We sometimes receive questions from customers such as:
“Is it safe for a certain rust preventive oil to come into contact with plastic or rubber?”
“How compatible is rust preventive oil with rubber?”

Answer:
Depending on the components of the rust preventive oil and the type of material it comes into contact with, there is a possibility that it may affect plastics or rubber.

Rust preventive oils contain not only anti-corrosion agents, but also a variety of other ingredients such as solvents, base oils, and surfactants.
Among these, mineral oil-based base oils and petroleum-based solvents may cause swelling, softening, or cracking when they come into contact with certain rubbers or resins.
For example, ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM) is vulnerable to mineral oils, and polycarbonate can develop cracks due to organic solvents.

Additionally, even within the general categories of “rubber” and “plastic,” resistance to oils and chemicals can vary greatly depending on the specific material.
Fluororubber and fluororesins are relatively stable against rust preventive oils, whereas materials like EPDM and styrene-based resins are more prone to degradation and require caution when used.

[Testing impact on rubber]
The image below shows the condition of nitrile rubber and ethylene propylene diene rubber after being immersed in a rust preventive oil overnight.
You can see that the ethylene propylene diene rubber increased in surface area by approximately 10%.

Therefore, it is important to select an appropriate rust preventive agent based on the materials it will come into contact with.
If you would like to check the effects on plastics or rubber before using a rust preventive agent, or if you wish to test compatibility with specific materials using samples, please feel free to contact us.