Material guide
Gluing ABS
A common engineering plastic used in car trim, appliance housings, pipework and toys.
Also called ABS plastic, Lego plastic.
How ABS behaves when you bond it
ABS is one of the few consumer plastics that genuinely welds with solvent cement, producing a joint as strong as the part itself. That makes it far more forgiving than most plastics, but only when both sides are actually ABS rather than a lookalike.
ABS is a rigid styrenic engineering thermoplastic with moderate surface energy and generally good adhesive receptivity. It can still stress-crack under aggressive solvent or prolonged exposure to uncured adhesive, and plated or painted ABS is a different surface.
Material properties
- Surface energy
- Medium
- Porosity
- Non-porous
- Rigidity
- Rigid
- Maximum service temperature
- 85C
- Normally needs abrading
- No
- Normally needs a primer
- No
- Solvent sensitive
- Yes. Solvent-based adhesives can craze or dissolve the surface.
- Solvent to avoid
- Acetone for routine adhesive cleaning (Permabond warns that acetone can be too aggressive and attack ABS in its adhesive-bonding process.) Manufacturer verified
Surface preparation
Permabond allows clean, dry ABS to be bonded as received. If wiping is needed, use isopropanol or Cleaner A; acetone can attack the plastic. Limit uncured adhesive dwell and excess, particularly with cyanoacrylate. For controlled solvent welding, use an ABS-specific cement and process.
Which adhesives work on ABS
Excellent
Cyanoacrylate
Cyanoacrylate is rated excellent for this material as an application-level assessment, not as a blanket manufacturer claim. Suitability still depends on the other substrate, joint design and service environment.
Excellent
Structural acrylic
Structural acrylic is rated excellent for this material as an application-level assessment, not as a blanket manufacturer claim. Suitability still depends on the other substrate, joint design and service environment.
Good
Two-part epoxy
Two-part epoxy is rated good for this material as an application-level assessment, not as a blanket manufacturer claim. Suitability still depends on the other substrate, joint design and service environment.
Bonding ABS to something else
ABS to MDF
ABS to Plywood
ABS to Glass
ABS to Glazed ceramic
ABS to Painted metal
ABS to ASA
ABS to Stainless steel
ABS to Mild steel
ABS to ABS
ABS to EPDM
ABS to Chrome plated metal
ABS to Aluminium
Last reviewed 8 October 2026.