Which Construction Adhesive Brand Wins?
In our test we compared 5 construction adhesive options head to head. Loctite PL 8X came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Loctite PL 8X
Price shown in test: 78 cents per oz, tied with Liquid Nails Fuze It as the most expensive tested
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Loctite PL 3X
Price shown in test: 78 cents per oz, tied with Liquid Nails Fuze It as the most expensive tested
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
DAP Dyna Grip
Price shown in test: 40 cents per oz
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The quick take
The short version of why each pick lands where it does, built straight from the measured results.
“It totally dominated this showdown in every single category, showing why it is such a great product.”
Best in 1 of 1 measurements, including Value, pound strength per penny.
The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Products are listed in the order they finished.
Shear strength, 2x4 samples
- 1Loctite PL 8X
average of 1,836 lb, the best of any product, winning despite the wood itself failing before the adhesive on some samples, individual samples 1,509, 2,092, and 1,907 lb
- 2Loctite PL 3X
average of 1,787 lb, second place, described as very strong and stronger than the wood itself, individual samples 2,030, 1,617, and 1,715 lb
- 3DAP Dyna Grip
third place, individual samples 884, 1,964, and 989 lb
- 4Liquid Nails Fuze It
fourth place at an average of 1,178 lb, individual samples 925, 1,079, and 1,529 lb, with partial wood failure and mostly glue failure noted on the samples
- 5Liquid Nails Heavy Duty
weakest of any product, individual samples 517, 315, and 177 lb; presenter says he is really surprised it did not perform a little better
Tensile strength, 1x2 wood samples
- 1Loctite PL 8X
average of 668 lb, the best of any product, with wood failure occurring on 2 of 6 samples, individual samples 684, 722, 697, 741, 622, and 541 lb
- 2Loctite PL 3X
average of 280 lb, third place, individual samples 205, 310, 252, 335, 319, and 259 lb
- 3DAP Dyna Grip
average of 512 lb, second place, individual samples 680, 606, 558, 197, 504, and 524 lb
- 4Liquid Nails Fuze It
average of 252 lb, fourth place, individual samples 280, 160, 267, 257, 242, and 308 lb
- 5Liquid Nails Heavy Duty
average of 216 lb, weakest of any product, individual samples 230, 311, 156, 247, 208, and 143 lb
PVC end cap tensile strength
- 1Loctite PL 8X
average of 281 lb, the best of any product, individual samples 309, 357, and 178 lb
- 2Loctite PL 3X
average of 102 lb, third place, individual samples 149, 93, and 64 lb
- 3DAP Dyna Grip
struggled, individual samples of only 43, 56, and 28 lb, described as not appearing to fully cure at the center of the PVC even after 8 days of cure time
- 4Liquid Nails Fuze It
average of 153 lb, second place, individual samples 132, 160, and 168 lb
- 5Liquid Nails Heavy Duty
weakest of any product by far, individual samples of only 6, 9, and 13 lb, described as failing to fully cure at the center of the PVC after 8 days
Value, pound strength per penny
- 1Loctite PL 8Xabout12 lb
of strength per penny, lower than DAP Dyna Grip and PL 3X's roughly 15 lb per penny
- 2Loctite PL 3Xabout15 lb
of strength per penny, tied with DAP Dyna Grip for the best value of any product tested
- 3DAP Dyna Gripabout15 lb
of strength per penny, tied with PL 3X for the best value of any product tested
- 4Liquid Nails Fuze Itabout7 lb
of strength per penny, the worst value along with Liquid Nails Heavy Duty
- 5Liquid Nails Heavy Dutyabout7 lb
of strength per penny, the worst value along with Liquid Nails Fuze It despite being the cheapest per ounce
How it was tested
- shear strength using glued 2x4 samples, measured in lb
- tensile strength using glued 1x2 wood samples cut and rejoined from the same board, measured in lb
- tensile strength using glued threaded PVC end caps, measured in lb
- price per ounce and pound of strength per penny as a value comparison
“It totally dominated this showdown in every single category, showing why it is such a great product.”
