Refractive Index of Polyethylene, PE, Polyethene

Polyethylene or polythene (IUPAC name polyethene or poly(methylene)) is the most widely used plastic.

For a typical sample of Polyethylene the refractive index and extinction coefficient at 632.8 nm are 1.500 and 0.000. Below are files of complete refractive index and extinction coefficients. If the file is not available for download, you can request our proprietary file by clicking "Request".

  • Tab-delimited data file for unrestricted use
Wavelength (nm)

Refractive Index Reference - Filmetrics Composite

Wikipedia: Polyethylene

No guarantee of accuracy - use at your own risk.