What Are Switches Made Of? PC, Urea and Porcelain Compared

Polycarbonate vs urea switch: the short answer

Polycarbonate and urea are the two plastics most often used for the bodies of switches and sockets in India. Polycarbonate, usually shortened to PC, is a tough thermoplastic that resists knocks and can be moulded in thin, clean shapes. Urea, short for urea formaldehyde, is a hard thermoset that does not soften with heat but can crack if it is struck or over-tightened.

Neither is simply better. PC suits modular switches, plates and fittings that get handled, knocked and clipped in and out. Urea suits heavy combined units and sockets where rigidity and heat resistance matter more than impact strength. A third material, porcelain, sits under the contacts of some heavy sockets and switches.

We use all three. Our VIYONA range is our PC series, and our catalogue lists VIYONA switch socket combined units in both urea and PC, alongside VIZA switches and sockets with a porcelain base. This guide compares the materials, explains what “fire retardant” means, looks inside at the brass and contacts, and gives the MRP of each version we make.

What are switches made of?

A switch is made of an insulating plastic body and rocker, metal current-carrying parts inside, such as contacts, springs and screw terminals, and, on a modular board, a separate plate and frame; the plastic keeps you away from the live parts and the metal carries the current from one wire to the other.

The parts, from front to back:

Rocker: plastic Body: PC or urea Contacts: metal Spring: metal Terminals: brass or similar Plate: plastic or metal finish

The body material decides how the switch handles knocks, heat and tracking (current creeping across a dirty or damp surface). The metal parts decide how well it carries current and how long the contacts last. A well-made switch needs both to be right.

How a switch body is moulded and finished is shown in our modular switch manufacturing process page.

What is a polycarbonate switch?

A polycarbonate switch is a switch whose body and rocker are moulded from polycarbonate, a clear-to-white engineering thermoplastic known for high impact strength, good electrical insulation and dimensional stability, which is why it is widely used for modular switches, sockets, plates and lamp holders that are handled and clipped often.

What PC does well:

Resists knocks Thin, precise moulding Good insulation Flame-retardant grades exist

What to watch: as a thermoplastic, PC softens at very high heat, so a badly loose terminal that runs hot can deform the body. That is a wiring fault, not a material one, but PC shows it sooner than urea.

Our VIYONA range is our PC series. Our printed catalogue describes it as crafted from the highest-quality polycarbonate, and lists our VIYONA polycarbonate angle and batten holders at ₹26 MRP each, with the 2 part ceiling rose at ₹28.

What is a urea switch?

A urea switch is one moulded from urea formaldehyde, a thermosetting plastic that sets permanently when it is pressed hot, so it does not melt or soften when it heats up, has a hard, glossy, scratch-resistant surface and resists arcing, though it is more brittle than polycarbonate and can crack under a sharp blow.

What urea does well:

Does not soften with heat Hard, glossy surface Resists arcing Rigid under heavy plugs

What to watch:

Can crack if struck Over-tight screws crack lugs

Because it stays rigid, urea is a common choice for combined switch socket units, where a heavy plug is pushed in and pulled out daily. Our catalogue lists the VIYONA 159 3 in 1 universal switch socket combined in urea at ₹150 MRP, and the 160 with junction box at ₹175.

Polycarbonate vs urea: which is better?

Polycarbonate is better where a switch or socket will be handled, knocked or clipped in and out, as on a modular board, and urea is better where rigidity and heat resistance matter most, as in a heavy combined switch socket unit, so the right material depends on the fitting and where it sits, not on a single ranking.

Side by side, as general material behaviour:

Impact: PC wins Heat, no softening: urea wins Surface hardness: urea Thin modular shapes: PC Brittleness: urea

For most homes, the difference you will notice is not the material but the build quality: wall thickness, how firmly the terminals are held, and whether the contacts grip. A thick, well-moulded unit in either plastic outlasts a thin one in the other.

Our guide to choosing a modular switch brand lists the checks that matter at the counter, including the licence number and the contacts.

Which switch material is fire retardant?

Both polycarbonate and urea can be made in fire-retardant grades, and what makes a switch fire retardant is the grade of plastic and the tests it passes, not the name of the plastic alone; a good switch body resists catching fire and stops burning once the heat source is removed.

In general terms:

Urea: chars, does not drip PC: self-extinguishing grades Porcelain: does not burn

Indian standards for switches and sockets include heat-resistance tests on the insulating parts, and products carrying a genuine ISI mark have been made under a BIS licence for that standard. That mark is a better guide than a label that just says “FR”. Our IS code list for electrical products gives the standard for each product, and our fake ISI mark guide shows how to check one.

We do not publish flammability ratings for our switch bodies in our catalogue, so we do not quote one here.

Where does a porcelain base fit in?

A porcelain base is a ceramic block that holds the contacts and terminals of some heavier switches and sockets, used because porcelain does not soften, char or track under heat, which makes it a traditional choice for 16A sockets and heavy points, while the visible front stays plastic for looks and safety.

Porcelain adds ₹10 to ₹39 on these pairs. It is worth it on a 16A socket that runs a heater or geyser for hours. Socket choices are covered in our 6A vs 16A socket guide.

Brass contacts: what is inside the switch?

Inside a switch, the parts that carry current are metal: the screw terminals and fixed contacts are commonly brass or a copper alloy, the moving contact is often backed by a phosphor bronze spring, and some switches add a silver alloy contact tip, because these metals conduct well and resist wear each time the switch is pressed.

What each metal does, as general practice:

Brass terminals: hold the wire Spring: keeps pressure Silver tip: resists arcing

The plastic body and the metal parts fail differently. A weak spring gives a soft, uncertain click. Worn contacts crackle and heat. A loose terminal browns the plastic around it. All three are reasons to replace the switch.

Our catalogue does not print the contact or terminal metal for each switch, so we do not claim one here; ask us for a specific code. Where brass is named, it is on the VIYONA square box: the 197 with brass is ₹16 MRP and the 196 without brass ₹12.

Urea vs polycarbonate price: what does each cost?

In our VIYONA range, a urea 5 in 1 switch socket combined unit costs a little less than the polycarbonate one: the 163 in urea is ₹230 MRP against ₹250 for the 161 in PC, and with a junction box the urea 164 is ₹275 against ₹300 for the PC 162.

The ₹20 to ₹25 gap is small. Choose by where the unit goes: a kitchen or workshop point that is knocked suits PC. Our VIYONA 5 in 1 range lists both, and the universal socket guide explains 3 in 1 and 5 in 1.

How can you tell what a switch is made of?

The easiest way to tell what a switch is made of is to read the product name on the bill, box or catalogue, where makers who offer a choice name it as urea, PC or porcelain base, because the finished plastics look similar on the wall and a visual guess is unreliable.

Clues, as general practice:

Urea: hard, glossy, heavy PC: slightly flexible, tough Porcelain: white ceramic block

Do not test a material by scratching, heating or striking a fitted switch. Read the code instead. In our catalogue, codes carry the material where it matters: 159, 160, 163, 164 urea, 161, 162 PC, and VIZA V117 to V120A porcelain base.

If a fitting is already in the wall, switch off the MCB and test dead before taking a plate off to read the module. Our guide to replacing a switch explains how.

Which material should you choose for each place?

As a general guide, choose polycarbonate modular switches for living areas and bedrooms where boards are handled and changed, urea or porcelain-base units for heavy combined points that carry a plug most of the day, and keep every switch, whatever its material, out of splash zones and away from steam.

By location:

Bedroom, living: PC modular Kitchen: urea or porcelain Heater socket: porcelain Workshop, garage: PC Bathroom: outside the wet zone

Material is one factor among several. Rating, the socket shutter and the quality of the wiring behind matter as much. For heavy points, see our kitchen electrical points guide.