Dec 01, 2025
When choosing the right hose for your application, selecting the appropriate material is crucial. Polyurethane is one of the most commonly used hose materials—but why choose polyurethane?
Polyurethane (also known as PU) is a type of plastic commonly used in hose design and industrial manufacturing. It offers a range of durable properties and can be specially modified with various additives to enhance specific characteristics. For example, UV-resistant additives can be incorporated during production to improve its performance in outdoor applications, making it one of the most popular material choices.
Abrasion Resistance: Polyurethane hoses are flexible yet highly durable, making them resistant to wear and tear.
Pressure Resistance: PU hoses can withstand higher pressures, whereas less durable hoses are prone to bursting and leaking under excessive pressure.
Temperature Resistance: PU hoses can handle extreme temperatures. UV-resistant polyurethane hoses, in particular, are less likely to age or degrade when used outdoors at high temperatures.
Chemical Resistance: PU offers high resistance to many chemicals and solvents (except acidic media), making it an ideal choice for industrial and pneumatic applications.
Polyurethane hoses have a wide range of applications and are ideal for various uses. Many customers are not yet fully aware of their applications, so we provide the following explanations.
Our pneumatic polyurethane tubing has excellent anti-kink properties and minimal kink memory effect. It is suitable for high-pressure, high-flexibility applications, such as robotic arms and pneumatic applications.
Polyurethane hoses also come in different designs. Compact polyurethane coils consist of pre-formed polyurethane coils, offering flexible expansion and contraction, preventing tangling, and maintaining flexibility. These polyurethane coil tubes are ideal for use in pneumatic tools such as pneumatic wrenches, pneumatic nail guns, and air spray guns.
Reinforced polyurethane hoses have excellent compressive strength and mechanical strength, and possess the anti-kink and abrasion resistance inherent in polyurethane materials. They are ideal for hydraulic-pneumatic hybrid systems, long-distance or complex tubing systems.
No. Regular polyurethane tubing has some tolerance to certain oils and lubricants, but prolonged contact with gasoline, diesel, or alcohol-containing fuels will cause softening, swelling, or aging.
Yes. Regular industrial PU tubing may contain additives or plasticizers unsuitable for food use. Food-grade polyether PU tubing does not contain harmful additives. You can easily find tubing labeled as food-grade or FDA-certified.
Yes.Unless WRAS certification is obtained, polyurethane tubing is generally not suitable for food or drinking water applications.
Compared to other materials such as PVC, PU hoses are more likely to transfer odors and tastes to the substances they deliver.
Polyurethane tubing is widely used in pneumatic systems, hydraulic systems, and industrial conveying. Its core materials are typically classified as polyether PU and polyester PU.
| Feature | Polyether PU Tubing | Polyester PU Tubing |
|---|---|---|
| Water Resistance / Hydrolysis Resistance | Excellent, suitable for humid environments | Moderate, absorbs water easily, prone to aging |
| Abrasion Resistance | Good, resists repeated friction | Excellent, slightly higher wear resistance than polyether |
| Chemical Resistance | Good against alkaline substances, moderate against acids | More stable against oils and solvents |
| Low Temperature Performance | Outstanding, remains flexible in low temperatures | Moderate, tends to stiffen in cold |
| Elasticity / Rebound | High, excellent coiling and stretching | High, but slightly lower than polyether |
| Service Life | Long, especially suitable for pneumatic systems | Long, but affected by humid environments |
You can view our PU product line and our entire product range here. If you have any questions about our products, please feel free to contact our team.
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