{"id":3804,"date":"2024-01-29T19:08:16","date_gmt":"2024-01-29T19:08:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/?p=3804"},"modified":"2025-12-02T17:42:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T17:42:55","slug":"acrylic-vs-plastic-what-is-the-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/29\/acrylic-vs-plastic-what-is-the-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"Acrylic vs Plastic: What Is The Difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3805\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Acrylic-vs-Plastic.jpg\" alt=\"Retail items displayed on acrylic risers\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Acrylic-vs-Plastic.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Acrylic-vs-Plastic-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sure, you already know the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/03\/acrylic-vs-glass-display-cases\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">difference between glass and acrylic<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. But what about acrylic vs plastic? If you thought they were the same thing, you\u2019re sort of right. Acrylic <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a clear plastic\u2014but it\u2019s just one of many different clear plastics. Here, we\u2019ll talk about a few of those plastics, and what makes acrylic unique.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"88\" data-end=\"108\"><strong data-start=\"91\" data-end=\"108\">Key Takeaways<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"112\" data-end=\"263\"><strong data-start=\"112\" data-end=\"138\">Acrylic <em data-start=\"122\" data-end=\"126\">is<\/em> a plastic<\/strong>, but it\u2019s a specific type\u2014PMMA\u2014that offers greater clarity, strength, and longevity compared to many other clear plastics.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"266\" data-end=\"401\"><strong data-start=\"266\" data-end=\"322\">Hand-crafted acrylic delivers a higher-end aesthetic<\/strong> than injection-molded plastics, with clearer joints and fewer imperfections.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"404\" data-end=\"531\"><strong data-start=\"404\" data-end=\"443\">Acrylic outperforms common plastics<\/strong> with better scratch resistance, UV protection, and resistance to yellowing over time.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"534\" data-end=\"686\"><strong data-start=\"534\" data-end=\"625\">Brand names like Plexiglas, Perspex, Lucite, and Acrylite all refer to forms of acrylic<\/strong>, each sharing core PMMA properties with slight variations.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"689\" data-end=\"802\"><strong data-start=\"689\" data-end=\"732\">Polystyrene is cheaper and more brittle<\/strong>, making it ideal for disposable goods rather than durable displays.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"805\" data-end=\"902\"><strong data-start=\"805\" data-end=\"853\">Polycarbonate is stronger but more expensive<\/strong>, used when high impact resistance is required.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"905\" data-end=\"1061\"><strong data-start=\"905\" data-end=\"994\">For displays, acrylic offers the best balance of clarity, durability, and versatility<\/strong>, making it the preferred choice for most shopPOPdisplays products.<!--more--><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Acrylic vs Plastic: What\u2019s the Difference?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are many different kinds of plastics made from synthetic or semi-synthetic materials, and acrylic is just one of them. Also called polyacrylate, acrylic is a petroleum-based thermoplastic made from methyl methacrylate (MMA) and\/or poly methyl methacrylate (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.acmeplastics.com\/what-is-pmma\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PMMA<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). It is sold under numerous brand names, including <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.acmeplastics.com\/what-is-acrylic-plexiglass\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plexiglas<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Perspex, Lucite, Acrylite, and others. It can be injection molded or hand-crafted. Injection molding means that it\u2019s manufactured by injecting PPMA into a mold. This yields a strong, clear plastic that costs less than a hand-crafted acrylic, which means that all joints are bonded by hand resulting in a clear, clean aesthetic that\u2019s just as strong. This, of course, is a more labor-intensive and more costly process. Other plastics can be injection molded but tend to scratch easier and be discolored or yellow over time, compared to acrylic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Properties of Acrylic\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acrylic is used in accessories, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/industries\/retail-industry.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">point-of-purchase displays<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/signage\/sign-holders-and-picture-frames.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">picture frames<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/signage.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">signage<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/acrylic-risers.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">acrylic risers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/acrylic-risers\/acrylic-block-risers.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">acrylic blocks<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, windows, and more. Here are the qualities that make acrylic versus plastic more beneficial for those purposes:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Easy to cut, bend, and shape<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acrylic is a thermoplastic, meaning it can be melted and molded into any shape\u2014and then be reheated and reshaped without signs of degradation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Offers a high amount of clarity and strength<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It has a similar optical clarity to glass but has better impact resistance and a lighter weight.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><b>Scratch-resistant<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acrylic is less likely to scratch compared to glass and other plastics such as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.acmeplastics.com\/polycarbonate\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">polycarbonate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. And any scuffs that mark its appearance may be able to be polished out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Resistant to discoloration<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acrylic is known to age without pronounced discoloration, such as yellowing, compared to other plastics.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>UV resistant<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Acrylic\u2019s UV-resistant properties help protect contents behind the acrylic from the sun\u2019s harmful rays.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Understanding Brand Names\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acrylic is an umbrella term for thermoplastic. Brand names include Lucite, Plexiglas, Perspex, Acrylite, and others. (For instance, our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/acrylic-risers\/acrylic-block-risers.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">acrylic blocks<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are made from Perspex.) Being manufactured from PMMA the brands share many similarities but there can be differences. Lucite, for example, has a slightly higher refractive index than acrylic, which makes it appear clearer and brighter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>2 Alternative Plastics to Know<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are other clear plastics that have different qualities of acrylic. Here are two commonly manufactured plastics and they differ from acrylic.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>1. Polystyrene<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Polystyrene is made from the chemically bonded monomer styrene. It\u2019s injection molded like PMMA but It\u2019s not as strong. Typically clear, hard, and brittle, it\u2019s one of the most widely used plastics due to its cost. It is used in disposable consumer goods, such as plates, utensils, food packaging, and egg cartons, as well as other plastic containers like jewel cases for CDs.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>2.\u00a0 Polycarbonate<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Polycarbonate is a thermoplastic polymer, but it\u2019s stronger (and more expensive) than acrylic and other plastics. It is used for applications where impact resistance is important, such as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.acmeplastics.com\/polycarbonate-acrylic-greenhouse-panels\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">greenhouse panels<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, windows, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.acmeplastics.com\/polycarbonate-sheets\/polycarbonate-bullet-resistant-sheet\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bullet-resistant<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> acrylic sheets.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Explore Your Acrylic Options with ShopPOPdisplays<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When considering acrylic vs plastic, acrylic\u2019s aesthetic and material properties\u00a0make it ideal for a wide variety of displays and applications. At shopPOPdisplays, our displays are made with durable acrylic to provide the quality you are looking for. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/CTUS.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contact us today<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Sure, you already know the difference between glass and acrylic. But what about acrylic vs plastic? If you thought they were the same thing, you\u2019re sort of right. Acrylic is a clear plastic\u2014but it\u2019s just one of many different clear plastics. Here, we\u2019ll talk about a few of those plastics, and what makes acrylic &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/29\/acrylic-vs-plastic-what-is-the-difference\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Acrylic vs Plastic: What Is The Difference?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[508,509,507,561,528,567,566,565,546,564,563,562,494,6,568,569],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Acrylic vs Plastic: What Is The Difference? | shopPOPdisplays<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Acrylic is simply a type of plastic. Also known as polyacrylate, acrylic is sold under a handful of brand names. Learn more about the differences between acrylic and plastic.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/29\/acrylic-vs-plastic-what-is-the-difference\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Acrylic vs Plastic: What Is The Difference? | shopPOPdisplays\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Acrylic is simply a type of plastic. Also known as polyacrylate, acrylic is sold under a handful of brand names. Learn more about the differences between acrylic and plastic.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/29\/acrylic-vs-plastic-what-is-the-difference\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"shopPOPdisplays\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-29T19:08:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-02T17:42:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Acrylic-vs-Plastic.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Marla_Bracco\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Marla_Bracco\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/29\/acrylic-vs-plastic-what-is-the-difference\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/29\/acrylic-vs-plastic-what-is-the-difference\/\",\"name\":\"Acrylic vs Plastic: What Is The Difference? | shopPOPdisplays\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-29T19:08:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-02T17:42:55+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/14384968d60ee84b8a4c263fedef408b\"},\"description\":\"Acrylic is simply a type of plastic. Also known as polyacrylate, acrylic is sold under a handful of brand names. Learn more about the differences between acrylic and plastic.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/29\/acrylic-vs-plastic-what-is-the-difference\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/29\/acrylic-vs-plastic-what-is-the-difference\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/29\/acrylic-vs-plastic-what-is-the-difference\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Acrylic vs Plastic: What Is The Difference?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"shopPOPdisplays\",\"description\":\"ShopPop Displays Blog - Tips &amp; Tricks for Retail Store Displays\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/14384968d60ee84b8a4c263fedef408b\",\"name\":\"Marla_Bracco\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/author\/marla_bracco\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Acrylic vs Plastic: What Is The Difference? | shopPOPdisplays","description":"Acrylic is simply a type of plastic. Also known as polyacrylate, acrylic is sold under a handful of brand names. Learn more about the differences between acrylic and plastic.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/29\/acrylic-vs-plastic-what-is-the-difference\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Acrylic vs Plastic: What Is The Difference? | shopPOPdisplays","og_description":"Acrylic is simply a type of plastic. Also known as polyacrylate, acrylic is sold under a handful of brand names. Learn more about the differences between acrylic and plastic.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/29\/acrylic-vs-plastic-what-is-the-difference\/","og_site_name":"shopPOPdisplays","article_published_time":"2024-01-29T19:08:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-02T17:42:55+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Acrylic-vs-Plastic.jpg"}],"author":"Marla_Bracco","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Marla_Bracco","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/29\/acrylic-vs-plastic-what-is-the-difference\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/29\/acrylic-vs-plastic-what-is-the-difference\/","name":"Acrylic vs Plastic: What Is The Difference? | shopPOPdisplays","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-01-29T19:08:16+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-02T17:42:55+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/14384968d60ee84b8a4c263fedef408b"},"description":"Acrylic is simply a type of plastic. Also known as polyacrylate, acrylic is sold under a handful of brand names. Learn more about the differences between acrylic and plastic.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/29\/acrylic-vs-plastic-what-is-the-difference\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/29\/acrylic-vs-plastic-what-is-the-difference\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/29\/acrylic-vs-plastic-what-is-the-difference\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Acrylic vs Plastic: What Is The Difference?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/","name":"shopPOPdisplays","description":"ShopPop Displays Blog - Tips &amp; Tricks for Retail Store Displays","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/14384968d60ee84b8a4c263fedef408b","name":"Marla_Bracco","url":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/author\/marla_bracco\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3804"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3804"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3804\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5214,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3804\/revisions\/5214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoppopdisplays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}