Custom laser-cut rubber gaskets: EPDM, NBR, neoprene, silicone or SBR?

A leaking seal, a worn skirt, a crushed pad: replacing a rubber part shouldn't require having a die made. At Laseo, gaskets are cut on the CO₂ laser straight from your drawing — unlike traditional die cutting, there are no tooling or die charges. A single replacement part or a prototype is as easy to order as a full run. Bolt holes are laser-cut into the same profile, in a single operation.

That leaves the real question: which rubber should you choose? Five families are offered — EPDM, nitrile (NBR), neoprene, silicone and SBR — and each has an area where it excels and conditions that destroy it. This guide compares all five from validated technical data sheets and settles it by application.

The short answer

Outdoors, UV, ozone → EPDM. Oils, fuels, hydraulics → nitrile (NBR). High temperatures → silicone. Rugged general-purpose use, skirts and diaphragms → neoprene. Economical all-rounder for indoor use → SBR. The details — and the exceptions — are below.

How do the five rubbers compare?

All values come from the technical data sheets of the materials offered at Laseo. Unless noted otherwise, each material is offered in 1/16″ (0.063″) and 1/8″ (0.125″), at 60 Shore A hardness.

Material	Durometer	Service temp.	Oils / fuels	Ozone / UV / outdoor	Typical uses
EPDM	60 ± 5	-40 °F to +250 °F (-40 °C to +121 °C)	Poor — swells	Excellent	Outdoor seals, roofing, HVAC, water/glycol
Nitrile (NBR)	60 ± 5	-20 °F to +190 °F (-29 °C to +88 °C)	Excellent	Poor	Pump gaskets, hydraulics, fuels
Premium neoprene	60 ± 5	-20 °F to +190 °F (-29 °C to +88 °C)	Moderate	Good	Skirts, pads, general-purpose gaskets
Nylon-reinforced neoprene	60 ± 5	-40 °F to +250 °F (-40 °C to +121 °C)	Moderate	Good	Diaphragms, membranes, parts under tension
Red silicone	60 ± 5	-80 °F to +450 °F intermittent max. (-62 °C to +232 °C)	Poor	Excellent	Ovens, dryers, high-temperature seals
Standard SBR	60 ± 7	-20 °F to +180 °F (-29 °C to +82 °C)	Poor	Poor	Shims, pads, indoor skirts
Red SBR gasket, 80 duro	80 ± 5	-4 °F to +176 °F (-20 °C to +80 °C)	Poor	Poor	Flange gaskets for cold and warm water (1/8″ only)

Oil and ozone resistance: relative qualitative ranking between elastomer families. For a specific fluid (hydraulic oil, diesel, glycol, solvent), verify chemical compatibility before ordering — write to us if you're unsure.

"Red rubber": careful, there are two of them

Red silicone and the "red rubber gasket" (80-duro SBR) are two completely different materials that happen to share the same color. The confusion is common — and costly: a red SBR gasket installed on equipment running at +400 °F won't hold, and a silicone gasket ordered for a simple water flange is badly over-specified.

Red silicone — 60 duro

The extreme-temperature specialist: -80 °F to +450 °F (intermittent max.)
Soft (60 Shore A), typical elongation 400%
Offered in 1/16″ and 1/8″
For ovens, dryers, heating equipment

Red SBR gasket — 80 duro

The classic "red rubber" of plumbing gaskets: -4 °F to +176 °F
Firm (80 Shore A) — designed to be bolted between flanges
Offered in 1/8″ only
For cold and warm water flanges (its 176 °F limit rules out steam)

If your drawing or your old gasket simply says "red rubber," it's almost always 80-duro SBR, not silicone. Check the service temperature before you decide.

Each family at a glance

EPDM — the outdoor rubber

Unaffected by UV, ozone and weather; stays flexible from -40 °F to +250 °F, even in the Canadian cold. Excellent resistance to water, steam and glycol. Its weakness: oils and fuels make it swell. ASTM D2000 3BA608A14C12F17. Full EPDM data sheet →

Nitrile (NBR) — the oil specialist

Buna-N is the go-to whenever a gasket contacts petroleum products: hydraulic oils, greases, diesel, gasoline. Service from -20 °F to +190 °F. Unlike EPDM, it ages poorly in sun and ozone — keep it inside equipment. ASTM D2000 1BC606. Full NBR data sheet →

Neoprene — the rugged all-rounder, in two variants

Black premium neoprene (ASTM D2000 1BC610) is the strongest in tension of the lineup: 1000 psi min. A good balance of moderate oil resistance and decent outdoor resistance — hence its reputation as the do-it-all rubber for skirts, scrapers and pads. Nylon-reinforced neoprene adds a nylon fabric at the core of the sheet: tear and creep resistance, 600 psi Mullen burst, wider -40 °F to +250 °F range. It's the choice for membranes and diaphragms that work under tension. Full neoprene data sheet →

Red silicone — the heat specialist

No other rubber in the lineup comes close to its temperature range: -80 °F to +450 °F at intermittent peak (-62 °C to +232 °C). Very elastic (typically 400% elongation), excellent outdoors, but weak against oils and abrasion. Reserve it for applications where the temperature justifies the choice. Full silicone data sheet →

SBR — the economical option, in two variants

Black 60-duro standard SBR (skirtboard type) is the most economical general-purpose rubber: shims, pads, skirts and indoor water gaskets, from -20 °F to +180 °F. Red 80-duro SBR gasket (1/8″ only) is its firm version, cut out for bolted flange gaskets — the famous "red rubber gasket." Neither one likes oils, ozone or direct sun. Full SBR data sheet →

Which rubber for your application?

Clear verdicts, based on the cases we cut most often for shops, plants and maintenance departments across Canada.

Application	Verdict	Why
Outdoor seal, roofing, exposed enclosure	EPDM	The only one that won't crack under UV/ozone; -40 °F without hardening
Pump gasket, hydraulic system, fuels	Nitrile (NBR)	The only one in the lineup that tolerates petroleum products well
Pipe flange gasket (cold and warm water)	Red 80-duro SBR gasket	80 Shore A firmness designed for clamping between flanges (176 °F max — not for steam)
Conveyor skirtboard, scraper	Standard SBR or neoprene	SBR for economy; premium neoprene if oil or tearing is involved
Oven, dryer or heating equipment gasket	Red silicone	+450 °F at peak — out of reach of the other four
Membrane, diaphragm, part under repeated tension	Nylon-reinforced neoprene	The nylon fabric blocks tearing and creep (Mullen 600 psi)
Bearing pad, anti-vibration shim, cushion	SBR (indoor) or EPDM (outdoor)	Same 60 hardness; the choice comes down to exposure
Equipment door seal, hatch, access panel	EPDM or neoprene	EPDM if weather-exposed; neoprene if oils are nearby

How are your gaskets made?

All rubbers are cut exclusively on the CO₂ laser: the beam slices the complete profile — outline, bolt holes, slots, notches — with no contact and no pressure on the material. No mechanical drilling, bending or tapping is offered (or needed) on these materials: everything in your 2D drawing comes out cut in a single pass.

Capability	Value
Thicknesses offered	1/16″ (0.063″) and 1/8″ (0.125″)
Maximum part size	44.000″ × 30.000″
Minimum part size	0.187″ × 0.375″
Minimum hole	0.047″
Min. hole-to-edge distance	0.035″
Thickness tolerance	± 10% (standard for calendered sheet)

Why laser instead of a die?

No tooling charge: no steel die to have cut, so no fixed cost to amortize over the run.
Small runs and prototypes: a single replacement gasket orders just like a hundred.
Instant changes: changing a hole diameter means editing the drawing — not remaking a tool.
Clean cut without crushing: the laser doesn't compress the sheet the way a blade does.

Need a file? See the 2D upload guide — a DXF or a dimensioned drawing is enough to get a quote.

Frequently asked questions from buyers

Which thickness should I choose for a flange gasket?

As a rule of thumb, 1/16″ is enough for machined, flat, closely spaced flanges; 1/8″ is more forgiving on uneven or corroded surfaces and on large flanges, because it compresses more to fill imperfections. Aim for 20 to 30% compression of the thickness at clamp-up. For the red 80-duro SBR gasket, only 1/8″ is offered.

60 or 80 durometer: what's the practical difference?

Durometer (Shore A) measures firmness. At 60, the rubber has the firmness of a pencil eraser: it conforms well to irregular surfaces and seals with moderate clamping. At 80, it's noticeably firmer: it resists extrusion better under high clamping pressure between flanges, but demands flatter surfaces to seal. At Laseo, everything is 60 duro except the red SBR gasket, offered in 80 duro.

My gasket will contact oil: which one resists?

Nitrile (NBR), no question. It's the only one in the lineup formulated for oils, greases and fuels. EPDM, silicone and SBR swell and degrade in contact with petroleum products; neoprene offers moderate tolerance, acceptable for occasional splashes but not for continuous immersion.

Is there a minimum order quantity?

No — that's exactly the advantage of tooling-free laser cutting. A single replacement part, a prototype or a small run all order the same way. Upload your drawing and get an instant quote online.

Can you drill or tap the bolt holes?

It's not necessary: all holes are cut on the CO₂ laser into the same profile as the outline, in a single operation. Rubber isn't tapped — bolts pass through and clamping happens on the flange. Minimum hole of 0.047″, at least 0.035″ from the edge of the part.

Which rubber stays flexible through a Canadian winter?

Silicone (-80 °F), EPDM (-40 °F) and nylon-reinforced neoprene (-40 °F) are the most comfortable in the cold. NBR and standard SBR stop at -20 °F, and the red SBR gasket at -4 °F — worth keeping in mind for a gasket exposed outdoors in January.

A special case, an unusual fluid or torn between two families? Write to us at info@laseo.ca — we'll reply with the data sheet to back it up.

Custom laser-cut rubber gaskets