Silicon vs Silicone: Key Differences For Wholesale Purchasers

As a purchaser, have you ever been confused by the difference between silicon and silicone? Although differing by one letter “e”, these two materials are entirely distinct. Using the wrong material will lead to huge losses for your business. So, in this guide, we will break down key differences between silicon and silicone for you.

What Is Silicon?

Silicon is a natural chemical element. The sand we usually see contains a lot of silicon. Silicon is hard, brittle, and has a gray metallic appearance. Meanwhile, it’s not elastic at all. Moreover, it needs to undergo a complex purification process before being used. Generally, silicon is mainly applied in the electronics industry. It is usually applied in making chips and solar panels.

What Is Silicone?

Silicone is an artificially synthesized polymer. Simply put, it is a new material derived from processed silicon. It is soft, elastic, and very durable. In general, silicone has a wide range of applications. It can be used in various industries like manufacturing, food contact, and medical devices.

What’s the Difference Between Silicon And Silicone?

Raw Material Source & Origin

Silicon is derived from a natural mineral, primarily quartz ore. Its main production areas are regions with abundant quartz resources, such as China and Brazil. At the same time, with massive global reserves, silicon supply is sufficient all year round. So you don’t have to worry that a sudden silicon shortage will affect your product delivery time.

On the contrary, silicone is a man-made synthetic polymer. You will find that silicone production is concentrated in large-scale synthesis facilities. This makes the silicone in the same batch more consistent. However, artificial synthesis also causes a silicone shortage during peak seasons. This requires you to plan inventory in advance to avoid temporary silicone stockout.

Manufacturing & Production Process

The silicon production process is relatively simple. After being extracted from quartz ore, the raw material will undergo high-temperature smelting and purification to eliminate impurities. Only in this way can you process it into silicon rods, silicon wafers, and so on. In the whole process, purification is the core step.

The silicone production process is more complex. It involves two major steps: synthesis and processing. Firstly, silicon is synthesized into organic silicon monomers. Then these monomers are processed into silicone raw materials. And after obtaining silicone, you can gain the desired silicone products by compression molding or the extrusion process.

It is precisely because silicon is a very fundamental raw material that even if you use silicon from different manufacturers, their purity and quality are almost the same. Therefore, you won’t face any issues when switching silicon suppliers.

However, due to the different silicone craftsmanship, silicone varies widely. This makes silicone have varied types. You cannot simply replace one type of silicone with another. For example, you cannot use industrial-grade silicone to make baby bottles.

Physical Properties & Appearance

When you receive the goods, to judge if it’s silicon or silicone, you can inspect their appearance and physical properties.

Silicon is a gray, crystalline material with a relatively smooth surface. Meanwhile, silicon is hard but brittle. If you slightly bend it, it will break. Moreover, silicon has no elasticity, so you cannot stretch it.

However, the performance of silicone is opposite. It feels soft and elastic. No matter how you bend or stretch it, it can immediately return to its original shape and will not break. In addition, silicone has multiple forms, such as solid, liquid, or paste. As for the color of silicone, it can be transparent or colored. And you can also customize different colors to meet your needs.

Durability, Aging & Weather Resistance

As a purchaser, you must hope your products are durable. This can reduce your replacement costs. Therefore, you need to know the anti-aging performance of silicon and silicone.

Silicon is more brittle and is very prone to breaking. After long-term use, its surface will oxidize and be easily damaged. Especially when it is exposed to the outdoors, its aging speed will be faster. This is because silicon is prone to fracture under mechanical stress.

And even with a slight bump, it will break. Therefore, you need to keep it still and stay away from light.

While silicone is even more durable. It can better resist the erosion of ultraviolet rays and rainwater. So, even if you keep it outdoors for a long time, it still has a long service life. This means when you choose materials for outdoor use, you should consider silicone, which is more resistant to aging.

Electrical Conductivity

Silicon and silicone have very different electrical conductivity properties. If you are in the electronics or electrical industry, you need to carefully compare the conductivity of silicon and silicone.

Silicon is a semiconductor, so it can conduct electricity under certain conditions. And you can control its conductivity value by doping other elements. This enables you to use it to make chips, photovoltaic panels, etc. But you should never use it in the insulation protective accessories of regular electrical appliances.

On the contrary, silicone is an insulator, so it does not conduct electricity. Therefore, if you need to purchase industrial seals or automotive insulation components, you must choose silicone. The insulated silicone can keep your equipment running normally and reduce the risk of electric leakage.

What’s more, if you want to make silicone conductive, you need to add metal particles. These conductive silicones can be applied to sensors and other devices. But you need to remember ordinary silicone is absolutely not conductive.

Thermal Temperature Resistance

When you purchase accessories for industrial equipment or automotive parts, you must be concerned about the heat resistance of the materials. The heat resistance of silicon and that of silicone are significantly different.

Silicon can withstand high temperatures, with its melting point reaching up to 1414℃. Therefore, you can apply it to semiconductor devices in high-temperature environments. However, it becomes more brittle at low temperatures. And it will break easily with slight stress. So, you cannot use it in low temperatures.

However, the temperature resistance range of silicone is from -60℃ to 250℃. Special silicone can even withstand higher temperatures.

Whether used in high-temperature industrial equipment or in low-temperature outdoor environments, silicone still maintains excellent performance. So, if you hope your products perform well under variable temperatures, you can purchase silicone.

Chemical Stability & Safety

Chemical stability is something you need to consider when purchasing food-grade or medical-grade products. After all, these products will come into direct contact with food and human bodies. You must ensure their safety.

Although silicon has stable chemical properties, its surface is very prone to oxidation under high-temperature conditions. Additionally, it’s not inherently non-toxic. Meanwhile, it does not have food-contact safety certification. Hence, you cannot use it to manufacture products that come into contact with food or human tissues.

But high-quality silicone is non-toxic and resistant to corrosion. It generally does not react with chemicals. So you can use it in food-grade silicone or medical-grade silicone. But please don’t forget to use FDA, LFGB certified silicone. If necessary, you should also ask the supplier for the silicone certification report, which can help you further confirm the silicone quality.

Main Industrial Application Fields

Only by choosing the right materials that are suitable for the industry can you make your products more valuable.

The applications of silicon are very limited. It is mainly used in the electronics and photovoltaic industries. Usually, it can be used to make solar panels or electronic components. For instance, if you want to choose the appropriate material for a chip, you should give priority to silicon.

While the application of silicone is much broader. It can basically cover all scenarios. According to the silicone grade, it includes industrial-grade silicone, food-grade silicone, and medical-grade silicone. Whether you want to purchase industrial seals, food-grade tableware, or medical equipment parts, silicone can perfectly meet your needs.

Environmental Friendliness & Sustainability

Nowadays, more and more purchasers pay attention to environmental protection, especially in the European and American markets. Therefore, choosing environmentally friendly materials can help you attract more clients.

Although silicon itself is non-toxic, mining quartz ore causes a series of environmental damages. This includes land degradation and ecological destruction. Besides, it also produces pollutants in the silicon production process. None of these is conducive to boosting your ESG profile.

Besides, it’s difficult to decompose the discarded waste, which seriously affects the sustainability of your enterprise.

However, silicone has a longer service life, which means it can reduce your silicone waste rate. Meanwhile, properly treated silicone waste can be recycled efficiently. This can reduce the amount of silicone waste you generate. And you can also collect and process them centrally.

All of these will help your business meet environmental requirements and let you pass ROHS or REACH tests.

Cost, Pricing & Economic Value

When making a purchase, cost and price are definitely what you care about very much.

Since silicon is an industrial raw material, its quality is basically the same, so the price is very transparent. The price of regular industrial silicon (553#/441#) is generally between $1290 and $1390 per ton. And if you purchase in large quantities, you can get a lower price.

What’s more, the silicon purity also affects the silicon price. The higher the purity, the more expensive your purchase price will be. Generally, the price of high-purity industrial silicon (3303#) is between $1470 and $1500 per ton.

While the silicone price is mainly determined by silicone grades. The production processes of food-grade silicone and medical-grade silicone are more stringent. So, your procurement cost will be higher. Generally, the price of food-grade silicone is between $4,500 and $7,000 per ton. And the price of medical-grade silicone is between $8,000 and $15,000 per ton.

Industrial-grade silicone has lower purity and the manufacturing is rougher, so its price is lower than the previous two. Generally, the price of industrial silicone is between  $2,000 and  $4,000 per ton.

However, although the initial purchase cost of silicone is higher, its long-term cost is lower. This is because silicone is more durable. This can help you reduce the wear and tear of silicone and thereby lower your replenishment rate.

Comprehensive Comparison Table: Silicon vs Silicone

Here is a table that allows you to compare silicon and silicone at a glance.

FAQ

Does Silicone Contain Pure Silicon?

Yes. Silicone is synthesized from refined silicon raw materials, but after organic synthesis processing, its material properties are totally different from those of the original silicon. As a result, you can’t treat them equivalently, let alone use them interchangeably.

Why Do Many Purchasers Confuse Silicon and Silicone?

This is because the spellings of these two words are similar. Additionally, most purchasers lack professional knowledge. If you mix them up, it can cause a series of issues. So, you need to verify the differences between them.

Why Is Silicone Much More Expensive Than Silicon?

This is because silicone must undergo complex processes such as synthesis and refining. While silicon can be obtained primarily through purification. Additionally, food-grade and medical-grade silicone require stricter production standards. So you will pay more for silicone.

Can Silicon Replace Silicone in Industrial Applications?

No, you can’t. They have completely different properties. For example, silicon is hard and conductive, while silicone is soft and insulating. These differences will influence the application effect. So you cannot replace them with each other.

Which Is More Suitable for Customization, Silicon or Silicone?

Silicone is more suitable. This is because it has good flexibility, so you can easily customize it into various shapes. Moreover, unlike gray silicon, its color can also be customized. However, silicon is more brittle and harder, so it is not suitable for customization. Generally, you can use it to make electronic components.

Are There Any Risks If I Choose the Wrong Material between Silicon and Silicone?

Yes. If you choose the wrong material between silicon and silicone, it will cause many problems. Specifically, it will result in poor performance of your products and even pose safety risks. Moreover, it will also affect production and increase your costs. All these will have a negative impact on your business.

Final Thought

Figuring out the difference between silicon and silicone can help you choose the right material for your business. After comparison, if you find that silicone is your ideal material, please do not miss Legensilico. We can provide you with high-quality silicone products. Please contact us as soon as possible!