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Abstract We investigated the adhesion of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to 2D crystal flakes on SiO2/Si substrates. Although the anchoring effect cannot be used to explain adhesion to atomically flat surfaces, PVC is sufficiently strongly adhesive to 2D crystal flake surfaces to allow pickup from SiO2/Si substrates via surface contact alone. Results of the pickup test, whether pickup is possible or impossible, were plotted on a map of contact surface area ratio vs. contact edge length ratio, which allowed us to identify the conditions under which flakes can be picked up using PVC and to discuss the adhesion strengths of the surface and edge. This study provides a method for the evaluation of adhesion forces between polymers and 2D flakes and demonstrates that PVC is a useful polymer for deterministic transfer and versatile manipulation of 2D flakes.