A grade-specific Safety Data Sheet (SDS) — with the complete hazard classification, handling precautions, and transport information — is supplied with every shipment and available on request. Confirm all safety and regulatory details against the SDS for your specific grade.
Request SDS →Silicone gum is an ultra-high-molecular-weight polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS / dimethicone, CAS 9006-65-9) — so long in chain length that it behaves as a soft, non-flowing gum rather than a pourable fluid. It sits at the very top of the silicone-oil viscosity ladder, beyond the heaviest fluids, and is valued where maximum substantivity, film strength and rheology are needed: as the base polymer for high-consistency silicone rubber (HCR) and as a heavy conditioning and shine agent in personal care (where it is delivered in a carrier blend). See the full ladder on the bulk silicone supplier hub.
What is silicone gum?
Silicone gum is the same dimethicone chemistry as silicone fluid, taken to a very high molecular weight. As the PDMS chain gets longer the material stops pouring and becomes a clear, tacky, elastic gum. It is the top end of the continuum that runs from volatile fluids through the heavy 100,000–500,000 cSt grades up to the gum. Gums are made in methyl-terminated, vinyl-functional (for crosslinking into rubber) and silanol/hydroxy-functional versions; specify the functionality your process needs.
Applications by sector
Silicone rubber (HCR). High-molecular-weight gum is the base polymer for high-consistency (heat-cured) silicone rubber: compounded with reinforcing silica and a curing agent, it is milled, then extruded or molded and cured into tubing, profiles, gaskets, keypads and other elastomer parts. Vinyl-functional gum provides the crosslink sites. Personal care. As a heavy conditioning and shine agent, silicone gum gives strong, durable slip and a high-gloss film on hair; because a raw gum cannot be pumped, it is supplied to formulators as a gum-in-fluid blend (for example dimethicone or cyclopentasiloxane carrier). This describes formulation feel and film, not a skin-health claim. Additives. Gum is also used as a high-rheology additive and antifoam/defoamer base. Match the form and functionality to the application.
Forms and grades
Silicone gum is supplied as a raw gum (for rubber compounders) or as a ready-to-use blend in a low-viscosity or volatile silicone carrier (for personal care and additive use). Specify methyl, vinyl or silanol functionality, the carrier and the gum content on the RFQ. Related grades: the heavy fluids up to 500,000 cSt, dimethicone, dimethiconol, and vinyl-terminated PDMS for rubber.
Handling and documentation
Silicone gum is water-insoluble and is handled in the silicone/oil phase or as a compounded solid. Each lot ships with a Certificate of Analysis (CoA); request the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for physical-property and handling data.
Bulk supply and RFQ
RawSource supplies silicone gum — as raw gum or as a carrier blend — from domestic US stock to silicone-rubber compounders and personal-care formulators, with CoA and SDS per lot. Submit an RFQ with the functionality (methyl/vinyl/silanol), form and target quantity for a current quote. The full viscosity ladder is in the silicone oil viscosity guide.
Typical Properties
Typical reference values, not a specification; the Certificate of Analysis (CoA) for the lot governs.
| Property | Typical Value |
|---|---|
| INCI / type | Dimethicone (ultra-high-molecular-weight PDMS gum) |
| CAS Number | 9006-65-9 |
| Chemical type | High-molecular-weight polydimethylsiloxane (methyl / vinyl / silanol functional) |
| Appearance | Clear, tacky, non-flowing gum (or clear blend in a carrier) |
| Consistency | Non-pourable gum — top of the viscosity ladder, beyond the heaviest fluids |
| Solubility | Insoluble in water; soluble/dispersible in silicones and many organic solvents |
| Flammability / handling | Refer to the current SDS |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is silicone gum?
Silicone gum is an ultra-high-molecular-weight polydimethylsiloxane (dimethicone, CAS 9006-65-9) so long-chained that it behaves as a non-flowing gum rather than a fluid. It is the base polymer for high-consistency silicone rubber and a heavy conditioning/shine agent in personal care.
What is silicone gum used for?
It is used as the base polymer for high-consistency (heat-cured) silicone rubber, as a substantive conditioning and shine agent in hair care (supplied as a gum-in-fluid blend), and as a high-rheology additive and antifoam base.
How is silicone gum different from silicone oil?
It is the same dimethicone chemistry at much higher molecular weight. Silicone oil pours; silicone gum does not — it is a tacky, elastic solid-like gum at the very top of the viscosity ladder, used for film strength, substantivity and as a rubber base rather than for spreading.
Is silicone gum supplied as a gum or a blend?
Both. Rubber compounders take the raw gum; personal-care and additive users take a ready-to-use blend in a low-viscosity or volatile silicone carrier, because raw gum cannot be pumped. Specify the form and functionality (methyl/vinyl/silanol) on the RFQ.
How is bulk silicone gum supplied and quoted?
RawSource supplies silicone gum as raw gum or as a carrier blend from domestic US stock, with CoA and SDS per lot. Pricing is quote-based on functionality, form and volume; submit an RFQ with your target quantity.