Synthetic polymers are often referred to as "plastics", such as the well-known polyethylene and nylon. However, most of them can be classified in at least three main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets and elastomers.

Man-made polymers are used in a bewildering array of applications: food packaging, films, fibers, tubing, pipes, etc. The personal care industry also uses polymers to aid in texture of products, binding, and moisture retention (e.g. in hair gel and conditioners).

Examples

A non-exhaustive list of these ubiquitous materials includes:

• acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)
• polyamide (PA)
• polybutadiene
• poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT)
• polycarbonate (PC)
• poly(ether sulphone) (PES, PES/PEES)
• poly(ether ether ketone)s (PEEK, PES/PEEK)
• polyethylene (PE)
• poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)
• poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)
• polyimide
• polypropylene (PP)
• polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
• polystyrene (PS)
• styrene acrylonitrile (SAN)
• poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT)
• polyurethane (PU)
• polyvinylchloride (PVC)
• polyvinyldifluorine (PVDF)
• poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP)

Brand names

These polymers are often better known through their brand names, for instance:

• Kevlar
• Kynar, e.g. PVDF
• Mylar, e.g. polyethylene terephthalate
• Nylon, e.g. polyamide 6,6
• Rilsan , e.g. polyamide 11 & 12
• Teflon, e.g. PTFE
• Ultem, e.g. polyimide
• Vectran
• Viton
• Zylon