1/4" Dark Gray polycarbonate sheet
The heavy tint — much darker than Gray, still see-through, for panels that should hide more than they show.
Dark gray polycarbonate sheet, cut to your exact size from 12" to 48" per side. Pick a standard size or enter custom dimensions, add flame- or diamond-polished edges, and see the price instantly — no quote for straight cuts, no minimum order. Note: polycarbonate should not be laser cut.
- High impact strength — far tougher than acrylic
- Deep gray tint runs through the sheet, not a surface film
- 3 thicknesses, 1/8"–1/4"
$5 for the first cut, $3 each additional, totaled across your line.
Need notches, holes, or curved cuts? Request a quote →
What dark gray polycarbonate is for
Dark Gray is the deep end of the tinted range. It is the same kind of through-the-sheet tint as our Gray, but far heavier: in daylight the panel reads as a deep charcoal, and what is behind it shows as shape and movement rather than detail. That is the point. It is chosen where a clear or medium tint would show too much — privacy screens and partitions, AV and equipment covers that should hide the hardware but let indicator lights and displays read through, and tinted fronts on cabinets and cases.
It keeps the whole polycarbonate case for itself: the same impact resistance as clear, so it works as a guard window or cover that will be knocked, and it cuts noticeably more light than Gray or Bronze, so an operator looking through it at a bright process gets less glare back.
Because so little light gets through, Dark Gray is the wrong choice for glazing you need to see out of clearly, or anywhere the light level already matters; choose Gray for a tint that keeps the view. The tint is in the material, not a film, so it does not scratch off or peel.
Why 1/4" specifically
1/4" is the specification when someone has already had something break. It is genuinely tough — the thickness commonly chosen for security glazing, heavy machine guarding, and impact shields, where the panel is expected to be hit rather than merely to survive being hit. It is also stiff enough to be self-supporting over a decent span, so it does not need a frame on every edge.
Do not cut polycarbonate in a laser
Polycarbonate absorbs the beam instead of cutting cleanly: it scorches brown along every edge, melts and re-welds, gives off fumes you should not breathe, and can catch fire. It also coats the optics. This is true of every laser and every thickness — CO2 and diode alike, and it is not a settings problem.
Cut polycarbonate mechanically — saw, router or shears — or tell us the finished size and we will cut it for you. If the part is going in a laser, you want acrylic instead; the craft & laser range is set up for exactly that.
Questions
Can you see through dark gray polycarbonate?
Yes, but it is a heavy tint. In normal light you see shapes, movement and anything lit on the other side — screens and indicator lights read through it clearly — rather than fine detail. If you need to see through clearly, choose Gray. If nothing should show at all, choose black, which is opaque.
Dark Gray or Gray?
Gray is a medium tint that keeps the view and cuts the glare; Dark Gray takes most of the light out and is chosen for privacy and for covers where the hardware should disappear. If you are unsure, Gray is the safer glazing tint. Dark Gray is a deliberate choice.
Is dark gray polycarbonate the same as black?
No. Black is opaque — nothing shows through it, lit or not. Dark Gray is a tint: it looks close to black in daylight, but light, displays and backlit graphics come through it and you can still make out what is behind it. That difference is the whole reason to pick one over the other.