Why Does Silicone Rubber Perform Well Outdoors?

You’ll find silicone rubber products and items in all manner of locations. Some are more surprising than others, as we’ve discovered in some of our other posts. However, broadly speaking, it is an ideal material to use outdoors. There are several reasons why silicone rubber is perfect for outdoor use, so we’ll go into a few of the main ones here.

It’s great at withstanding the weather

Here in the UK, we are used to handling all kinds of weather conditions. Not only do we get everything from snow to rain to hailstones to heatwaves (albeit not too many of the latter!), but the weather can also switch between them at speed.

This can put strain on various items that are always outdoors. Regular rubber cannot handle these extremes for anywhere near as long as silicone rubber. So, if you’re creating a product designed for outdoor use, think of silicone rubber for any rubber parts you’re going to use.

It’s ideal in many varied temperatures

From below freezing when exposed to snow and ice to coping in those rare heatwaves we might experience – silicone rubber is fine in both scenarios. In fact, even the British weather is no match for silicone rubber parts.

One of the ways this type of rubber is used is in various parts of an airplane. The temperatures during flight and on the ground are far more extreme than anything the weather could throw at it. This confirms that silicone rubber can easily handle any temperature extremes it might encounter on the ground in the UK.

It fares well in direct sunlight

It’s not just a question of temperature extremes either. You may think that it would be perfect to use outdoors in all weathers… but you might need to make sure it is out of direct sun.

But that’s not the case. Let’s say you’re using silicone rubber to create long-lasting feet for a patio set of table and chairs. They’re certainly going to be out in the sun and the shade. They might be outside all year too.

While regular rubber is cheaper, there will soon come a point where those feet are going to split, break, or otherwise fail. That won’t happen if you decide to invest in silicone rubber parts to use for those feet instead.

It does well to resist ozone

Have you ever seen regular rubber with cracks in it if it has been outdoors for a while? This is natural and caused by ozone coming into contact with the rubber.

Did you know that silicone rubber isn’t affected in this way? It’s true – it is ozone resistant, so that’s another reason to choose it if you’re looking to use rubber items outdoors at any time of the year… or indeed all year.

You can see that silicone rubber is really the only choice – and certainly the best choice – for outdoor use. It is going to last far longer than anything else you might go for.