Clear soda lime glass has an excellent corrosion resistance to most chemicals. Its thickness enables a slight mechanical shock resistance. It has only medium thermal properties given by a 120 °C (250 °F) maximum temperature and a 40 °C (100 °F) thermal shock resistance.

Amber soda lime glass has an excellent corrosion resistance to most chemicals. Its thickness enables a slight mechanical shock resistance. It has only medium thermal properties given by a 120 °C (250 °F) maximum temperature and a 40 °C (100 °F) thermal shock resistance. This glass has the property of totally protecting the bottle content from ultraviolet rays and is therefore ideal for light-sensitive compounds.

Clear borosilicate glass is highly resistant to water, neutral and acid solutions, concentrated acids and their mixtures, chlorine, bromine, iodine and organic materials. It is considered to be an all-round industrial glass in all fields of applications where maximal thermal shock resistance is required. The temperature resistance gives a maximum temperature of 500 °C (900 °F).

High density polyethylene is the most versatile and widely used plastic. It is translucent to opaque, robust enough to be virtually unbreakable, at the same time slightly flexible. Polyethylene is resistant to a great many chemicals at room temperature (strong oxidizing agents being the main exception). The temperature resistance gives a maximum temperature of 110 °C (230 °F) continuously and 120 °C (250 °F) for short periods.

Polypropylene is a translucent material, which replaces polyethylene when higher thermal resistance for sterilizing and autoclaving is required given a maximal temperature of 135 °C (275 °F) and a 120 °C (250 °F) thermal shock resistance. It is particularly frequently used for sterilization under clinical or similar circumstances. Although it has excellent mechanical properties, the bottles of this material are breakable.

Steel (AISI SS 316) bottles have the highest thermal and mechanical resistance, they are unbreakable. The chemical resistance is high or very good for most chemicals. The major disadvantage is the non-visibility of the contents (a DOPAK® fixed volume sampler should be used with SS316 bottles). Other materials such as Monel, Hastelloy etc. are available.

Glass bottles can be coated with plastic material to provide a safety feature against breakage. In case the container is dropped, the coating makes it less likely for the bottle to break. If it does break, the content is seldom spilled because content and glass fragments are caught inside the protective coating. All bottle volumes, except 2 cc, can be supplied with a plastic coating. The temperature resistance gives a maximum temperature of 70°C (160°F).