Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN)

Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN) Materials

Styrene Acrylonitrile, or SAN, is a copolymer composed of styrene and acrylonitrile that is commonly used in place of polystyrene because of its superior thermal resistance. SAN is a rigid, transparent plastic produced by copolymerizing styrene and acrylonitrile. Similar in form and function to styrene, the resin combines the clarity and rigidity of polystyrene with the strength, hardness, heat and solvent resistance, and stiffness of acrylonitrile. While benefiting from the mechanical properties of polystyrene, SAN’s structure is closely related to ABS, so it provides superior toughness when stressed.