RF Cafe - Dielectric Constant, Strength, & Loss Tangent

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Dielectric Constant, Strength, & Loss Tangent
Can't find what you are looking for - click here for very extensive lists of dielectric constants.

Lossy dielectric equation for real and imaginary parts Values presented here are relative dielectric constants (relative permittivities). As indicated by e_r = 1.00000 for a vacuum, all values are relative to a vacuum. Multiply by e₀ = 8.8542 x 10^-12 F/m (permittivity of free space) to obtain absolute permittivity. Dielectric constant is a measure of the charge retention capacity of a medium. In general, low dielectric constants (i.e., Polypropylene) result in a "fast" substrate while large dielectric constants (i.e., Alumina) result in a "slow" substrate.

Dielectric loss tangent is the imaginary part of the dielectric constant, and determines the lossiness of the medium. Similar to dielectric constant, low loss tangents result in a "fast" substrate while large loss tangents result in a "slow" substrate.

Beware that the exact values can vary greatly depending on the particular manufacturer's process, so you should seek out data from the manufacturer for critical applications.

Substance	Dielectric Constant (relative)	Dielectric Strength (V/mil)	Loss Tangent	Max Temp (°F)
ABS (plastic)	2.4 - 3.8	410		140
Air	1.00054	30 - 70
Alumina - 96% - 99.5%	10.0 9.6		0.0002 @ 1 GHz 0.0002 @ 100 MHz 0.0003 @ 10 GHz
Aluminum Silicate	5.3 - 5.5
Bakelite	3.7
Bakelite (mica filled)	4.7	325 - 375
Balsa Wood	1.37 @ 1 MHz 1.22 @ 3 GHz		0.012 @ 1 MHz 0.100 @ 3 GHz
Beeswax (yellow)	2.53 @ 1 MHz 2.39 @ 3 GHz		0.0092 @ 1 MHz 0.0075 @ 3 GHz
Beryllium oxide	6.7		0.006 @ 10 GHz
Butyl Rubber	2.35 @ 1 MHz 2.35 @ 3 GHz		0.001 @ 1 MHz 0.0009 @ 3 GHz
Carbon Tetrachloride	2.17 @ 1 MHz 2.17 @ 3 GHz		<0.0004 @ 1 MHz 0.0004 @ 3 GHz
Diamond	5.5 - 10
Delrin (acetyl resin)	3.7	500		180
Douglas Fir	1.9 @ 1 MHz		0.023 @ 1 MHz
Douglas Fir Plywood	1.93 @ 1 MHz 1.82 @ 3 GHz		0.026 @ 1 MHz 0.027 @ 3 GHz
Enamel	5.1	450
Epoxy glass PCB	5.2	700
Ethyl Alcohol (absolute)	24.5 @ 1 MHz 6.5 @ 3 GHz		0.09 @ 1 MHz 0.25 @ 3 GHz
Ethylene Glycol	41 @ 1 MHz 12 @ 3 GHz		-0.03 @ 1 MHz 1 @ 3 GHz
Formica XX	4.00
FR-4 (G-10) - low resin - high resin	4.9 4.2		0.008 @ 100 MHz 0.008 @ 3 GHz
Fused quartz	3.8		0.0002 @ 100 MHz 0.00006 @ 3 GHz
Fused silica (glass)	3.8
Gallium Arsenide (GaAs)	13.1		0.0016 @ 10 GHz
Germanium	16
Glass	4 - 10
Glass (Corning 7059)	5.75		0.0036 @ 10 GHz
Gutta-percha	2.6
Halowax oil	4.8
Ice (pure distilled water)	4.15 @ 1 MHz 3.2 @ 3 GHz		0.12 @ 1 MHz 0.0009 @ 3 GHz
Kapton® Type 100 Type 150	3.9 2.9	7400 4400		500
Kel-F	2.6
Lexan®	2.96	400		275
Lucite	2.8
Mahogany	2.25 @ 1 MHz 1.88 @ 3 GHz		0.025 @ 1 MHz 0.025 @ 3 GHz
Mica Mica, Ruby	4.5 - 8.0 5.4	3800 -5600
Micarta 254	3.4 - 5.4
Mylar®	3.2	7000		250
Neoprene	6 - 9	600
Neoprene rubber	6.26 @ 1 MHz 4 @ 3 GHz		0.038 @ 1 MHz 0.034 @ 3 GHz
Nomex®		800		450
Nylon	3.2 - 5	400		280
Oil (mineral, squibb)	2.7	200
Paper (bond)	3.0	200
Paraffin	2-3
Phenolica (glass-filled)	5 - 7
Phenolics (cellulose-filled)	4 - 15		0.03 @ 100 MHz
Phenolics (mica-filled)	4.7 - 7.5
Plexiglass®	2.2 - 3.4	450 - 990
Polyethylene LDPE/HDPE	2.26 @ 1 MHz 2.26 @ 3 GHz	450 - 1200	0.0002 @ 100 MHz 0.00031 @ 3 GHz	170
Polyamide	2.5 - 2.6
Polypropylene	2.2	500		250
Polystyrene	2.5 - 2.6	500	0.0001 @ 100 MHz 0.00033 @ 3 GHz
Polyvinylchloride (PVC)	3	725		140
Porcelain	5.1 - 5.9	40 -280
Pyrex glass (Corning 7740)	5.1	335
Quartz (fused)	4.2	150 - 200
RT/Duroid 5880 (go to Rogers)	2.20
Rubber	3.0 - 4.0	150 - 500		170
Ruby	11.3
Silicon	11.7 - 12.9	100 - 700	0.005 @ 1 GHz 0.015 @ 10 GHz	300
Silicone oil	2.5
Silicone RTV	3.6	550
Soil (dry sandy)	2.59 @ 1 MHz 2.55 @ 3 GHz		0.017 @ 1 MHz 0.0062 @ 3 GHz
Soil (dry loamy)	2.53 @ 1 MHz 2.44 @ 3 GHz		0.018 @ 1 MHz 0.0011 @ 3 GHz
Steatite	5.3-6.5
Strontium titanate	233
Teflon® (PTFE)	2.0 - 2.1	1000	0.00028 @ 3 GHz	480
Tenite	2.9 - 4.5
Transformer oil	4.5
Vacuum (free space)	1.00000
Valox®		1560		400
Vaseline	2.16		0.00004 @ 0.1 GHz 0.00066 @ 3 GHz
Vinyl	2.8 - 4.5
Water (32°F) (68°F) (212°F)	88.0 80.4 55.3	80	0.04 @ 1 MHz 0.157 @ 3 GHz
Water (distilled)	76.7 - 78.2		0.005 @ 100 MHz 0.157 @ 3 GHz
Wood	1.2 - 2.1		0.04 @ 0.1 GHz 0.03 @ 3 GHz

Note: Thanks to Gareth for correcting the omission of a square root sign in the dielectric equations.
Thanks to Craig B. for correcting the loss tangent for Teflon (0.00028 rather than 0.0028).

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