UV Degradation Life Estimator

Estimate outdoor service life of plastic parts based on material type, UV stabilizer loading, climate UV exposure, temperature, wall thickness, and pigmentation.

Inputs

Material (1-8)

UV stabilizer (0-3)

Average UV index

Avg annual temperature (°C)

Wall thickness (mm)

Pigment (0-2)

Tab to move between fields

Results

Estimated service life (years)

50% property retention (years)

Tensile strength at 5 yr (%)49

Tensile strength at 10 yr (%)24

Tensile strength at 20 yr (%)5.7

Yellowing index at 5 yr9

UV exposure multiplier1

Temperature multiplier1

How to Use This Calculator

Enter Material (1-8), UV stabilizer (0-3), and Average UV index.
Set Avg annual temperature (°C), Wall thickness (mm), and Pigment (0-2).
Review Estimated service life (years) and 50% property retention (years).
Use Tensile strength at 5 yr (%) and Tensile strength at 10 yr (%) to inform your decision.

How the result changes with Avg annual temperature (°C)

Avg annual temperature (°C)	Estimated service life (years)	50% property retention (years)
-12	130	91
8	32.5	22.7
32	6.2	4.3
52	1.5	1.1

What each input means

Material (1-8): 1=HDPE, 2=PP, 3=PVC, 4=ABS, 5=PC, 6=Nylon, 7=ASA, 8=PVDF.
UV stabilizer (0-3): 0=none, 1=low (HALS 0.1-0.3%), 2=medium (0.3-0.8%), 3=high (0.8%+).
Average UV index: Annual average UV index. Northern US/UK ~3-5, Southern US ~7-9, Tropics ~10-14.
Avg annual temperature (°C): Average annual temperature at installation location.
Wall thickness (mm): Part wall thickness. Thicker walls degrade more slowly through the cross-section.
Pigment (0-2): 0 = none/natural, 1 = TiO2 white (UV reflective), 2 = carbon black 2-3% (strong UV blocker).

What each result means

Estimated service life (years): Predicted years of useful outdoor service before significant property loss.
50% property retention (years): Time to lose 50% of original mechanical properties.
Tensile strength at 5 yr (%): Estimated percentage of original tensile strength retained after 5 years.
Tensile strength at 10 yr (%): Estimated percentage retained after 10 years.
Tensile strength at 20 yr (%): Estimated percentage retained after 20 years.
Yellowing index at 5 yr: Relative yellowing score (0-100) after 5 years outdoors.
UV exposure multiplier: Life adjustment factor from UV index (1.0 = baseline at UV index 6).
Temperature multiplier: Life adjustment factor from temperature (Arrhenius, 1.0 = baseline at 25°C).

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Material (1-8) = 1, UV stabilizer (0-3) = 1, Average UV index = 6, Avg annual temperature (°C) = 25 = 6 input(s) provided
Calculate Estimated service life
Estimated service life = baseLife * stabilizerMult * pigmentMult * uvMult * tempMult * thicknessMult
10 = 10
Calculate 50% property retention
50% property retention = estimatedLife * 0.7
7 = 7
Calculate Tensile strength at 5 yr
49 = 49
Calculate Tensile strength at 10 yr
24 = 24