Choosing the Right Resin: Polyurethane vs. Polystone

Polyurethane resin and polystone look identical in photos. They feel completely different in your hand. Here's how to choose.

Polyurethane (PU) resin is the default choice for most figures we cast. It's lightweight (~1.1 g/cm³), takes paint beautifully, holds fine sculpt detail down to 0.2mm, and is durable enough to survive a drop from waist height onto carpet. The downside: it's plastic. Hold a PU figure and a polystone figure of identical size, and the PU one feels lighter, hollower, less premium.

Polystone is PU resin mixed with finely ground stone powder (usually calcium carbonate). The result is roughly 2× heavier (~2.2 g/cm³) and feels distinctly cold to the touch — closer to ceramic or marble than plastic. Collectors of premium statues ($200+) actively prefer polystone for this reason. It also takes a different paint finish — more matte, more 'museum piece' than 'toy.'

Polystone has trade-offs. It's brittle. A polystone statue dropped from desk height will chip; the same fall in PU just bounces. Polystone is also harder to sculpt detail into below ~0.5mm — the stone particles fight the fine line work. And it costs ~25% more in material and is slower to cast (longer cure time).

Our rule of thumb: anything under $79 retail and any figure aimed at younger collectors — PU. Anything over $149 aimed at adult collectors who want a 'shelf-piece' feel — polystone. Between $79 and $149, ask the client what their reference is: if they're benchmarking against Pop Mart or Funko, PU; if they're benchmarking against Sideshow or Prime 1, polystone.

If you're not sure, we'll cast you one of each from the same master mold (small surcharge) so you can hold both before committing the production run.