Refractive Index Values for Common Materials
On this page, you can find a list of refractive index values for various materials taken at room temperature (approximately 20°C or 68°F) and wavelength (λ) of 589 nm.
| Acrylic (PMMA) | 1.49 |
| Air | 1.00029 |
| Aluminum Oxide | 1.768 |
| Argon | 1.0003 |
| Bakelite | 1.58 |
| Barium Fluoride | 1.474 |
| Cadmium Sulfide | 2.5 |
| Calcium Carbonate | 1.658 |
| Calcium Fluoride | 1.434 |
| Carbon (amorphous) | 1.5 - 1.9 |
| Carbon (diamond) | 2.42 |
| Carbon (graphite) | 2.2 |
| Diamond | 2.42 |
| Ethanol | 1.361 |
| Gallium Arsenide | 3.93 |
| Germanium | 4.01 |
| Glass (crown) | 1.52 |
| Glass (flint) | 1.62 |
| Indium Phosphide | 3.17 |
| Lead Sulfide | 2.37 |
| Lithium Fluoride | 1.39 |
| Magnesium Fluoride | 1.38 |
| Nitrogen | 1.0003 |
| Oxygen | 1.0003 |
| Polycarbonate | 1.585 |
| Polyethylene | 1.5 |
| Polypropylene | 1.49 |
| Polystyrene | 1.59 |
| Potassium Chloride | 1.490 |
| Quartz (fused, IR-grade) | 1.54 |
| Quartz (fused, UV-grade) | 1.42 |
| Quartz (fused) | 1.458 |
| Sapphire | 1.77 |
| Silicon | 3.42 |
| Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) | 1.46 |
| Sodium Chloride | 1.544 |
| Teflon (PTFE) | 1.35 |
| Titanium Dioxide | 2.614 |
| Vacuum | 1.0 |
| Water | 1.333 |
| Zinc Selenide | 2.403 |
| Zinc Sulfide (Cleartran) | 2.32 |
| Zirconium Dioxide | 2.18 |
Related Tables
References: 1) Cardarelli, François. Materials Handbook: A Concise Desktop Reference. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2018. 2) CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 97th Edition. United Kingdom: CRC Press, 2016-2017. 3) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).