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PVC or polycarbonate chair mat

Updated: 21 October 2026

You are looking at a clear rectangle and trying to decide PVC or polycarbonate chair mat, because both are sold as the thing under an office chair. In this amazon.co.uk set, every clear chair mat is PVC. Polycarbonate is the rigid sheet UK suppliers recommend when you sit all day, the floor is heated, or the wood is lacquered, and it is not one of the listings we kept. Sizes and prices are on the [floor protection mat comparison](/hub/flooring/floor-protection-mat). The limits come from Floortex, Hometex, and Mat Stores, not from a lab test. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are looking at a clear rectangle and trying to decide PVC or polycarbonate chair mat, because both are sold as the thing under an office chair. In this amazon.co.uk set, every clear chair mat is PVC.

Our top picks

Marvelux Marvelux 120 x 150 cm chair mat

Best overall

Marvelux Marvelux 120 x 150 cm chair mat
8.6/10about £66.99
View offer
BesWin BesWin 90 x 120 cm grey chair mat

Alternative

BesWin BesWin 90 x 120 cm grey chair mat
8.3/10about £27.99
View offer
SHAREWIN SHAREWIN 75 x 120 cm chair mat

Best value

SHAREWIN SHAREWIN 75 x 120 cm chair mat
7.4/10about £19.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Clear is a colour, not a plastic
  2. 2.What changes when the sheet is rigid
  3. 3.Heated floors and varnish
  4. 4.What to buy from this set, and when to leave it

Clear is a colour, not a plastic

Clear tells you that you can see the floor. It does not tell you which polymer you are kneeling on. Marvelux, SHAREWIN, WASJOYE, AS, and BesWin are PVC. The Marvelux is 120 × 150 cm at £66.99. The SHAREWIN is 75 × 120 cm at £19.99. The WASJOYE is 90 × 120 cm at £22.60. The AS is the £19.99 sheet whose size lines do not agree. The BesWin is grey, still PVC, 90 × 120 cm at £27.99. The Homcomodar is polyester, not either of these plastics. Polycarbonate chair mats from ranges such as Floortex Cleartex are also clear, and they are not in this comparison. If the title says PVC, vinyl, or polyvinyl chloride, believe the title. If you still need a size before a polymer, the floor protection mat buying guide does that split. A phthalate-free line is a claim on a PVC listing, not proof of the other plastic.

What changes when the sheet is rigid

Floortex's material guide recommends polycarbonate for everyday office use, and it says a polycarbonate mat should not curl, crack, or smell in normal use. That is a seller's claim about their range, not a test we ran. Hometex describes PVC as the softer, cloudier sheet. Trusted Mats puts polycarbonate on heavy use and PVC on light use on hard floors. SHAREWIN's listing says there is no special odour, and UK reviews still report a smell. SHAREWIN, WASJOYE, and AS reviews describe ends that stay curled. A WASJOYE review includes a trip on a raised edge. Some Marvelux copies still needed weight overnight. BesWin reviews more often say the mat lay flat, with one curling exception. Rigid plastic is the retail answer to that cluster. A large PVC rectangle has not become that sheet.
Marvelux Marvelux 120 x 150 cm chair mat

Testsieger

Marvelux Marvelux 120 x 150 cm chair mat
8.6/10about £66.99
View offer

Heated floors and varnish

Hometex tells buyers not to use PVC on varnished wood or on underfloor heating. Floortex makes the same split and points polycarbonate at rooms under about 15°C. A BesWin heat-resistant line is not an underfloor-heating approval. None of these listings claims a pass to BS EN ISO 4918 or BS EN 425. On ordinary laminate, for light use, in a room heated by radiators, PVC is what this set can sell you. If the oak is lacquered, or you can feel the heating in the boards, look outside the basket. Weighted corners on the how to lay a chair mat page help a curl on a suitable floor. They do not make vinyl acceptable where these suppliers have ruled it out.

What to buy from this set, and when to leave it

Buy PVC here for light use on an ordinary hard floor. The SHAREWIN at £19.99 fits if 75 × 120 cm covers the roll and you can live with curl and a possible smell. The BesWin at £27.99 is the better PVC buy at 90 × 120 cm when reviews mostly say flat. The Marvelux at £66.99 is the better PVC buy when the roll needs 120 × 150 cm, and not on a heated or lacquered floor. Leave the set for full days, underfloor heating, or lacquered wood. Office Reality listed a Floortex Cleartex Unomat at £58.59 including VAT on 19 October 2026. That polycarbonate price is outside this basket. It can cost less than the Marvelux, because the Marvelux money buys a larger PVC area, not the rigid sheet.

Common questions

Can PVC go on underfloor heating?
Hometex and Floortex say no. Do not treat a heat-resistant bullet, including the one on the BesWin listing, as permission. If the floor is heated, look at a polycarbonate mat from a supplier who states that use. Nothing we kept is that product.
Can PVC go on lacquered wood?
Hometex says not to use PVC on varnished wood. Mat Stores makes the related point that the wrong back, especially studs, marks a hard floor. A smooth PVC sheet is still the wrong plastic on a lacquer the supplier has warned you about. Ask the floor maker if a new floor's warranty bans coverings.
Why does polycarbonate cost more if a large PVC mat is already £66.99?
Sometimes it does not. A Unomat listed by Office Reality was £58.59 including VAT on 19 October 2026, which is less than the Marvelux. You pay the Marvelux price for 120 × 150 cm of PVC. Polycarbonate is priced for a stiffer sheet that suppliers say should not curl in normal use. Compare like with like: same size, same floor, different polymer.
Will polycarbonate stop every curl?
Floortex says a polycarbonate mat should not curl in normal use. That is their claim about their material, not a result for every brand, and not a promise that a damaged or badly stored sheet cannot arrive distorted. It is still the retail answer to the curl you see on the thin PVC reviews here. It will not fix a mat that is simply too small for the chair.
What about rooms under 15°C?
Floortex recommends polycarbonate when the room is under about 15°C, because PVC is harder to lay flat in the cold. A conservatory office or a barely heated spare room falls into that note. Warming the roll for a day helps a normal hallway delivery. It is a poor plan if the room itself never reaches that temperature.

Related pages

Best floor protection mat

Floor protection mat

Floor protection mat for hard floors: pick the type

Floor protection mat for a home gym: sheet or tiles

How to lay a chair mat: smooth face down, then weight

Sources

Public UK sources and amazon.co.uk listings, checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the figures in the display file.

  1. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, regulation 3 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK, fire safety risk assessment for small places of assembly (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. BSI, BS EN ISO 4918:2021 castor chair test (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Floortex UK FAQs (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Which?, faulty goods and the 30-day right to reject (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk listings for these ten floor protection mats (retrieved 19 October 2026)