Registered trade name: Neopren® (DU Pont)
CR is known in practice under the trade name Neoprene. CR has many good properties among the other elastomers, without achieving corresponding peak values. With appropriate protective agents, quite good ozone and ageing resistance as well as satisfactory oil resistance can be achieved.
CR has good flame retardancy due to its high chlorine content. However, flame retardancy is strongly dependent on the type of plasticiser used. In the course of the development of synthetic rubbers, it was possible to produce an all-purpose rubber in the form of chloroprene rubber (CR), which is similar to SBR and BR, but with significantly improved ageing properties.
This special property, coupled with good mechanical behaviour, but also significantly better resistance to acids, alkalis and polar chemicals, made chloroprene rubber the most important speciality rubber for many years.
CR is also resistant to oils and greases, and to a certain extent also to fuels.
| Hardness | 30 to 90 Shore A |
| Elongation at break | 100 to 800 |
| Maximum temperature | +90° C |
| Minimum temperature | -30°C |
| Electrical properties | – |
| Gas permeability | slightly worse than NBR |
| Resistance to ageing and ozone | very good with appropriate additives |
| Chemical resistance | good |
Wherever high flame retardancy, stable ageing properties and chemical resistance are required. CR is used in technical rubber goods, thanks to its favourable combination of properties for moulded parts, conveyor belts, seals, hoses, roller coverings, linings, belts or cable sheaths. CR is also used in the manufacture of sports articles and clothing (surf and diving clothing) in contact with seawater. Here it is often used as a foamed variant. In dissolved form, CR is a main component of many adhesives.
