Dielectric Constant of Vinyl Plastic

According to this page, the dielectric constant for PVC varies with composition from 3-6.

"PVC compounds are moderately good dielectric materials. Depending on the formulation, the dielectric constant can vary from 3 to 6. Formulations typically include the PVC resin, plasticizer, stabilizer, flame retardants, fillers, and specialty additives."

I guess vinyl is the same as PVC.

I see a wide range. These 2 say it's like pi--about 3.

This one gives 3 as an upper limit and 1.7 as the low end.

Got a dart?

Thanks.. Was a little item where I lost my Google patience. Must have picked some poor keywords..

D from BC British Columbia Canada

It's not bad (holds static pretty well, too), horrible loss though.

You might find some typical values on capacitor making sites...I remember finding tables of K's in relation to Tesla Coil capacitors.

Tim

-- Deep Fryer: A very philosophical monk. Website @

Long ago we used some PVC to make some capacitive voltage dividers, and found out the dielectric properties were strange. The DC dielectric constant was somewhere around 7, but above some frequency in the tens of Hz it dropped and became very lossy. Since then I've come across some material referring to it as a "polar" dielectric, and now I stay away from it whenever possible.

Paul Probert

in lieu of an actual measurement, use 3.0 you'll be closer.

Marc

I noticed that too. Very poor dissipation factor at 100 KHZ - stuff tends to melt and flow.

Which composition?

Cheers! Rich