OPTIX by Plaskolite Acrylic Sheets
The extruded acrylic on the rack at Home Depot, made by North America's largest sheet producer. 92 percent light transmission, a ten-year non-yellowing warranty, and 3,800 retail reviews averaging 4.2 stars.
By Sergio Igartua, Founder & Editor · Updated · How we research
Key facts
- Plaskolite makes OPTIX extruded acrylic sheet in Columbus, Ohio.
- OPTIX transmits 92 percent of light at 3 mm and carries a 10-year non-yellowing warranty.
- The Home Depot sells a 48 × 96 × 1/8 in OPTIX sheet for $156.
- AcrylicWindow.com rates OPTIX 4.3 out of 5 for flat windows you cut yourself.
Pros
- In stock at every Home Depot, in sizes from small panes to 4×8 sheets
- 92 percent light transmission, inherent UV resistance, ten-year non-yellowing warranty
- Made in the US by Plaskolite, the largest thermoplastic sheet maker in North America
- 90-day returns; in-store cutting at many locations
- Well-documented technical data sheet
Cons
- Extruded only at retail; chips on the saw and scratches more easily than cast
- Common stock tops out at 1/4 inch
- Saw-cut edges, no polishing
- Not a hard-coated or marine grade
Specifications
| Type | Extruded acrylic (PMMA); OPTIX Super high-impact grades also made |
| Light transmission | 92% at 3 mm, haze under 1% |
| Density | 1.19 g/cm³ (about half of glass) |
| Hardness | Rockwell M 95 |
| Heat deflection | 95 °C at 1.82 MPa; 70 °C continuous service |
| Fire | UL 94 HB |
| Thickness | 0.7 to 30 mm from the factory; 1/16 to 1/4 in common at retail |
| Price | 48 × 96 × 1/8 in, $156 at The Home Depot |
| Warranty | 10-year non-yellowing |
| Made in | Columbus, Ohio, USA |
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Our Verdict
For a shed pane, a cold frame, a storm-window panel, or any flat window you can cut yourself, OPTIX is the sensible default and the easiest acrylic in America to buy. Step up to cast sheet from a plastics supplier when clarity, edge finish, or thickness matter.
Overview
If you have ever bought a piece of "plexiglass" at a home center, you have bought OPTIX. It is Plaskolite's brand of extruded acrylic sheet, and Plaskolite, founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1950 by Donald Dunn, is North America's largest manufacturer of thermoplastic sheet and the only one in the market that makes extruded, continuous-cast, and cell-cast acrylic under one roof. It acquired the Lucite International continuous-cast business in 2018. The company is big enough that its data sheets read like a materials textbook, which is useful, because most retail acrylic comes with no data at all.
OPTIX at retail means one thing: extruded clear sheet in stock sizes, on a rack, with a price tag. That is both its strength and its limit.
What you get
The Home Depot's 48-by-96-inch 1/8-inch clear sheet, model MC-100S, lists at $156, and the store carries the same sheet in 1/4 inch and a range of smaller panes down to under $10, plus 6-packs of 30-by-36 for multi-window jobs. Many stores will cut sheet to size at the counter.
Plaskolite's data sheet for the OPTIX XT extruded line gives the numbers: 92 percent light transmission at 3 mm with under 1 percent haze, density of 1.19 grams per cubic centimeter (about half of glass), Rockwell M 95 hardness, a heat deflection temperature of 95 °C, and a 70 °C maximum continuous service temperature, which is why acrylic goes on windows and not near stoves. It is made to the ISO 7823-2 extruded-sheet standard, is inherently UV-resistant, and Home Depot lists a ten-year non-yellowing warranty. Fire classification is UL 94 HB; acrylic burns, though without the toxic smoke of some plastics.
The factory also makes OPTIX Super, a series of high-impact extruded grades that trade a little stiffness and hardness for three to five times the unnotched impact strength of standard sheet. You will not find those on a retail rack, but a plastics distributor can order them for a pane that needs to take a hit.
Working with it
Extruded sheet is easy to cut with a fine-tooth blade run slowly with the film on, and thin gauges score and snap. It chips if you rush, and it cracks at drilled holes made without a plastic bit and a pilot. Edges come off the saw matte; polishing them is possible but the sheet's lower clarity compared with cast shows at a polished edge. Plaskolite's own guidance is worth following: keep the protective film on until installed, and if you cold-bend it into a frame, keep the radius at least 300 times the sheet thickness or it will craze.
Extruded sheet also shrinks along its extrusion direction when heated, by 5 to 6 percent for a 3 mm sheet, which matters only if you thermoform it.
Performance
For a flat pane in a shed, a garage, a porch, or an interior storm panel, OPTIX does what any 1/8-inch acrylic does: half the weight of glass, no shattering, better insulation, and full clarity. The retail rating, 4.2 stars across more than 3,800 reviews on the 4-by-8 sheet, is consistent with that. Complaints in this category tend to be about sheets arriving scratched or cracked from shipping, which is a reason to buy from the store rather than have a full sheet delivered.
Where it falls short is exactly where extruded acrylic always does. It scratches more easily than cast, so it needs the wet-cloth cleaning routine and, eventually, a polish kit. It is not hard-coated, so it is the wrong sheet for a boat. And it holds thickness tolerance well but clarity a little less well than cast, which you notice in a thick edge or a display case, not in a window.
Price and value
At $156 for 32 square feet, the 4-by-8 sheet is about $4.90 per square foot, in line with the $3 to $6 range for extruded acrylic everywhere and a few dollars under a comparable sheet delivered from an online supplier once freight is counted. Small panes are priced higher per square foot, as always. The value proposition is not the price; it is that the sheet is in your hands today with a 90-day return policy.
Who should buy it
Buy OPTIX for a shed or garage pane, a cold frame, a porch enclosure, a DIY storm-window panel, a picture frame, or any flat window under 1/4 inch you are cutting yourself. Buy it in the store, not shipped.
Buy cast sheet from a plastics supplier instead when you want a polished edge, a named cast grade, a hard coat, a thickness over 1/4 inch, or a window that will be looked through closely for twenty years. Our suppliers roundup covers the alternatives and our replacement panels roundup covers the thickness to order.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
How much does an OPTIX acrylic sheet cost at Home Depot?
The OPTIX 48 by 96 inch, 1/8 inch clear acrylic sheet, model MC-100S, lists at $156 at The Home Depot. That works out to about $4.90 per square foot across 32 square feet, in line with the $3 to $6 range for extruded acrylic generally. Smaller panes go down to under $10 and cost more per square foot, and the store also sells 6-packs of 30 by 36 inch panes for multi-window jobs.
What is OPTIX acrylic sheet and who makes it?
OPTIX is Plaskolite's brand of extruded acrylic sheet, the plexiglass sold on the rack at home centers. Plaskolite, founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1950 by Donald Dunn, is North America's largest thermoplastic sheet manufacturer and the only one making extruded, continuous-cast, and cell-cast acrylic under one roof. At retail, OPTIX means extruded clear sheet in stock sizes, typically 1/16 to 1/4 inch thick.
Is OPTIX acrylic good quality?
OPTIX performs as well as any extruded acrylic: 92 percent light transmission at 3 mm with under 1 percent haze, density of 1.19 grams per cubic centimeter, Rockwell M 95 hardness, inherent UV resistance, and a ten-year non-yellowing warranty through Home Depot. The 4 by 8 sheet holds 4.2 stars across more than 3,800 retail reviews. Its limits are extruded ones: it scratches more easily than cast and is not hard-coated.
What are the downsides of OPTIX acrylic sheets?
OPTIX is extruded only at retail, so it chips on the saw if you rush and scratches more easily than cast acrylic, needing a wet-cloth cleaning routine and eventually a polish kit. Edges come off the saw matte with no polishing, common stock tops out at 1/4 inch, and it is not a hard-coated or marine grade. Clarity is also slightly behind cast, which shows in a thick edge rather than a window.
Should I buy OPTIX extruded acrylic or cast acrylic from a plastics supplier?
Buy OPTIX for a shed or garage pane, a cold frame, a porch enclosure, a DIY storm-window panel, a picture frame, or any flat window under 1/4 inch you cut yourself, and buy it in the store rather than shipped, since complaints in this category centre on sheets arriving scratched or cracked. Step up to cast sheet from a plastics supplier when you want a polished edge, a named cast grade, a hard coat, or a thickness over 1/4 inch.
Is the OPTIX acrylic sheet worth it?
OPTIX is worth buying for the availability rather than the price. At about $4.90 per square foot it sits a few dollars under a comparable sheet delivered from an online supplier once freight is counted, but the real value is that the sheet is in your hands today with a 90-day return policy and in-store cutting at many locations. It is the easiest acrylic in America to buy and the sensible default for a flat DIY pane.