Acrylic is not scratch resistant. It’s a relatively soft plastic that picks up surface scratches more easily than glass, and noticeably so with regular handling or cleaning. That said, acrylic has some practical advantages that offset this weakness: scratches can be buffed out, and the material holds up better than some other plastics.
How Acrylic Compares to Glass
Glass rates about 5.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, which measures how easily a material can be scratched. Acrylic (also called PMMA or plexiglass) falls well below that, typically around 3 to 4. In practical terms, this means everyday objects like keys, rings, or even a rough cloth can leave marks on acrylic that wouldn’t touch glass. Fingernails alone can sometimes leave faint traces on a soft acrylic surface.
This is the main trade-off people encounter with acrylic. It’s lighter, more impact-resistant, and easier to work with than glass, but its surface is significantly more vulnerable to scratching. If you’re choosing between the two for something like a display case, picture frame, or tabletop, scratching is the biggest long-term concern with acrylic.
Acrylic vs. Polycarbonate
If you’re comparing acrylic to other clear plastics rather than glass, the picture looks better. Acrylic has a higher pencil hardness than polycarbonate, the other common transparent plastic, making it more resistant to surface scratches. Polycarbonate is tougher against impacts (it’s what safety glasses are made from), but it scratches even more easily than acrylic and can’t be polished back to clarity once damaged. Acrylic can be polished to remove small imperfections, which gives it a practical edge for applications where appearance matters over time.
Cast vs. Extruded Acrylic
Not all acrylic sheets are made the same way, and the manufacturing method affects surface hardness. Cast acrylic is produced by pouring liquid resin into molds, which creates a harder, denser, and more uniform material. Extruded acrylic is pushed through rollers while heated, resulting in a softer sheet with a lower melting point. If scratch resistance matters for your project, cast acrylic is the better choice. It costs more, but it holds up better against everyday wear.
What Causes the Most Scratching
Ironically, cleaning is one of the most common ways people scratch acrylic. Wiping it with a dry cloth, paper towel, or anything slightly abrasive drags dust particles across the surface like fine sandpaper. Using the wrong cleaning products makes things worse. Ammonia-based cleaners (like standard glass cleaners) can cause clouding and discoloration. Abrasive cleaners or powders will visibly wear down the surface over time.
To clean acrylic without damaging it, use a microfiber cloth with mild soap and water or a cleaner specifically designed for plastics. Rinse dust off before wiping so you’re not grinding particles into the surface. This single habit prevents the majority of scratches people see on acrylic over time.
How to Remove Scratches
One of acrylic’s biggest advantages over glass and polycarbonate is that scratches can be removed. The approach depends on how deep the damage is.
Light Surface Scratches
Most everyday scratches are shallow enough to buff out with a plastic polishing compound like Novus 2. Apply a small amount to a microfiber cloth and work it into the scratch using circular motions. Repeat as needed, then finish with a cleaner polish (like Novus 1) to restore shine and add a thin protective layer. This process takes just a few minutes and handles the kind of fine scratches that accumulate from normal use.
Deeper Scratches
For scratches you can feel with your fingernail, wet sanding is the more effective option. Start with 400-grit sandpaper, keeping the surface wet with a spray bottle as you sand in straight, even strokes. Work your way up through finer grits, changing your sanding direction as you go (horizontal, then vertical), and finish at 1200 grit for the smoothest result. After sanding, follow up with a polishing compound and buff the area to restore clarity. A buffing wheel speeds this up for larger areas, but hand polishing works fine for small spots.
This repairability is a genuine selling point. A scratched piece of glass needs to be replaced. A scratched piece of acrylic can often be restored to near-original clarity at home with inexpensive supplies.
Coatings That Improve Scratch Resistance
Some acrylic products come with a hard coating applied to one or both sides during manufacturing. These coatings significantly improve scratch resistance, bringing the surface hardness closer to glass while keeping acrylic’s lighter weight and impact strength. Coated acrylic is common in applications like machine guards, retail displays, and electronic screen covers where both clarity and durability matter. It costs more than uncoated acrylic, and once the coating is scratched through, the underlying material is still soft, so the protection has limits. But for high-traffic or high-visibility applications, coated acrylic is worth the premium.