Grade Cross-Reference · Engineering Plastics

Makrolon 2805 / Lexan 141R Alternatives: Chinese PC Grades Reviewed

Q: Are Makrolon 2805 and Lexan 141R the same material?

Functionally, yes for selection purposes: both are medium-viscosity, general-purpose injection PC with internal mold release, and their mechanics are nearly identical (tensile yield 63–66 MPa, HDT 125 °C). 141R flows a bit faster (MVR 12.0 vs 9.0). Two differences worth knowing: 2805 carries UL 94 V-2 at 0.75 mm while 141R is HB at all listed thicknesses, and 141R is the release-agent version of Lexan 141 — the "R" suffix means internal mold release in both brands' naming.

Q: I'm seeing "polycarbonate" suppliers offering roofing sheets — is that the same market?

No, and the confusion is common enough that it distorts search data. Polycarbonate sheet (solid or multiwall "sun panels" for roofing and glazing) is an extrusion product, typically bought as finished sheet; the general injection grades discussed here are sold as pellets for molding housings, connectors, and components. Some Chinese PC producers sell dedicated extrusion grades (e.g., SSTPC lists two extrusion grades among its twelve), but sheet buyers and pellet buyers are different markets with different qualification logic. This article is about injection pellets.

Q: Is SSTPC 141R-111 the same as Lexan 141R?

It is the same grade produced in China: Zhongsha Tianjin is the Sinopec–SABIC JV, runs SABIC's melt process, and sells this grade under the Lexan 141R name (its official product page lists 141R-111 at MVR 10.05). For a buyer, this is a plant-origin change, not a material substitution — still worth a lot-level CoA check, but the chemistry lineage is SABIC's.

Q: How much cheaper are the Chinese grades?

Less than you'd expect from the POM/PA66 articles. As of early September 2026: the Sunsirs domestic PC benchmark is ¥14,716.67/t (2026-09-03, up ~5% through August); trader listings for imported Makrolon 2805 run ~¥15,700–16,500/t (Yuyao market quotes 15,700–15,800 on 2026-08-28; Sunsirs-listed distributor 16,500) and Lexan 141R-111 ~¥15,000–15,800/t; a domestic grade (Dafeng 02-10R) was listed at ¥13,200/t in May 2026 (a stale listing). These are listing prices, not transaction prices — but a realistic spread is ~10–15%, versus 30–45% in PA66. In PC, the case for switching is often security of supply and lead time as much as price.

Q: Is Chinese general-purpose PC really import-quality?

For the general injection segment, the market says yes: imports are down to the mid-20s percent of consumption (from 62% in 2020, sources differ on the exact figure), domestic producers over-supply the segment, and Chinese PC exports to the EU grew 43% year-on-year in Q1 2026. What remains imported is precisely the high end — optical, medical, specialty. Treat "general grade ≈ import parity, specialty grade ≠" as the working rule.

Q: What about Panlite L-1225Y?

Panlite is Teijin's brand, produced in Jiaxing, Zhejiang by Teijin's Chinese subsidiary — Japanese-owned, made in China. L-1225Y is its low/medium-viscosity general grade (MVR ≈ 11 per secondary sources; Teijin's official TDS sits behind a registration wall, so treat numbers as indicative). It is a legitimate local-supply option, but it is not a "Chinese domestic producer" grade in the price sense — expect import-brand pricing behavior.

Published 2026-09-03 · Data sources listed at the end of this page

Quick Answer

General-purpose injection-grade PC is the easiest import-to-China substitution in engineering plastics — and Makrolon 2805 and Lexan 141R are both medium-viscosity, general-purpose injection grades, so they sit in the easiest segment of the easiest resin family.

Both are the global benchmark PC grades: Makrolon 2805 (Covestro) runs MVR 9.0 cm³/10min, Lexan 141R (SABIC) MVR 12.0 cm³/10min (both 300 °C/1.2 kg, ISO 1133), with nearly identical mechanics (tensile yield 63–66 MPa, flex modulus ~2300–2400 MPa, HDT @1.8 MPa 125 °C, notched impact ~70–75 kJ/m²). Chinese producers — Wanhua CLARNATE A1105, Luxi LXTY1609T-11, Zhetie Dafeng PC02-10R, Lihuayi WY-111BR, Hainan Huasheng HS102R — all offer general injection grades in the same MFR ≈ 9–12 band with headline properties in the same range. Two shortcuts even bypass "equivalence" entirely: Zhongsha Tianjin (the Sinopec–SABIC JV) produces 141R-111 under the Lexan name in China, and Jiaxing Teijin produces Panlite L-1225Y locally. The honest caveats are narrower here than for POM or PA66, but they are real: medical/FDA, optical, weatherable, and high-flow specialty grades remain import territory; documentation quality varies; and regrind adulteration is a live risk in the Chinese spot market. Details and verification steps below.

Why This Substitution Is Different from POM or PA66

Two structural facts, both verifiable:

1
The chemistry is the same. Unlike the Delrin homopolymer/copolymer gap, PC is PC — bisphenol-A polycarbonate, whether made by Covestro, SABIC, Wanhua, or Luxi. The process routes differ (interfacial/phosgene vs melt/non-phosgene), and process route leaves fingerprints in color, end-cap chemistry, and hydrolytic stability — but there is no resin-family wall to climb.
2
China has flooded this segment. Chinese PC capacity grew from ~2.06 Mt (2020) to ~3.81 Mt (2024), roughly 48% of global capacity by 2025, the world's largest. Import dependence fell from ~62% (2020) to the mid-20s percent (2024–2025, sources differ on the exact figure). Domestic prices fell more than 20% during 2025, and the industry ran at negative average margins (−103 yuan/t, Jan–Oct 2025). The result: a buyer's market in general-purpose PC, with domestic producers actively positioning their grades against 2805/141R.

The mirror image of that story is the boundary: industry sources and the Chinese Academy of Sciences both state that high-end PC — optical grades, medical grades — is still import-dependent ("a bottleneck material" per CAS's Wang Gongying, 2023). Wanhua commissioned China's first high-refractive-index PC unit (1,500 t/yr) only in 2026. So "Chinese PC can replace imported PC" is true for general injection grades and false as a blanket statement — the rest of this article is about drawing that line precisely.

Property Comparison: Makrolon 2805 / Lexan 141R vs Chinese Grades

2805 and 141R data from official Covestro/SABIC datasheet documents (see sources). Zhongsha Tianjin data from the JV's official product page (publishes limited fields only). Zhetie Dafeng "enterprise standard" values are minimum release specifications from the producer's own Q/DAPHOON standard — floors, not typicals. Data marked ⚠ comes from secondary Chinese property aggregators/distributors — non-official data, for reference only; the producer's TDS/CoA prevails. "—" = not verified from a public source.

Property (test method)	Makrolon® 2805 (Covestro)	LEXAN™ 141R (SABIC)	Wanhua CLARNATE A1105 ⚠	Zhetie Dafeng PC02-10R ⚠	Lihuayi WY-111BR ⚠	SSTPC 141R-111 (official)
Producer / route	Covestro	SABIC	Wanhua (interfacial)	Zhetie Dafeng (melt)	Lihuayi Weiyuan	Sinopec–SABIC JV (melt)
Density, g/cm³ (ISO 1183 / ASTM D792)	1.20	1.20	1.20	1.20	1.20	1.20
MVR/MFR, 300 °C/1.2 kg	MVR 9.0 cm³/10min; MFR 10 g/10min (ISO 1133)	MVR 12.0 cm³/10min (ISO 1133)	MFR 10 g/10min (ASTM D1238)	MFR 10 g/10min; MVR 10.0 cm³/10min (ISO 1133)	MFR 11.18 g/10min (condition not stated on source)	MVR 10.05 cm³/10min (condition not stated)
Tensile modulus, MPa	2400 (ISO 527)	2350 (ISO 527)	2300 (ASTM D638)	—	—	—
Tensile stress at yield, MPa (ISO 527)	66	63	70 (tensile strength, ASTM D638)*	61.8 (ASTM D638)*	59 (tensile strength)*	—
Strain at break, %	>50 (nominal, ISO 527)	110 (ISO 527)	120 (ASTM D638)	110 (ASTM D638)	88 (ASTM D638)	—
Flexural modulus, MPa (ISO 178 / ASTM D790)	2400	2300	2300 (D790)	2350 (D790) / 2400 (ISO 178)	3100 ⚠ (suspect — see notes)	—
Notched impact, 23 °C	75 kJ/m² Charpy (ISO 179-1eA); 70 kJ/m² Izod (ISO 180-A)	73 kJ/m² Charpy; 70 kJ/m² Izod	80 (unit mislabeled "kJ/m²" on a D256 row — treat as J/m ≈ 800)*	75 kJ/m² Charpy (ISO 179); Izod ≥700 J/m (enterprise std)	85.3 kJ/m² (standard mislabeled on source)*	>60 (method and unit not stated)
HDT @ 1.8 MPa, °C (ISO 75 / ASTM D648)	125	125	126 (D648)	125 (D648)	—	—
Vicat softening, °C (ISO 306 / ASTM D1525)	144 (B50)	141 (B50)	146 (D1525)	150	153.2	—
Light transmittance / haze	89% (1 mm) → 87% (4 mm); haze <0.8% (ISO 13468-2 / 14782)	88–90%; haze <0.8% (ASTM D1003, 2.54 mm)	89%; haze <0.5% (D1003, 3 mm)	89% (D1003); enterprise std ≥87% (GB/T 2410)	90.1%; haze 0.36%	90.5%; haze 0.2%
UL 94	V-2 @0.75 mm; HB @2.5 mm	HB @0.7–3.0 mm	HB @3 mm	HB @1.5 mm; V-2 @2.5–3.0 mm	V-2 (thickness not stated)	—

* Rows with asterisks mix test standards (ASTM vs ISO vs GB) or carry visible data-quality problems on the aggregator page (unit mislabels, duplicate values across grades). They are directionally consistent with general-purpose PC but must be re-confirmed against the producer's TDS/CoA.

How to read this table: the headline dry numbers sit in one narrow band — density 1.20, tensile ~59–70 MPa, flex modulus ~2300–2400 MPa, HDT(1.8 MPa) 125–126 °C, Vicat 141–153 °C. That is expected: general-purpose PC is a mature product, and Chinese producers formulate against the 2805/141R benchmark deliberately. Note what the table cannot show: batch-to-batch consistency, color tone (base tint — the "blue base" vs "white base" distinction matters in transparent parts), hydrolytic stability, and documentation. That is where substitution risk actually lives in PC.

One shortcut worth knowing: Zhongsha Tianjin's 141R-111 is not an "equivalent" — it is Lexan 141R chemistry produced in Tianjin under the SABIC process, sold under the same grade name. If your concern with imported PC is logistics or tariff rather than chemistry, this is a brand-continuity option; treat its qualification like any plant-transfer change, not like a new material.

The Honest Boundary

Stated plainly, because it is easy to overstate how far "Chinese PC" goes:

General injection grades (the 2805/141R segment): substitutable. This is the crowded, oversupplied segment; domestic quality is genuinely close to import parity, and even the price gap is modest (see FAQ Q4).
Medical/food-contact, optical, weatherable, and specialty flow grades: not there yet. If your drawing calls a medical grade (Makrolon Rx1852/2458 family, Lexan HP series), an optical/low-birefringence grade, a UV-stabilized or hard-coated grade, or a silicone-copolycarbonate (Lexan EXL family for low-temperature ductility), the Chinese general-purpose grade is not a candidate regardless of what its datasheet headline says. Chinese producers are entering these segments (Wanhua's food-contact FC series and high-refractive-index unit; Luxi's stated medical/optical/automotive-lamp direction), but per-grade regulatory documentation (FDA 21 CFR, EU 10/2011, ISO 10993/USP Class VI) must be verified document-by-document — some Chinese grades carry it, most public TDS pages we found do not show it.
Regrind adulteration is a live commercial risk. In a market with negative producer margins and a large recycling ecosystem, "too cheap" general-purpose PC offers may contain regrind or off-spec material. This is detectable (see workflow) but only if you test; datasheet matching alone will not catch it.
Price arbitrage is smaller than you think. The PC gap is the narrowest in this article series — benchmark data below suggests roughly 10–15%, not the 30–45% seen in PA66. If a quote implies a much larger saving, ask why.

When NOT to Substitute

Be conservative in these cases:

1. Regulated applications without grade-level documentation.

Medical (ISO 10993 / USP Class VI), food contact (FDA / EU 10/2011), potable water: do not assume a Chinese general-purpose grade carries the compliance file of a Makrolon or Lexan medical/food grade. Ask for the actual declarations and verify UL cards in UL Product iQ.

2. Optical and lighting-critical parts.

Lenses, light guides, LED optics: birefringence, color stability under heat/UV aging, and lot-to-lot transmission consistency are where general-purpose Chinese grades are least documented. The 2026 industry consensus is still that optical PC is import territory.

3. Weatherable/exterior applications.

If the incumbent is a UV-stabilized grade (Makrolon 2807 / Lexan 143R type) or the part is exterior, do not substitute a non-stabilized general grade — ask specifically for the producer's UV-stabilized variant (e.g., Dafeng PC02-10UR is explicitly the anti-UV version) and re-validate weathering.

4. Thin-wall or high-flow molds sized on a lower-viscosity grade.

If you are actually running Makrolon 2405 (MVR 19) or Lexan 121R (MFR ~18), the MFR ≈ 10 Chinese general grades are the wrong viscosity family — ask for the high-flow variants instead of forcing the standard grade.

5. When the offer is dramatically below market.

With domestic general PC near ¥14,700/t at the producer benchmark and imports around ¥15,700–16,500/t (see FAQ Q4), a quote far below that band is a regrind/off-spec red flag, not a bargain.

6. Transparent parts where base tint matters.

Chinese grades are marketed in "white base" and "blue base" tints (e.g., PC02-10R is a blue-base grade). If your part is a clear lens or cover qualified on a specific tint of 2805/141R, tint matching is part of qualification, not an afterthought.

Substitution Verification Workflow

A pragmatic sequence before committing to a Chinese general-purpose PC grade:

1
Screen suppliers on documentation, in writing
Producer TDS (not an aggregator screenshot), recent lot CoA, UL yellow card number, RoHS/REACH, and food/medical declarations if relevant. Serious producers (Wanhua, Luxi, Dafeng, Weiyuan, SSTPC) issue TDS/CoA routinely; refusal or vagueness is a signal.
2
Desk-check against the table above
Density must be 1.20 g/cm³; MFR should sit in the quoted band at a stated condition (300 °C/1.2 kg); HDT(1.8 MPa) should be ~125–135 °C. Watch test standards — ASTM vs ISO vs GB numbers are not interchangeable, and aggregator pages mix them freely (several in our sources do).
3
Test for regrind, not just for spec
On incoming lots: MFR drift vs the TDS value (regrind raises MFR), yellowing/color index vs a virgin reference, ash/volatiles screen, and — cheap and brutal — a density check plus a molded-plaque appearance inspection for black specks and flow marks. A price meaningfully below the Sunsirs benchmark justifies tighter incoming inspection, permanently.
4
Mold trial with the real part
PC is forgiving across suppliers at this viscosity, but check: drying discipline (PC is hygroscopic — hydrolysis in the barrel shows as splay and brittleness; this is also how melt-route vs interfacial differences surface), shrinkage (~0.5–0.7% typical), weld-line strength, and optical appearance on transparent features.
5
Hydrolysis and heat aging for anything warm/wet
If the part sees hot water or steam, run accelerated hydrolysis (e.g., water immersion at 60–80 °C with retained impact) on molded specimens — process-route differences show up here long before they show up on a datasheet.
6
Dual-source
Qualify at least two producers in parallel. China's buyer's market gives you the leverage to demand it, and per-lot consistency varies more than datasheets suggest.

FAQ

Pricing note: all price figures on this page (FAQ Q4) are B2B platform list prices and market benchmarks, not transaction prices. Actual contract pricing depends on volume, specifications, and negotiation — request formal quotes before using any figure in a cost model.

Are Makrolon 2805 and Lexan 141R the same material?

Functionally, yes for selection purposes: both are medium-viscosity, general-purpose injection PC with internal mold release, and their mechanics are nearly identical (tensile yield 63–66 MPa, HDT 125 °C). 141R flows a bit faster (MVR 12.0 vs 9.0). Two differences worth knowing: 2805 carries UL 94 V-2 at 0.75 mm while 141R is HB at all listed thicknesses, and 141R is the release-agent version of Lexan 141 — the "R" suffix means internal mold release in both brands' naming.

I'm seeing "polycarbonate" suppliers offering roofing sheets — is that the same market?

No, and the confusion is common enough that it distorts search data. Polycarbonate sheet (solid or multiwall "sun panels" for roofing and glazing) is an extrusion product, typically bought as finished sheet; the general injection grades discussed here are sold as pellets for molding housings, connectors, and components. Some Chinese PC producers sell dedicated extrusion grades (e.g., SSTPC lists two extrusion grades among its twelve), but sheet buyers and pellet buyers are different markets with different qualification logic. This article is about injection pellets.

Is SSTPC 141R-111 the same as Lexan 141R?

It is the same grade produced in China: Zhongsha Tianjin is the Sinopec–SABIC JV, runs SABIC's melt process, and sells this grade under the Lexan 141R name (its official product page lists 141R-111 at MVR 10.05). For a buyer, this is a plant-origin change, not a material substitution — still worth a lot-level CoA check, but the chemistry lineage is SABIC's.

How much cheaper are the Chinese grades?

Less than you'd expect from the POM/PA66 articles. As of early September 2026: the Sunsirs domestic PC benchmark is ¥14,716.67/t (2026-09-03, up ~5% through August); trader listings for imported Makrolon 2805 run ~¥15,700–16,500/t (Yuyao market quotes 15,700–15,800 on 2026-08-28; Sunsirs-listed distributor 16,500) and Lexan 141R-111 ~¥15,000–15,800/t; a domestic grade (Dafeng 02-10R) was listed at ¥13,200/t in May 2026 (a stale listing). These are listing prices, not transaction prices — but a realistic spread is ~10–15%, versus 30–45% in PA66. In PC, the case for switching is often security of supply and lead time as much as price.

Is Chinese general-purpose PC really import-quality?

For the general injection segment, the market says yes: imports are down to the mid-20s percent of consumption (from 62% in 2020, sources differ on the exact figure), domestic producers over-supply the segment, and Chinese PC exports to the EU grew 43% year-on-year in Q1 2026. What remains imported is precisely the high end — optical, medical, specialty. Treat "general grade ≈ import parity, specialty grade ≠" as the working rule.

What about Panlite L-1225Y?

Panlite is Teijin's brand, produced in Jiaxing, Zhejiang by Teijin's Chinese subsidiary — Japanese-owned, made in China. L-1225Y is its low/medium-viscosity general grade (MVR ≈ 11 per secondary sources; Teijin's official TDS sits behind a registration wall, so treat numbers as indicative). It is a legitimate local-supply option, but it is not a "Chinese domestic producer" grade in the price sense — expect import-brand pricing behavior.

Data Sources

Accessed 2026-09-03.

Makrolon® 2805 official product page — Covestro (MVR 9.0, medium viscosity, easy release): solutions.covestro.com
Makrolon® 2805 official ISO datasheet (Covestro, edition 2017-11-30; distributor mirror of the original PDF)
LEXAN™ 141R official datasheet (SABIC format; distributor mirror) — and LEXAN™ 141 (confirms 141R = 141 + release agent): sushengpolymer.com
Makrolon® 2405 official TDS mirror (low-viscosity reference, MVR 19)
Wanhua CLARNATE A1105 property data (secondary aggregator ⚠): zhaosuliao.com; Wanhua official TDS cover page (WHPCBU_0001, 2021, full text behind paywall); A1105/A1107 positioning as general-purpose grades (Wanhua official news, via search snapshot)
Luxi LXTY1609T-11 property data (distributor ⚠): cn-plas.com; Luxi official news confirming medical/optical/lamp grade direction (no TDS published); capacity 265 kt/yr (Luxi board-secretary reply, 2023-09, via Stockstar)
Zhetie Dafeng PC02-10R: enterprise standard Q/DAPHOON 013-2020 (release minimums, official document); property table (distributor ⚠, contains visible typos): ssccjj.com; brand/grade-naming reference: plasway.com
Lihuayi Weiyuan WY-111BR property data (aggregator ⚠): plasway.com; capacity 130 kt/yr (2021 annual report via Tencent News)
SSTPC (Zhongsha Tianjin) official PC product page — 141R-111, CH100-0R-L, 103R-111, CH65-3R-L; 260 kt/yr, SABIC melt process: ss-tpc.com
Panlite L-1225Y property data (aggregator ⚠): plasway.com; Teijin group company list (Jiaxing entity, official): teijin.com
Hainan Huasheng HS102R (aggregator ⚠, partial fields behind login): soliao.com
Sunsirs PC benchmark price and channel: pc.100ppi.com (¥14,716.67/t on 2026-09-03)
Makrolon 2805 trader quotes: Sunsirs listing ¥16,500/t (2026-09-03); Yuyao market ¥15,700–15,800/t (2026-08-28, via wuhan.mysteel.com search snapshot); 1688 retail listings (indicative)
Lexan 141R-111 trader quotes: ¥15,800/t (Sunsirs listing, 2026-09-01); ¥15,000/t and ¥15,200/t (Baidu Aigoucai listings) — all listing prices, not transactions
China PC industry structure: capacity 2.06→3.81 Mt (2020→2024), import dependence 62.45%→27.83%, producer ranking (Guanyan via Sohu, 2025-09-04); 2025 capacity ~4 Mt / ~48% global, 2025 imports 863.6 kt, exports 584.9 kt, 2025 price −20%, average margin −103 yuan/t (Guanyan, 2026-03); import dependence 88% (2015) → 24% (2025) and 2026 no-new-capacity (WeChat industry account via Sogou snapshot, 2026-08-27); EU export +43% Q1 2026 (ICIS, 2026-07-03)
High-end PC import dependence: CAS Chengdu Wang Gongying statement ("optical-grade, medical-grade PC still relies on imports — a bottleneck material"), Puyang Daily (2023-09-15); Wanhua 1,500 t/yr high-refractive-index PC unit (2026): Guanyan, same source as above

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