In electron-beam dosimetry, plastic phantom materials may be used instead of water for the determination of absorbed dose to water. A correction factor phi(water)plastic is then needed for converting the electron fluence in the plastic phantom to the fluence at an equivalent depth in water. The recommended values for this factor given by AAPM TG-25 (1991 Med. Phys. 18 73-109) and the IAEA protocols TRS-381 (1997) and TRS-398 (2000) disagree, in particular at large depths. Calculations of the electron fluence have been done, using the Monte Carlo code PENELOPE, in semi-infinite phantoms of water and common plastic materials (PMMA, clear polystyrene, A-150, polyethylene, Plastic water and Solid water (WT1)). The simulations have been carried out for monoenergetic electron beams of 6, 10 and 20 MeV, as well as for a realistic clinical beam. The simulated fluence correction factors differ from the values in the AAPM and IAEA recommendations by up to 2%, and are in better agreement with factors obtained by Ding et al (1997 Med. Phys. 24 161-76) using EGS4. Our Monte Carlo calculations are also in good accordance with phi(water)plastic values measured by using an almost perturbation-free ion chamber. The important interdependence between depth- and fluence-scaling corrections for plastic phantoms is discussed. Discrepancies between the measured and the recommended values of phi(water)plastic may then be explained considering the different depth-scaling rules used.