Rubbers have found many applications in industrial and consumer goods because they are the only group of materials able to provide elastic properties across a wide range of temperatures.
The rubber family includes a diverse range of materials - as varied as "metals" or "plastics".
A hundred years of research and development cannot be fully covered in a small guide, but the main properties are summarised below with examples of actual applications.
Many of these properties can be combined by suitable compounding, although no single material is "best" in every aspect. Some properties are only available in one type of rubber.
You can see these properties in more detail in the Rubber Data Chart
