Vinyl vs Styrene: A Comparison of 7” Single Materials
It is a common misconception that all 7” singles are manufactured from vinyl. In fact, a significant portion of these records are produced using a material known as styrene.
Styrene singles are not pressed like vinyl, but injection-molded. This method was exclusively used by US pressing plants and was a cheap way to get those 45s out on the market.
Vinyl vs styrene, what is best? Styrene singles are not as durable as vinyl and will wear out faster. One should take care playing them. There are also a lot of discussions about what types of styluses that are good or bad for styrene, but that is a rabbit hole we won’t get into here. I advise you to do some research before playing those precious and rare styrene 45s.
How do I tell the difference?
There are a few ways to tell the difference, and here they are.
The Label
Labels on vinyl singles are added during the pressing process. The label on a vinyl single will have a smooth, non-edgy transition to the runout area.
Labels on styrene singles are glued on after the styrene has been injection molded. You can feel and see an edge where the label starts. Styrene labels also tend to peel off or start bubbling. There are styrene singles with painted labels, but you won’t find those on ZappaFrenzy.
The Outer Edge
Vinyl singles will have a sharp edge whereas styrene singles will have a blunt edge. You will also see a thin line where the stamper molds have beenconnected. Similar to lines found on molded plastic toys.
The Magic Sound
Tapping the outer edge of a vinyl single will make a dull thud. A styrene single will produce a brighter sound.
The Color
An image of a styrene single will have a grayish shine to it compared to vinyl, which appears black when being scanned.
Use the slider below to compare the vinyl and styrene versions of I’m The Slime/Montana. The vinyl single is on the left and the styrene single on the right.
