Difference Wiki

Plastic vs. Rubber

Key Differences

Main components of plastic include plasticizer, stabilizer, filler and pigments while the main components of rubber include iso-propene, water and organic compounds.
Plastic cannot be deformed once it is hardened and molded into a shape while rubber can easily be molded in different shapes even once the shape is formed.
Janet White
Dec 06, 2016
Plastic has to be converted in its form after multiple processes and therefore is considered a by-product while rubber is obtained as it is from the trees and then dried so it is a natural product.
Water has more amount of presence in Rubber therefore rubber is considered toxic while plastic is considered less toxic since it does not have much water.
Aimie Carlson
Dec 06, 2016
Plastic is defined as a substance that have a structure similar to polymers while rubber has a structure of their own and are not similar to anyone.
Plastic are less elastic in nature while rubber is considered as the main elastic substance.
Samantha Walker
Dec 06, 2016
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Synthetic form of rubber is obtained from crude oil while the similar form of plastic is obtained from natural oil.
Samantha Walker
Dec 06, 2016
Plastic is mostly obtained from organic substances such as oil and petrol while rubber is usually obtained from the trees branches.

Comparison Chart

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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.
An elastic material obtained from the latex sap of trees (especially trees of the genera Hevea and Ficus) that can be vulcanized and finished into a variety of products.

Source

Mostly obtained from organic substances such as oil and petrol.
Usually obtained from the trees branches.

Conversion

It has to be converted in its form after multiple processes and therefore is considered a by-product.
It is obtained as it is from the trees and then dried so it is a natural product.

Deformation

Cannot be deformed once it is hardened and molded into a shape.
Can easily be molded in different shapes even once the shape is formed.
Aimie Carlson
Dec 06, 2016
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Plastic and Rubber Definitions

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.
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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.

Rubber

India rubber; caoutchouc; gum elastic; - also called natural rubber.

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

What is Plastic?

Plastics are substances that have a complex structure, they mirror most polymers since they have high molecule ratio between them. They are derived from sources such as oil and petrol while they are softer in nature and therefore it is easy to mold them in different shapes and sizes according to the requirement at the initial stages when it is still raw. They have less amount of water present in its components and therefore it is considered less toxic. The molecules in plastic are bonded together and have high rates. The main advantage of plastic is that once it is shaped into a specific form it is very difficult to change that shape again. This is the reason it has more use in daily life products such as clothes, books, food, beverages and other many products. The main types of plastic include thermosetting and thermoplastic, although in general there are more than 1000 different types of plastics that are present. It is also available in synthetic form and that form is obtained from natural gas or oil. Plastic has to be converted in its form after multiple processes and therefore is considered a by-product and is not available naturally in the atmosphere.

What is Rubber?

Rubber is derived from tress instead of some sort of chemical. Trees put out some sort of liquid which is extracted from the stem and then dried to obtain rubber. It has a large amount of water in it therefore it is easily differentiable. It is elastic in nature and can be easily molded in to different shapes but have high breakage ratio. This is the reason that it is not a by-product but a natural one since it can be obtained directly from the atmosphere. It is also present in the synthetic form which can be made after the extraction from crude oil. Rubber is mostly used in the construction of tires and in industry for various purposes such as running chemical reactions. Most of the automotive industry is dependent on rubber for its process and equipment. There are two main types of rubber as well, which are synthetic and organic while many other forms have been made for different purposes in the industry. It can be molded into shape even when it is hardened which gives it an advantage over other materials and is the most common one in its field.

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