PVC, with the best combination of performance and cost, is the most widely used plastic medical tubing material. Polyethylene is the second largest material in medical tubing based on volumes consumed. TPE, polyamide, silicone, fluoropolymer and PEEK also find specialized niches in tubing systems. PP and PC are also used as medical tubing materials. Co extruding them with other polymers can often extend the performance of plastic tubing materials.
Perhaps PVC has a biggest liability of the plasticizer di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) it frequently contains. Regulatory officials in Europe and North America have expressed concerns over possible adverse health effects due to leaching of this additive. Industry officials insist that DEHP is safe and that no human illnesses have been linked to leaching of this material. PVC tube producers now also offer tubes based on PVC that does not contain DEHP as well as other phthalate plasticizers. Another problem with PVC tubing is that it can get discoloured on radiation sterilization. However, newer formulations can resist this problem. PVC tubing is frequently used in high-volume, disposable applications, where its low cost and high clarity are an asset. These uses include intravenous administration of blood or nutrient solutions. Catheters and dialysis tubing are other important PVC markets.

PE has some inherent advantages in medical tubing. It is about 30% lighter than PVC, is highly resistant to chemicals and is competitive to PVC in cost. HDPE has a low coefficient of friction, which makes it useful in tubular guide wire dispensers for angioplasty procedures. The high lubricity also makes HDPE valuable as packaging for other tubular components, such as catheters, which readily slide out of the package. PE is not as flexible as PVC, nor does it solvent bond to as many other plastics like PVC. Polyethylene is also not as clear as PVC, so polyethylene is less useful when visual monitoring of fluids inside tubes is essential.

TPEs also play a role in medical tubing, usually when some special features are desired. Some tubing-grade TPEs are marketed as plasticizer-free replacements for PVC. All types of TPE can be used in medical tubing.
TPUs exhibit a high level of clarity, tensile and tear strength, flexibility, and chemical and abrasion resistance. TPU tube is also more durable and provides better heat resistance. However, its high price restricts its usage in high volume sector and it is generally used in only demanding tubing applications involving very small diameters and complex lumen configurations. TPU can be easily loaded with radiopaque additives, which allows their positioning in the body to be tracked with X-rays.

Fluoropolymer has a high degree of lubricity, high tensile strength and exceptional chemical resistance. However, it is difficult to bond with other plastics and display a low degree of kink resistance. Extrusion of fluoropolymer medical tubing requires a high level of expertise on the part of the processor. Fluoropolymers tend to be used when very tight tolerances are required. Among the tubing applications of these materials are intravenous catheters, and catheters for angioplasty and angiography. Flared fluoropolymer tubing is often used to hold stents prior to implantation in heart arteries.

Silicone possesses a high degree of biocompatibility. They are also very flexible, have a high tear and tensile strength, and a wide range of surface hardness. Silicone material also resists chemicals, solvents and extremes of temperature. Like fluoropolymer, silicone is expensive, so it is used only when a high-level performance characteristics is required. Medical applications of silicone tubing include surgical drains, peristaltic pumps, blood and fluid handling, and dialysis equipment

Tubing made of polyamide exhibits all the favorable characteristics of all other materials, such as high tensile strength, toughness and resistance to kinking. The most important property of polyamide tubing is its high burst strength. This makes it the material of choice for balloons used in angioplasty procedures. Catheters made of polyamides can be very small, but still strong, making them easy and safe to thread through arteries during angiography procedures. While polyamides are at the high end of the price spectrum, this is usually not a consideration for their specialized uses.

PEEK is a high-performance engineering thermoplastic that is increasingly being used to replace stainless steel tubing in medical applications. It is relatively light weight, biocompatible, chemically inert and possesses high tensile strength and lubricity. It is often used in minimally invasive surgery, such as stent delivery. Heat-shrinkable PEEK tubing has been introduced as a protective sleeve around sensitive electrical wires that must be inserted into the body

Coextrusion can widen the performance of medical tubing by creating tubes with synergistic combinations of different materials with specific properties. Often an adhesive or tie layer is included in the coextruded tubing to bond dissimilar materials. Coextrusion is commonly used to add colored stripes to a tube, which allows it to be easily identified over its full length. Other stripes containing radiopaque materials such as barium sulfate can be added to tubing via coextrusion for quick X-ray identification. Co extrusion also adds a barrier layer when gas permeability in a tube must be restricted and allows fabrication of a tube with an interior hard layer and an external soft layer. This eases insertion of a cable through the center of the tube, yet preserves the tube's overall flexibility.