Three material used in helmets’ outer shell

As a protective gear, helmet is used to protect the wearer’s head in case of an accident. It can reduce injuries, even saving lives in some extreme cases. It is an important and must  cycling safety equipment.

On market, there are three kinds of material are widely used for helmet outer shell: ABS, PVC and PC.

ABS(abbreviation for Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) is the most commen used material for bicycle helmet, ski helmet, skateboard, and safety helmet. ABS resin is a thermoplastic polymer material with high strength, good toughness, strong impact resistance. At present, many excellent helmets in the market is made of ABS material, which features with high strength, strong anti-fall and good comprehensive protection performance. But the weight of an ABS helmet is relative bigger than the weight of In-mold helmet,which is made of PC+EPS. Below is a picture of Aurora Sports’ ABS helmet that can pass the safety standard of CE EN1078 and CPSC1203. For more information of the helmet, you can click the picture.

PVC is polyvinyl chloride. It is a transparent hard material, but a little more brittle and less transparent than PC. It can be arbitrarily colored. PVC material has the characteristics of light weight, heat insulation, heat preservation, flame retardant, light construction, etc.

The last one is PC, which is Polycarbonate. Another typical plastic material for helmets. It has excellent light transmittal effect, which is known as transparent alloy. It is also excellent in impact resistance, weather resistance, flame retardant and high heat resistance, and is also can used in making windshield masks. The cost of helmets that made with PC shell is higher than the ABS helmet. But it is still very popular on market because of the lightweight and multiple graphic printing options. Thus, we take advantage of its natural feature and made the lightest helmet. For more information of the helmet, you can click the picture.