Phenolic Laminates
Phenolic laminates — the original industrial composites, sold under names such as Bakelite, Micarta and Tufnol — are layers of cotton canvas, linen or kraft paper impregnated with phenol-formaldehyde resin and pressed into sheet, rod and tube at about 1.35 g/cm³. The fabric grades (CE, LE, C, L) are tough, self-lubricating bearing and gear materials with flexural strength around 100–130 MPa and compressive strength above 250 MPa; the paper grades (X, XX, XXX) are the low-cost electrical insulators. All of them machine like a dense hardwood, hold size in oil, run continuously at about 120–130 °C, and none of them melt.
Popular phenolic laminate grades
Compare in the explorer| Grade | Yield, MPa | Tensile, MPa | Density, g/cm³ | Machinability | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phenolic CE | 90 | 75 | 1.37 | Very good | Dry bearings, rollers and wear strips |
| Phenolic LE | 95 | 105 | 1.36 | Very good | Small gears and fine machined detail |
| Phenolic XX | 80 | 90 | 1.34 | Very good | Low-cost paper-phenolic electrical insulation |
| XXX | — | 110 | 1.36 | Good | Lowest moisture uptake, radio-frequency parts |
| C | — | 76 | 1.36 | Very good | Coarse canvas for heavy impact and large bearings |
| L | — | 95 | 1.36 | Very good | Fine linen for small precision parts |
| XXXPC | — | 110 | 1.35 | Very good | Punched electrical parts, cold-punching grade |
All 15 phenolic laminate grades
Choose phenolic laminates for
Dry bearings, bushings, thrust washers and rollers against steel; gears, cams and sprockets that must run quietly; wear strips, guide rails and slide pads; jigs, fixtures and soft jaws; arc chutes, terminal boards, spacers and switch bases; steam, oil and mild-chemical service where a nylon would swell; and any part that must be tough, machinable and non-conductive without the abrasiveness of a glass laminate.
Look elsewhere when
The part needs higher strength or stiffness per volume (G10 is roughly three times as strong in bending and two to three times stiffer), it runs above about 130 °C continuously (G11 or G7), size must hold in humid air (paper phenolic absorbs 1–3 % water — use G10 or PET), a cosmetic surface is wanted (phenolic is dark brown and mottled), the bearing runs fast or unlubricated at high PV (PTFE-filled POM-C LF, or a bronze), or stiffness-to-weight is the goal (Carbon Fiber).
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Phenolic laminate by application
- Bearings and wear parts
- Phenolic CE for bushings, rollers and wear pads running against hardened steel; C where shock loads are heavy; Phenolic LE for small, finely finished bushings and thrust washers.
- Gears and cams
- Phenolic LE or L for gears under about 100 mm where tooth finish matters; Phenolic CE for larger, rougher gears and sprockets. Run them against a steel mate and expect a quiet mesh.
- Electrical insulation
- Phenolic XX for terminal boards, spacers and switch bases; XXX for radio-frequency and humid service; N-1 when both impact and electrical properties are needed.
- Jigs, fixtures and soft jaws
- Phenolic CE sheet 10–25 mm machines fast, does not mark the workpiece and holds up to coolant; Phenolic LE where the jaw must locate on a precision face.
Working with phenolic laminate
- Machining
- Phenolic machines like a dense hardwood with sharp carbide at high speed and moderate feed, holding ±0.1 mm on the fabric grades and a little tighter on linen. The dust is fine and irritant — extraction is mandatory — and the resin is abrasive enough that HSS dulls quickly. Threads cut well in CE and LE but strip under repeated torque; use inserts.
- Bearing design
- Run phenolic against a hardened, ground steel shaft with a light oil or grease film at start-up — the fabric holds the lubricant afterwards. Allow 0.1–0.2 % more running clearance than a bronze bushing because the laminate swells slightly in moisture and expands more with heat, and keep PV moderate; the fabric grades tolerate shock a bronze would brinell under.
- Cutting and design
- Waterjet and sawing are clean; laser cutting chars badly. Load fabric grades in-plane or in compression — through-thickness strength and interlaminar shear are low, so bolted joints need washers and inserts and thin edges chip. Sheet thickness runs ±5–10 %, so machine both faces where thickness matters.
- Finishing and moisture
- Phenolic is left as machined or lightly buffed; it takes paint and epoxy well but is not plated or anodized. Paper grades take up 1–3 % water and grow with it, canvas about half that; seal machined edges on precision electrical parts and dry stock that has been stored damp before finishing. Colour ranges from tan to dark brown and is not controllable.
Other composite series
Phenolic Laminates — frequently asked
What is phenolic laminate?
Phenolic laminates — the original industrial composites, sold under names such as Bakelite, Micarta and Tufnol — are layers of cotton canvas, linen or kraft paper impregnated with phenol-formaldehyde resin and pressed into sheet, rod and tube at about 1.35 g/cm³. The fabric grades (CE, LE, C, L) are tough, self-lubricating bearing and gear materials with flexural strength around 100–130 MPa and compressive strength above 250 MPa; the paper grades (X, XX, XXX) are the low-cost electrical insulators. All of them machine like a dense hardwood, hold size in oil, run continuously at about 120–130 °C, and none of them melt.
Which grade of phenolic laminate should I use?
Phenolic CE — medium-weave canvas — for bearings, bushings, rollers, wear strips, jigs and anything that runs dry against steel; the toughest general grade and the default. Phenolic LE — fine linen — when the part is a small gear, a threaded part or needs crisp edges and a smooth surface, and where humidity resistance matters more than raw impact. C and L are the coarse-weave and fine-weave grades of the same two fabrics, with more impact (C) or a finer finish (L). Phenolic XX — kraft paper — for terminal boards, spacers, arc barriers and general electrical insulation under light load; XXX for the lowest moisture uptake and best radio-frequency properties; XXP, XXXP and XXXPC when the sheet will be punched rather than machined. N-1 nylon-fabric phenolic for the best electrical properties in humid service; 3021 is the Chinese paper-phenolic sheet of the XX class.
Which grade of phenolic laminate is the strongest?
Phenolic LE has the highest yield strength in the series at 95 MPa; Phenolic CE follows at 90 MPa. Values are for each grade's default condition.
Which grade of phenolic laminate is easiest to machine?
LE (machinability excellent, 88/100), then XXXP (85/100).
CE or LE canvas phenolic?
Both are cotton-fabric phenolics; CE uses a medium-weight canvas, LE a fine linen. CE has slightly higher impact strength and is the cheaper, tougher bearing and wear grade; LE machines to a finer edge and surface, absorbs a little less moisture and is the choice for small gears, threaded parts and anything under about 3 mm thick where the coarse canvas weave would show. If the part is a bushing over 25 mm or a wear strip, CE; if it is a 40-tooth gear or a precision spacer, LE.
Phenolic or G10 for an insulating bracket?
G10 when the bracket carries real load or must hold size in humid air: glass-epoxy is roughly three times as strong in bending, two to three times stiffer, absorbs a tenth of the water and is rated for a similar 130 °C. Paper phenolic (Phenolic XX) when loads are light and cost rules — it is cheaper and machines faster without diamond tooling. Canvas phenolic is the bearing material, not the structural insulator; use it where the part also slides or is struck.