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Aramides, also referred as polyaramides or aromatic polyamides, are polyamides whose amide groups are bonded to aromatic groups. Aramides are rated among liquid crystal polymers (LCP). The most important types are poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA, trade names: Kevlar, Twaron) and poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide) (PMPI, trade names: Nomex, Teijinconex).

Cellulose is the main component of plant cell walls (about 50% by mass) and thus the most common organic compound and also the most common polysaccharide. Cellulose is also the most common biomolecule. It is unbranched and consists of several hundreds to tens of thousands of (β-1,4-glycosidically linked) β-D-glucose or cellobiose units. These high-molecular cellulose chains combine to form higher structures. As tear-resistant fibers they often fulfil static functions in plants. Cellulose differs from the polysaccharide chitin, which is also common in nature, by the absence of acetamide groups. Cellulose is important as a raw material for paper production, but also in the chemical industry and other areas.

Polyacrylonitrile (abbreviation PAN) is the polymer of acrylonitrile.

Polyamides (abbreviation PA) are linear polymers with regularly repeating amide bonds along the main chain. The amide group can be regarded as a condensation product of a carboxylic acid and an amine. The resulting bond is an amide bond which is hydrolytically seperable again. Polyamides are often used as construction materials due to their excellent strength and durability. They provide good chemical resistance to organic solvents but can easily be attacked by acids and oxidising chemicals.

Polyesters are polymers with ester functions -[-CO-O-]- in their main chain. Although polyesters also occur in nature, today they are more commonly understood to be a large family of synthetic polymers (plastics). This includes the frequently used polycarbonates (PC) and, above all, the technically important thermoplastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Another type are unsaturated polyester resins (UP resins), which turn into thermosets by curing and are used as a low-cost matrix resin in the field of fiber composites. In addition to this, aromatic polyesters can be arranged to form liquid-crystalline polymer chains, resulting in the characteristics profile of a high-performance plastic.

Polyethylene (abbreviation PE) is a thermoplastic material with a simplified structural formula produced by chain polymerisation of petrochemically produced ethene (_CH2=CH2). Polyethylene is rated among polyolefins and is partially crystalline and non-polar. It is by far the most frequently used (standard) plastic worldwide and is primarily used for packaging. All types of polyethylene are characterised by high chemical resistance, good electrical insulation and good sliding performance. However, the mechanical properties are minor compared to other plastics.

Polyimides (abbreviation PI) are plastics whose most important structural attribute is the imide group. These include polysuccinimide (PSI), polybismaleimide (PBMI), polyimide sulfone (PISO) and polymethacrylimide (PMI). Polyimides, which contain further structural elements such as ester groups, amide groups etc., form their own substance groups such as polyetherimides (PEI), polyamideimides (PAI).

Polyolefins are polymers that are made from alkenes such as ethylene, propylene, 1-butene or isobutene by chain polymerization. Polyolefins are saturated hydrocarbons, which represent the largest group of plastics in terms of volume. They are semi-crystalline thermoplastics which are easy to process. They are characterised by good chemical resistance and electrical insulation properties. Polyolefins, with 11.2 million tons, represent about 47% of the total annual European consumption of plastics of 24.1 million tons.

Polypropylene (abbreviation PP) is a thermoplastic material produced by chain polymerisation of propene. It is rated among polyolefins and is partially crystalline and non-polar. Its characteristics are similar to those of polyethylene, but Polypropylene is slightly harder and more heat-resistant. Polypropylene is the second most frequently used standard plastic and is often used in packaging. In 2016, 17.66 million tons were used for flexible packaging material worldwide and 23 million tons of moulded plastic parts were produced.

Polystyrene (abbreviation PS) is a transparent, foamed white, amorphous or partially crystalline thermoplastic. Amorphous polystyrene is a widely used (standard) plastic that is applied in many areas of daily life. Expanded polystyrene (EPS, mainly known under the trade name Styropor) and extruded polystyrene (XPS) are used as foams.