What is the heat resistance of WiseBond® Epoxy?
By Roderick Kabel
Customer question: “I know other epoxy companies say they have heat resistance up to 600°F. What is the heat resistance of your epoxy?”
Answer: We’ll, simply put, WiseBond has tested our epoxy for heat deflection up to 120°F before we saw distortion.
This is a question we get every week. We see it plastered all over the internet as well. We see tons of epoxy enthusiasts toss around this-and-that brand has a heat resistance that will stave off the surface of the sun. Folks, this is where confusion breeds and the nonsense resides.
The fundamentals of epoxy exposed to heat is plain and simple. Don’t do it. Protect your epoxy at all times. Especially keep it away from high heat and open flames! Treat your epoxy table, bar top or countertop as if it were Italian granite or marble – or the likes of.
Let’s be honest, epoxy isn’t cheap. So why would anyone place anything hot on it? Use hot pads and coasters and keep the kids’ Hot Wheels off it!
Let’s look at what heat resistance and heat deflection really are. It’s pretty simple.
Heat deflection is when an indirect heat source raises the temperature of the epoxy enough to cause a warp or slight dent from an object. Heat deflection has a temperature limit that usually occurs at the 100°F to 130°F temperature range.
For example, a hot coffee cup could leave a ring or the hot sun through a window might allow a fingernail to dent the epoxy. The epoxy gets soft but most likely will return to normal once it cools down.
Heat resistance is a temperature limit where a direct heat source makes the epoxy actually melt, sag or droop and is permanently damaged. This range can start around 300°F up to 600°F.
The above definitions are extremely incorrectly referenced by epoxy users in social media and worse, by unprincipled marketing departments with their advertising and rhetoric.
Heat resistance and deflection claims are one of the biggest issues we struggle with here at WiseBond®. We’ve all seen epoxy brands squirt lighter fluid on epoxy, set it on fire and it doesn’t melt or catch fire. We’ve similarly seen 500°F hot cooking pans placed on epoxy for 20 seconds and there is no distortion. Duh!
The point here is this, when epoxy users’ reference and seek to purchase epoxy with a high “heat resistant”, what they are looking for is an epoxy that will not dent, melt, get tacky, or droop. And that’s fine and completely understandable. But not realistic.
To which, we have to ask, “What in the world are you planning on doing to your epoxy table or countertop? JESH!”
This mindset isn’t realistic because the two definitions have been greatly melded together and that has created a huge quagmire for epoxy brands like us who don’t exaggerate the truth.
So, what does this mean for your epoxy purchase? First off, understand that realistically most all epoxy brands have a heat deflection ranging from 100°F to 130°F and a heat resistance somewhere between 400°F/500°F. Claims otherwise are just plain BS.
Our WiseBond® heat resistance is 400°F/500°F and our heat deflection is 120°F.
Choose wisely!
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