Plastic vs. Rubber — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on September 22, 2023
Plastic is a synthetic or semi-synthetic material, known for its malleability, used in producing goods, while rubber is an elastic material, initially derived from latex, used primarily for flexibility and resilience in products.
Difference Between Plastic and Rubber
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Plastic is a material consisting of various synthetic and semi-synthetic organic compounds that are malleable and can be molded into solid objects. The adaptability of plastic makes it a versatile material used in a multitude of applications, from packaging to automotive components. Plastic can be hard or soft, brittle or tough, but its key characteristic is that it can be shaped and formed. It has diverse types, each with unique properties, like polyethylene, PVC, and polystyrene, making it a ubiquitous material in modern life.
Rubber, on the other hand, is a natural or synthetic elastic material obtained primarily from the latex of rubber trees. It is incredibly flexible, waterproof, and provides high resistance to electricity and various chemicals. Rubber’s elasticity makes it an ideal material for a variety of products, including tires, footwear, and gloves. The elasticity and resilience of rubber make it distinct from plastic, allowing it to return to its original shape after being stretched or deformed.
While plastic is prized for its versatility and ability to be molded into various forms and shapes, rubber is valued for its elasticity and resilience. The distinction between plastic and rubber is based on their differing chemical structures and properties. Plastic is generally more rigid and can be used to create hard, sturdy items, while rubber’s flexibility makes it suitable for items that need to stretch and return to their original form.
The manufacturing processes for plastic and rubber are also significantly different. Plastics are typically created through polymerization, forming long chains of polymers, giving them their characteristic properties. Rubber production, whether natural or synthetic, involves processes that preserve its elastic properties. Natural rubber is tapped from rubber trees, processed, and vulcanized to enhance its properties, whereas synthetic rubber is manufactured from petroleum byproducts.
In summary, plastic and rubber are distinct materials with unique properties and applications. Plastic’s versatility and moldability make it suitable for a wide range of applications in various forms and levels of rigidity. Rubber’s defining characteristic is its elasticity, allowing it to be used in applications where flexibility and resilience are paramount. Despite their differences, both materials are integral parts of everyday products and industrial applications.
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Comparison Chart
Base Material
Synthetic or semi-synthetic organic compounds.
Initially derived from the latex of rubber trees.
Key Properties
Malleability, versatility.
Elasticity, resilience, flexibility.
Typical Uses
Packaging, components, containers.
Tires, gloves, footwear.
Manufacturing
Created through polymerization.
Obtained from latex, processed, and vulcanized.
Rigidity
Generally more rigid.
More flexible and stretchable.
Compare with Definitions
Plastic
Plastic is generally more rigid compared to rubber.
The plastic chair supported his weight easily.
Rubber
Rubber is used where resilience is necessary.
The rubber gloves protected my hands.
Plastic
Plastic is a malleable synthetic material.
The plastic container holds my lunch.
Rubber
It is resistant to water and various chemicals.
The rubber seal prevented any leaks.
Plastic
It can be molded into various forms.
They made intricate designs with plastic.
Rubber
A tough elastic polymeric substance made from the latex of a tropical plant or synthetically
A rubber plantation
A rubber dinghy
Heat and sunlight may cause rubber to deteriorate
Plastic
Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes.
Rubber
A piece of rubber used for erasing pencil or ink marks
A pencil with a rubber at the end
Plastic
A synthetic material made from a wide range of organic polymers such as polyethylene, PVC, nylon, etc., that can be moulded into shape while soft, and then set into a rigid or slightly elastic form
Mains pipes should be made of plastic or copper
Bottles can be made from a variety of plastics
Rubber
Rubber boots; galoshes.
Plastic
Made of plastic
Plastic bottles
Rubber
A condom.
Plastic
(of a substance or material) easily shaped or moulded
Rendering the material more plastic
Rubber
A contest consisting of a series of successive matches (typically three or five) between the same sides or people in cricket, tennis, and other games
The opening rubber of Britain's Davis Cup tie against Argentina
Plastic
Capable of being shaped or formed
Plastic material such as clay.
Rubber
A yellowish, amorphous, elastic material, composed almost entirely of an isoprene polymer, obtained from the milky sap or latex of various tropical plants, especially the rubber tree, and vulcanized, pigmented, finished, and modified into products such as electric insulation, elastic bands and belts, tires, and containers. Also called caoutchouc, India rubber.
Plastic
Relating to or dealing with shaping or modeling
The plastic art of sculpture.
Rubber
Any of numerous synthetic elastic materials of varying chemical composition with properties similar to those of natural rubber; an elastomer.
Plastic
Having the qualities of sculpture; well-formed
"the astonishing plastic beauty of the chorus girls" (Frank Harris).
Rubber
A low overshoe made of rubber.
Plastic
Giving form or shape to a substance
The plastic forces that create and wear down a mountain range.
Rubber
(Baseball) The rectangular piece of hard rubber that the pitcher must remain in contact with when making a pitch.
Plastic
Easily influenced; impressionable
"The plastic mind of the bank clerk had been ... distorted by what he had read" (Rudyard Kipling).
Rubber
An eraser.
Plastic
Made of a plastic or plastics
A plastic garden hose.
Rubber
A tire.
Plastic
(Physics) Capable of undergoing continuous deformation without rupture or relaxation.
Rubber
A set of tires on a vehicle.
Plastic
Capable of building tissue; formative.
Rubber
(Slang) A condom.
Plastic
Able to change and adapt, especially by acquiring alternative pathways for sensory perception or motor skills. Used of the central nervous system.
Rubber
One that rubs, especially one that gives a massage.
Plastic
Marked by artificiality or superficiality
A plastic world of fad, hype, and sensation.
Rubber
A series of games of which two out of three or three out of five must be won to terminate the play.
Plastic
(Informal) Of or obtained by means of credit cards
Plastic money.
Rubber
An odd game played to break a tie.
Plastic
Any of various organic compounds produced by polymerization, capable of being molded, extruded, cast into various shapes and films, or drawn into filaments used as textile fibers.
Rubber
(uncountable) Pliable material derived from the sap of the rubber tree; a hydrocarbon polymer of isoprene.
Plastic
(Informal) A credit card or credit cards
Would accept cash or plastic in payment.
Rubber
Synthetic materials with the same properties as natural rubber.
Plastic
A synthetic, solid, hydrocarbon-based polymer, whether thermoplastic or thermosetting.
Rubber
An eraser.
Plastic
Credit or debit cards used in place of cash to buy goods and services.
Rubber
A condom.
Plastic
Insincerity; fakeness, or a person who is fake or arrogant, or believes that they are better than the rest of the population.
Rubber
(countable) Someone or something which rubs.
Plastic
An instance of plastic surgery.
Rubber
One who rubs down horses.
Plastic
(obsolete) A sculptor, moulder.
Rubber
One who practises massage.
Plastic
(archaic) Any solid but malleable substance.
Rubber
A coarse towel for rubbing the body.
Plastic
Capable of being moulded; malleable, flexible, pliant.
Rubber
An abrasive for rubbing with: a whetstone, file, or emery cloth, etc.
Plastic
Producing tissue.
Rubber
(historical) The cushion of an electric machine.
Plastic
(dated) Creative, formative.
Rubber
The rectangular pad on the pitcher's mound from which the pitcher must pitch.
Jones toes the rubber and then fires to the plate.
Plastic
(biology) Capable of adapting to varying conditions; characterized by environmental adaptability.
Rubber
Water-resistant shoe covers, galoshes, overshoes.
Johnny, don't forget your rubbers today.
Plastic
Of or pertaining to the inelastic, non-brittle, deformation of a material.
Rubber
Tires, particularly racing tires.
Jones enters the pits to get new rubber.
Plastic
Made of plastic.
Rubber
A hardship or misfortune.
Plastic
Inferior or not the real thing.
Rubber
(sports) In relation to a series of games or matches between two competitors where the overall winner of the series is the competitor which wins a majority of the individual games or matches:
Plastic
Fake; insincere.
Rubber
The entire series, of an odd number of games or matches in which ties are impossible (especially a series of three games in bridge or whist).
Plastic
Having the power to give form or fashion to a mass of matter; as, the plastic hand of the Creator.
See plastic Nature working to his end.
Rubber
An individual match within the series (especially in racquet sports).
Plastic
Capable of being molded, formed, or modeled, as clay or plaster; - used also figuratively; as, the plastic mind of a child.
Rubber
A rubber match; a game or match played to break a tie.
Plastic
Pertaining or appropriate to, or characteristic of, molding or modeling; produced by, or appearing as if produced by, molding or modeling; - said of sculpture and the kindred arts, in distinction from painting and the graphic arts.
Medallions . . . fraught with the plastic beauty and grace of the palmy days of Italian art.
Rubber
The game of rubber bridge.
Plastic
A substance composed predominantly of a synthetic organic high polymer capable of being cast or molded; many varieties of plastic are used to produce articles of commerce (after 1900). [MW10 gives origin of word as 1905]
Rubber
Not covered by funds on account.
Plastic
Generic name for certain synthetic or semisynthetic materials that can be molded or extruded into objects or films or filaments or used for making e.g. coatings and adhesives
Rubber
(telephony) To eavesdrop on a telephone call
Plastic
Used of the imagination;
Material...transformed by the plastic power of the imagination
Rubber
(slang) To rubberneck; to observe with unseemly curiosity.
Plastic
Capable of being molded or modeled (especially of earth or clay or other soft material);
Plastic substances such as wax or clay
Rubber
One who, or that which, rubs.
Plastic
Capable of being influenced or formed;
The plastic minds of children
A pliant nature
Rubber
In some games, as bridge or whist, the odd game, as the third or the fifth, which decides the winner when there is a tie between the players; as, to play the rubber; also, a contest determined by the winning of two out of three games; as, to play a rubber of whist.
Plastic
Plastic is versatile, used in many applications.
The use of plastic in manufacturing is ubiquitous.
Rubber
India rubber; caoutchouc; gum elastic; - also called natural rubber.
Plastic
It has various types, each with unique properties.
Polyethylene is a type of plastic used for bags.
Rubber
Any substance, whether natural or synthetic, resembling India rubber with respect to its elasticity[1].
Rubber
A low-cut overshoe made of natural or synthetic rubber[4], serving to keep the feet and shoes dry when walking in the rain or on a wet surface; - usually used in the plural.
Rubber
A condom.
Rubber
Latex from trees (especially trees of the genera Hevea and Ficus)
Rubber
An eraser made of rubber (or of a synthetic material with properties similar to rubber); commonly mounted at one end of a pencil
Rubber
Contraceptive device consisting of a thin rubber or latex sheath worn over the penis during intercourse
Rubber
A waterproof overshoe that protects shoes from water or snow
Rubber
Coat or impregnate with rubber;
Rubberize fabric for rain coats
Rubber
Made of rubber and therefore water-repellent;
Rubber boots
Rubber
Returned for lack of funds;
A rubber check
A no-good check
Rubber
Rubber is an elastic material derived from latex.
The rubber band snapped back into place.
Rubber
It is flexible and returns to its original shape.
The rubber sole of the shoe was very flexible.
Rubber
Rubber can be natural or synthetic.
Synthetic rubber is derived from petroleum byproducts.
Common Curiosities
Is rubber always obtained from latex?
It can be natural from latex or synthetic, made from petroleum byproducts.
Can plastic be used in packaging?
Yes, plastic is extensively used in packaging due to its versatility.
Is plastic always synthetic?
Mostly, but it can also be semi-synthetic, combined with organic materials.
Is rubber waterproof?
Yes, rubber is inherently waterproof.
Is rubber resistant to chemicals?
Yes, rubber is resistant to various chemicals.
Can rubber be used in footwear?
Absolutely, rubber is commonly used in footwear for its flexibility.
Are all plastics the same?
No, there are various types of plastics, each with unique properties.
Can plastic be as flexible as rubber?
Some plastics can be flexible, but they generally lack the elasticity of rubber.
Is plastic more rigid than rubber?
Generally, plastic is more rigid, but some plastics can be made flexible.
Can rubber be synthetic?
Yes, rubber can be either natural or synthetic.
Does plastic have a wide range of applications?
Yes, plastic’s versatility allows it to have a myriad of applications.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
