Everything You Need to Know About Buna O-Rings (2024)

Product Spotlight

March 5, 2020

Everything You Need to Know About Buna O-Rings (1)

Buna-N, also known as Nitrile, is the sealing industry’s most economical and widely used elastomer. This synthetic rubber material is ideally used for o-rings, gaskets, seals and custom molded components for a variety of industries and applications.

Material selection plays a critical role in successful seal design. Before using Buna-N for your application, here’s everything you need to know about it.

Key Advantages

Buna o-rings feature a wide variety of benefits that make them highly desirable for many applications. Buna-N offers excellent chemical resistance to petroleum-based oils and fuels, silicone greases, hydraulic fluids, water and alcohol. Some of the other key advantages this material offers includes:

  • High tensile strength
  • Low compression set
  • High abrasion resistance
  • Cold and heat resistance
  • Temperature range from -40° to +257°F
  • Standard hardness range of 40 to 90 Shore A

Buna-N polymers come in various acrylonitrile (ACN) content, ranging from 18% to 50%. The higher the ACN, the less swell it experiences in oil–the lower the ACN, the more swell it experiences in oil and the better it performs in low-temperatures. With all of these unique benefits, it’s no wonder why Buna-N is often the go-to sealing material for tough applications.

Limitations

While there are a number of benefits that make Buna-N a highly desired material, there are a few drawbacks. With low ozone resistance, Buna-N compounds are often attacked by small amounts of ozone in outdoor applications. It also offers poor flame resistance, so it should not be employed in applications involving open flames. Buna o-rings should not be used to seal against brake fluids or acetones, as its resistance to these chemical compounds is not strong to handle long-term exposure.

Typical Applications

With excellent resistance to many commonly used fluids, Buna o-rings are typically found in fuel tanks and other components for automotive, marine and aerospace applications. Other rubber polymers often lack the same resistance capabilities and negatively react with fuel, oil and other liquids, making Buna-N the necessary choice for these applications.

Buna-N can be compounded to meet FDA food contact regulations. This makes Buna-N a trusted choice for applications that involve contact with fats and oils. It can also be compounded to specially meet milk and dairy applications.

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Everything You Need to Know About Buna O-Rings (2024)

FAQs

Everything You Need to Know About Buna O-Rings? ›

Buna-N

Buna-N
Nitrile rubber, also known as nitrile butadiene rubber, NBR, Buna-N, and acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, is a synthetic rubber derived from acrylonitrile (ACN) and butadiene. Trade names include Perbunan, Nipol, Krynac and Europrene. This rubber is unusual in being resistant to oil, fuel, and other chemicals.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Nitrile_rubber
, also known as Nitrile, is the sealing industry's most economical and widely used elastomer. This synthetic rubber material is ideally used for o-rings, gaskets, seals and custom molded components for a variety of industries and applications. Material selection plays a critical role in successful seal design.

What are buna o-rings used for? ›

Buna-N O-Rings Typical Applications and Products:

NBR is often used for gaskets and o-rings in pneumatic, hydraulic, and fuel systems. V-packings and backup rings made from high-hardness Nitrile compounds are common in high pressure environments in the Oil and Gas industry.

Which is better, Viton or Buna? ›

Crucial Differences

Viton® standard compounds can withstand temperatures up to 446℉, while Buna o-rings can only handle up to 257℉. Conversely, when it comes to low temperature applications, Buna outperforms Viton®—withstanding temperatures down to -40℉ while standard Viton® can only handle down to -13℉.

What are the properties of Buna seal? ›

Buna Seals
  • Durometer range of 20 to 95.
  • Excellent resistance to abrasion.
  • Exceptional resistance to oil, fuels, chemicals, and heat aging.
  • Good adhesion to metals.
  • Maximum elongation of 600%
  • Temperature range of -30 °F (-34 °C) to 250 °F (121 °C)
  • Tensile range of 200 to 3000 psi.
Mar 14, 2023

What is the temperature of Buna O-ring? ›

Buna-N (NBR) O-Rings

Standard durometer, or hardness, is 70 or 90, but can be made in other durometers, and comes in Black. The temperature range is generally -30°to 250°F. These are generally the least expensive and most readily available material in the widest range of sizes.

What does Buna stand for? ›

Buna is a synthetic rubber, which is available in a wide range of products today. It was originally used exclusively in the tire industry. The trade name "Buna" stands for the starting materials butadiene and sodium (Natrium).

What type of rubber is Buna? ›

Nitrile rubber — also known as acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, NBR, or Buna-N — is a synthetically produced, petroleum-based rubber ideal for Die Cut seals, gaskets, and o-rings. Nitrile is a highly versatile rubber.

Is buna good with water? ›

Buna-N offers excellent chemical resistance to petroleum-based oils and fuels, silicone greases, hydraulic fluids, water and alcohol. Some of the other key advantages this material offers includes: High tensile strength. Low compression set.

When not to use Viton seals? ›

While Viton® is resistant to a long list of chemicals, it is not recommended for exposure to:
  • Ketones.
  • Amines.
  • Low molecular weight esters and ethers.
  • Nitro hydrocarbons.
  • Hot hydrofluoric or chlorosulfonic acids.
  • Skydrol® fluids.
Dec 16, 2019

What is better EPDM or Buna? ›

The main difference between buna and EPDM is that buna is known for its superior oil resistance whereas EPDM is known for its superior environmental resistance properties. Nitrile and EPDM sheeting are both extremely strong and durable rubber materials that can stand up well against impacts and abrasions.

How to tell the difference between Buna and Viton? ›

As a sealing option, the crucial difference between Buna and Viton is the temperature range of the material's function. Viton is the choice over Buna for high-temperature applications. Viton seals hold indefinitely at temperatures up to 400°F and can last up to 48 hours at temperatures up to 600°F.

Is Buna good for oil? ›

Nitrile rubber gaskets, often referred to as Buna-N or NBR gaskets, offer excellent resistance to oil. Nitrile rubber is made from a blend of acrylonitrile (chemical formula C3H3N) and butadiene (C4H6.)

What are the best o-rings for gasoline? ›

Buna-N O-rings, also known as Nitrile or NBR O-rings, offer excellent sealing and mechanical properties at a low cost. Buna O-rings have resistance to common lubricants and are recommended for crude oil, gasoline, propane, petroleum oils and water.

Is Buna UV resistant? ›

Organic rubber gaskets such as Buna-S (SBR), Buna-N (Nitrile), natural rubber, synthetic isoprene break down relatively quickly in UV exposure. Silicone and EPDM are two of the better UV resistant materials that are commercially available.

Is Buna natural rubber? ›

Nitrile rubber, also known as nitrile butadiene rubber, NBR, Buna-N, and acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, is a synthetic rubber derived from acrylonitrile (ACN) and butadiene.

What is the shelf life of Buna no ring? ›

Under the proper conditions a Buna-N O-ring has a shelf life of 15 years.

What is the difference between nitrile and Buna o-rings? ›

Buna, also referred to as nitrile or Buna-N, is an NBR rubber that displays excellent resistance to all petroleum-based oils and fuels, as well as water, various alcohols, silicone greases, and hydraulic fluids. It offers such other advantages as good tear resistance and non-polar solvent resistance.

What is the difference between Buna and nitrile? ›

They're all the same. Well, essentially they're all the same. NBR and Buna-N rubber refers to the same material, nitrile rubber, only NBR is an abbreviation (Nitrile Butadiene Rubber), and Buna-N is a well-known brand name.

Is Buna the same as neoprene? ›

Difference in Chemical Properties

Between the two elastomers, nitrile rubber has stronger chemical resistance properties than the chemical resistance of neoprene. Nitrile, also known as Buna-N, it best known for its superior resistance to oils.

What is the difference between Buna and epdm? ›

The main difference between buna and EPDM is that buna is known for its superior oil resistance whereas EPDM is known for its superior environmental resistance properties. Nitrile and EPDM sheeting are both extremely strong and durable rubber materials that can stand up well against impacts and abrasions.

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