior exterior shell for many products

Are There Different Types of Plexiglass Sheets?

Yes, there are 2 major types of plexiglass acrylic sheets, including cast and extruded. Listed below are the details of these two different types of manufactured acrylic plexiglass sheets.

Cast Plexiglass Sheet: This style of plexiglass acrylic is made by a process whereby MMA (methyl methacrylate monomer) liquid is pumped into a mold made from two sheets of glass. Cast plexiglass is the highest quality plexiglass acrylic and more expensive than extruded because it offers the best optical clarity, greater thermal stability, and higher chemical resistance to solvents. Cast plexiglass acrylic has a less consistent sheet thickness with up to +/-10% variation possible across the panel; it is thermo-formable and can be reworked hot, which is not always possible with extruded sheets.

Extruded Plexiglass Sheet: This style of plexiglass acrylic panels are made by semi-soft melted resin pushed between rollers and cut-to-size. Extruded plexiglass acrylic sheets have a higher tolerance when heated or bent and are typically more malleable than cast plexiglass acrylic sheets. It generally is the best thickness consistency, softest sheet, easy to glue, best for chemical bonding, and the standard material for displays, replacement windows, and some signage applications.

Is Polycarbonate the Same as Plexiglass?

Polycarbonate is not the same as plexiglass. While these two types of plastics are commonly compared to one another, they both have different benefits and drawbacks. Although they look similar, plexiglass acrylic is shinier, less expensive, and has a higher clarity than polycarbonate. Polycarbonate, on the other hand, has a higher level of impact resistance, can be drilled without cracking, and has a low level of flammability. Acrylic is more commonly used for POP displays, signage, light fixtures, and window panel replacements. Polycarbonate is more widely used as bullet-resistant glass, automobile windshields, and roofs for greenhouses. To learn more about these differences, check out our resource page comparing polycarbonate and acrylic.

Does Plexiglass Fade in the Sun?

Sunlight typically will not affect plexiglass acrylic items for many years. Since plexiglass acrylic is derived from natural gas and is completely inert in its solid form, it does not yellow as quickly from sunlight as other plastics. In fact, some advanced versions of plexiglass acrylic will not yellow at all.

The post What are Acrylic Panels? appeared first on Silkroad Egypt.

Durable and adaptable, Silk Road Trading Egypt Plastics has an expansive selection of clear and colored acrylic sheets. Acrylic is about 17 times more impact resistant than glass. Our plexiglass panels are easily machinable, bond well with acrylic glues, and can be polished by hand, flame, or machine. They have a shiny, glass-like appearance, are suitable for printing, and cost-effective when compared to glass or polycarbonate.

Silk Road Trading Egypt Plastics offers acrylic plexiglass sheets and panels in clear, black, white, and a spectrum of colors. They can be manufactured to be bullet-resistant, mirrored, non-glare, matte finish, UV filtering, or frosted.

for products from .06” to 4” in thickness. In-stock acrylic panels range in size from 24”x48” to 80”x120.” We carry sheets from Arkema Plexiglas, Evonik Cyro Acrylite, Lucite International, Plaskolite Optix, as well as other brands.

The post What Is Acrylic Sheet Thickness ? appeared first on Silkroad Egypt.

Custom Edge Finish & Polishing Information:

Silk Road Trading Egypt offers a variety of customization options and edge polishing methods for our acrylic sheets. For a glossier edge select an option with polished edges. Soften the edges of your acrylic sheets with beveled or rounded edges or radius/rounded corners.

Have additional questions about any of these options? Contact our team at Acme Plastics for more information on our acrylic edge polishing and finishing options.

What is Custom Hole Information:

You can choose to add holes to your acrylic mirror panel. After entering your desired number of holes, select from the available hole sizes using the drop-down menu above.

What is Acrylic Mirror Dimension Information:

Standard Cut-to-Size length and width tolerances for acrylic mirror panels are +/-1/8″, although a typical mirror sheet will be more precise. If you or your team acquires a greater degree of accuracy, please contact our team. Our acrylic mirror sheet thickness tolerances are +/- 10% and can vary throughout the sheet, but differences are typically less than 5%. Please refer to the nominal and actual sheet thicknesses below.

0.06″ = 1.5mm
1/8″ = 3mm = 0.118″
1/4″ = 5.5mm = 0.217″

What Are the Benefits of Acrylic Mirror Sheets?

Acrylic mirror sheets & panels are a lightweight, flexible, shatter-resistant alternative to traditional glass mirrors. Common uses include point-of-purchase, security, cosmetics, marine, and automotive applications. Acme Plastics’ acrylic mirror sheets come in a variety of colors, thicknesses, and sizes.

Please note: Since an acrylic mirror is flexible and not as rigid as a glass mirror, it will need to be mounted on a solid frame or surface to avoid a distorted “fun-house” like reflection.

The post What Is a Plexiglass Mirror (Acrylic Mirror ) ? appeared first on Silkroad Egypt.