It is essential that materials are :
- compatible with the media to be selected
- stable at the working temperature
- wear resistant at the operating conditions
- suitable for the operating speed
If assistance is required in materials selection, advice is freely available. The following materials are the most popular:-
| Material | Polymer Type | Max under-lip temp C | Designation | General features |
| NBR | Nitrile | 120 | M1 | Standard material for fabric backed seals |
| M2 | Rigid fibre backed self retaining seal | |||
| M6 | Self retaining seal with flexible encapsulated-mteal back | |||
| FKMFPM | Fluoroelastomer | 200 | M8 | Self retaining seal for high temperature and speed |
| M9 | Material for fabric backed seals for high temperature and speed | |||
| HNBR | Hydrogenated Nitrile | 150 | Elast-O-lion | Lip material for increased wear resistance at high speeds |
| PTFE | PTFE | 260 | Fluolion | Used for chemical and food processing applications |