Lego and -11 degree temperatures

[No More Monkeys]

Do you know if any structural damage happens to Lego bricks if exposed to something like -11 F temperatures (-24 Celcius)? Any chance they become brittle?

[Guest TabbyBoy]

Do you know if any structural damage happens to Lego bricks if exposed to something like -11 F temperatures (-24 Celcius)? Any chance they become brittle?

 

Why do you ask?  Are you thinking of building ice-cube trays? ;-)

 

I did build a MOC crawler which went through snow when we had our bitterly cold Winter in the UK (-15C) back in late 2010.  It seemed to survive OK but, it was only for about 30min or so.  It was back at room temperature by the time I pulled it apart with no problems so let's see what others think.

[No More Monkeys]

Had 2-3 sets left in the trunk of a car overnight, and car was outside, and it was not a good night... So, wondering if something could have happened to bricks structurally...

[glenbart]

Heat is worse than cold I think.... ever poured boiling water on old grey 3 x 4 33 slopes?????

[Jojoyojimbi]

Do you know if any structural damage happens to Lego bricks if exposed to something like -11 F temperatures (-24 Celcius)? Any chance they become brittle?

 

yes they become brittle, but you'll have to go through hell and back to actually damage a real lego, trust me, as a child i tried VERY hard to break a few so i could make stuff with battle damage, i'm talking hammers, sledges, bricks, etc, it's HARD

[glenbart]

At 50 cents a pop, that was a costly mistake....

[Guest TabbyBoy]

Don't stir hot tea with Mega Bloks!

[hepcatpunk]

Right, unles you're storing them long-term in an igloo, I wouldn't worry.

[gregpj]

You don't need to worry about the plastic. Long term exposure to weather "changes" rather than a single cold weather night will damage the box seals and stickers in a Lego set before you ever need to worry about the bricks themselves. They are not cold weather adhesives.

 

Now we all know Lego surely has their own secret formula for those little ABS bricks but as a product, ABS is used all over the world in many colder climates than -11F. For instance, many of the plastic parts in modern cars are ABS. Also, water drain and vent pipes are ABS. Both of these things constantly freeze and thaw in colder climates. And obviously they become brittle in very cold temperatures, but unless you're bashing them with a hammer as Jojoy suggested, you need not worry.