PETG stands for polyethylene terephthalate glycol. If that means nothing to you, think of it as the tougher cousin of the plastic used in drinks bottles. PET is the material your water bottle is made from. Add glycol to the formula during manufacturing and you get PETG: a clear, rigid sheet material that’s significantly more impact-resistant than acrylic, easier to form than polycarbonate and food safe straight out of the box.
It’s not as well known as acrylic or polycarbonate in the DIY world, but in trade and manufacturing, PETG has been a staple for years. If you’ve ever seen a clear machine guard in a factory, a sneeze screen at a food counter or a vacuum-formed tray in product packaging, there’s a good chance it was PETG.
Key Properties
Impact resistance is where PETG really stands apart. It’s roughly five to seven times more impact-resistant than standard acrylic. Where acrylic will crack or shatter under a sharp blow, PETG flexes and absorbs the energy. It won’t break into dangerous shards, which is why it’s the default choice for safety-critical applications like machine guards and protective barriers.
Optical clarity is good but not quite at acrylic’s level. PETG transmits around 88-90% of visible light compared to acrylic’s 92%. For most practical applications, the difference is hard to spot. Where it becomes noticeable is in thicker sheets or side-by-side comparisons. PETG can carry a very slight blue-green tint that acrylic doesn’t have.
Chemical resistance is another genuine strength. PETG handles exposure to a wider range of chemicals than acrylic, including many cleaning agents, oils and dilute acids. This makes it popular in medical, food service and industrial environments where regular cleaning with strong solutions is part of the routine.
Food safety sets PETG apart from most other sheet plastics. It’s FDA and EU compliant for direct food contact, which means it can be used for food displays, packaging trays, containers and any application where the material touches food or drink. Acrylic isn’t inherently food safe. Polycarbonate has had concerns around BPA. PETG avoids both issues.
Thermoforming is where fabricators really appreciate PETG. It has a lower forming temperature than acrylic, which means it’s easier and cheaper to vacuum form, pressure form or heat bend. It doesn’t need pre-drying before forming, which saves time in production. And it maintains its impact strength after forming, whereas acrylic can become more brittle.
What PETG Is Used For
The spread of applications is broad. Point-of-sale displays and retail signage are one of the biggest markets, particularly where displays are in high-traffic areas and need to survive being bumped, knocked and handled. Machine guards and safety barriers in workshops and factories rely on PETG because it meets safety requirements while staying transparent. Food packaging and display covers use PETG for its food-safe compliance and clarity. Medical device housings and trays use it for chemical resistance and ease of sterilisation. And 3D printing has made PETG filament one of the most popular materials for hobbyists and prototypers alike.
What PETG Isn’t Great For
No material is perfect for everything. PETG scratches more easily than acrylic, so it’s not the best choice for applications where the surface will be polished to a showroom finish or handled constantly. It’s also less UV-stable than quality acrylic over very long periods, making acrylic the stronger option for permanent outdoor installations that need to stay crystal clear for a decade or more. And while PETG is good outdoors in the medium term, for truly long-life external glazing, acrylic or polycarbonate is a safer bet.
PETG also can’t be polished to the same glass-like edge finish as acrylic. If your project demands pristine, flame-polished edges as part of the design, acrylic or cast acrylic specifically is the better material.
Getting Started
We stock clear PETG sheets from 1mm right up to 10mm, all available cut to your exact measurements. If you’re not sure whether PETG or acrylic is the right call for your project, our guide to PETG vs acrylic breaks down the decision by application.