Nylon vs Teflon (PTFE): 7-Factor Comparison

Which Material Should You Choose?Choose Nylon (Polyamide, PA6/PA66) if:Gears, bearings, fasteners, structural components, mechanical parts requiring strength, stiffness, and toughnessapplications needing load-bearing capability plus low...

Nylon and Teflon (PTFE) are two of the most widely used engineering plastics, but they are optimized for opposite jobs. Nylon is a strong, tough, load-bearing mechanical plastic used for gears, bearings, fasteners, and structural components. PTFE is the friction and chemical-inertness champion, used for seals, gaskets, liners, and non-stick surfaces where mechanical strength is secondary. The question 'Nylon or Teflon?' is really asking whether your application needs load-bearing capability (choose nylon) or ultra-low friction plus chemical resistance (choose PTFE). This 7-factor comparison breaks down the trade-offs with the property data that matters for real engineering decisions.

1. Friction Coefficient — PTFE's Defining Advantage

PTFE has the lowest friction coefficient of any solid material — 0.04 against steel, compared to nylon's 0.20-0.30. This is why PTFE is the standard for slide bearings, non-stick coatings, and dynamic seals where friction must be minimized. PTFE's ultra-low friction comes from its molecular structure: the fluorine atoms form a dense, smooth sheath around the carbon backbone, and the weak intermolecular forces between PTFE chains allow them to slide past each other (and past any opposing surface) with minimal resistance. Nylon's higher friction is acceptable for most mechanical applications (gears, bearings running with lubrication), but for unlubricated sliding or non-stick surfaces, PTFE is unmatched. Note that PTFE's low friction comes with a cost: it also has extremely high wear rate in unlubricated sliding, which is why filled PTFE grades (glass, carbon, bronze) are used for bearing applications.

2. Mechanical Strength — Nylon's Defining Advantage

Nylon is 3-4x stronger than PTFE. Nylon's tensile strength is 70-85 MPa (unfilled PA66), compared to PTFE's 20-30 MPa. Nylon's flexural modulus is 2.5-3.0 GPa, compared to PTFE's 0.5-0.7 GPa. This means nylon can carry significant mechanical load — it is the standard material for gears, bearings, fasteners, and structural brackets where the part must support force without deforming. PTFE, by contrast, is soft and weak — it cold-flows under sustained load (a phenomenon called 'creep'), meaning it cannot hold tight tolerances under load and is unsuitable for structural applications. This is why PTFE is rarely used alone for load-bearing parts; it is typically used as a liner, gasket, or coating on a stronger substrate, or filled with glass, carbon, or bronze to improve mechanical properties.

3. Property Comparison Table

Data reflects unfilled PA66 and unfilled PTFE. Filled grades (glass, carbon, MoS2) significantly change properties. See our nylon material guide and PTFE material guide for grade-specific data.

4. Temperature Resistance

PTFE handles far higher temperatures than nylon — 260°C continuous service vs nylon's 80-120°C (depending on grade). PTFE's melting point is 327°C, the highest of any thermoplastic, and its carbon-fluorine bonds are among the strongest in organic chemistry. This makes PTFE the choice for high-temperature seals, gaskets, and liners in ovens, engines, and industrial processes. Nylon's lower temperature ceiling reflects its polyamide chemistry — the amide linkage begins to oxidize and degrade above 120°C. However, nylon's HDT (70-110°C) is higher than PTFE's (55°C) because PTFE, despite its high melting point, softens above its Tg (115°C) and cold-flows under load. So for structural loads at moderate temperature, nylon is actually better; for non-load-bearing high-temperature service, PTFE wins.

5. Chemical Resistance

PTFE is the chemical-inertness champion — it is attacked by virtually nothing, including aqua regia, molten alkali metals, and all organic solvents. This is why PTFE is the standard for chemical process equipment, labware, and seals in aggressive chemical service. Nylon has good chemical resistance to oils, fuels, and many solvents, but it is attacked by strong acids, strong bases, and oxidizers — and it absorbs moisture (2.5-3.5% water absorption), which causes dimensional swelling and property changes in humid or submerged environments. For chemical piping, pump internals, or seals handling aggressive chemistry, PTFE is the only choice. For fuel and oil service at moderate temperatures, nylon is sufficient and far cheaper.

6. Food Grade & Regulatory Compliance

Both materials are FDA-compliant for food contact in their unfilled forms. PTFE is FDA-approved for food contact (21 CFR 177.1550) and is the standard for non-stick cookware coatings, food processing equipment liners, and bakeware. Nylon is also FDA-compliant (21 CFR 177.1500) and is widely used for food processing machinery components, conveyor belts, and cooking utensils. However, PTFE has a critical safety limitation: above 260°C, PTFE begins to decompose and release toxic fumes (including fluoropolymer fever fumes) that can be lethal to pet birds and cause polymer fume fever in humans. For food-contact applications above 230°C, silicone or other high-temperature materials are preferred. Nylon is safe for food contact up to its continuous service temperature (~120°C).

7. Price & Cost-Effectiveness

Nylon is dramatically cheaper than PTFE — $3-8/kg vs $25-60/kg, making PTFE 5-10x more expensive. The cost premium reflects PTFE's more complex polymerization chemistry (tetrafluoroethylene monomer is expensive to produce and handle), its difficult processing (PTFE cannot be injection-molded — it is sintered or ram-extruded), and its lower production volumes. For high-volume mechanical applications (gears, bearings, fasteners), nylon's low cost and excellent mechanical properties make it the default. For applications requiring PTFE's unique properties (ultra-low friction, chemical inertness, high temperature), the premium is justified — no other material matches PTFE's combination of properties.

Application Scenarios

When to Choose Nylon vs PTFE

Choose Nylon when: (1) the part carries mechanical load — gears, bearings, fasteners, structural brackets; (2) cost is a primary constraint and the application doesn't need PTFE's friction or chemical properties; (3) the part is injection-molded (PTFE cannot be injection-molded); (4) the service temperature is below 120°C; (5) the part needs stiffness and dimensional stability under load. Nylon is the workhorse of mechanical plastics — use it by default for any load-bearing application.

Choose PTFE when: (1) ultra-low friction is the primary requirement — seals, gaskets, slide bearings, non-stick surfaces; (2) chemical inertness is required — chemical process equipment, labware, pump internals; (3) continuous service temperature exceeds 150°C (up to 260°C); (4) the part is non-structural (PTFE cold-flows under load); (5) food-grade, non-stick performance is needed. PTFE is the specialty material — use it when its unique properties are essential, and accept the cost premium.

Compare More Materials

For related friction and bearing material comparisons, see our peek-vs-ptfe-comparison/">PEEK vs PTFE comparison for high-performance bearing applications, nylon-vs-acetal-comparison/">Nylon vs Acetal (Delrin) comparison for gear and bearing selection, and our ptfe-vs-peek-comparison/">PTFE vs PEEK comparison (reverse view). For a deeper look at each material, see our nylon material guide and ptfe-teflon-properties/">PTFE Teflon properties guide.

Comparison at a Glance

Equivalents & Cross-References

Related Diagnostics & Materials

References & Industry Standards

• ASTM International. Standard Specifications for Engineering Plastics & Thermoplastics. astm.org
• UL Prospector. Plastics & Elastomers Material Database. ulprospector.com
• MatWeb. Material Property Data for Engineering Thermoplastics. matweb.com
• ISO 1043. Plastics — Symbols and Abbreviated Terms. iso.org