Cork-rubber compound is an excellent sealing material, consisting of cork granules bound together with a synthetic rubber material. Depending on the type of seal and its intended use, the cork is available in granules of various sizes. Our most common cork-rubber compound is blended with nitrile rubber to create a highly oil-resistant material that is ideally suited for use as gasoline or oil seals.
Low-friction & sound-absorbingWhy choose cork rubber?
The more common nitrile-blended cork material is used to seal gas valves, boilers, heat pumps, engine gaskets, and traditional industrial products. The rubber-blended cork is flexible, much like other pure rubber materials. The material has excellent resilience.
Therefore, we recommend cork-blended rubber for a seal that must withstand repeated compression. The material has excellent friction properties. This means that it has low friction and withstands wear and tear for a longer period of time compared to other materials. Cork is also well-suited as an acoustic dampener due to its low conductivity. Cork-blended rubber is environmentally friendly since most of the material is naturally sourced.
Cork is a natural material derived from the cork oak. A common myth about cork oaks is that we will run out of cork because the trees are cut down during harvesting. As mentioned, this is a myth. Cork oaks are stripped of their bark; they are not cut down. Before a cork oak can be harvested for the first time, it must grow for 25 years. After that, it can be stripped again every nine years.