Materials / Compare
Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) vs. Aluminum
Compare Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) vs. Aluminum strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.
| Try it on a partA bracket to run stress or thermal on, free in your browser | Open in LessCAD | Open in LessCAD |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical | ||
| Yield strength | 45MPasourcetypical, tensile stress at yield 23 °C | 276MPasourcetypical, 0.2% offset, .500 in dia specimen |
| Ultimate tensile strength | not sourced | 310MPasourcetypical |
| Flexural strength | 65MPasourcetypical, 23 °C | not sourced |
| Elongation at break | 10%sourcenominal strain at break, 23 °C | 17%sourcetypical, in 4D, 0.500 in dia specimen |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 2.3GPasourcetypical | 68.3GPasourcetypical29.7x stiffer |
| Density | 1,040kg/m³sourcetypical | 2,700kg/m³sourcenominal |
| Strength to weight | 43.3kN·m/kg | 102kN·m/kg2.36x higher |
| Stiffness to weight | 2.21MN·m/kg | 25.3MN·m/kg11.4x higher |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.39sourcetypical, ABS family (Covestro Part and Mold Design guide, Table 3-1) | 0.33sourcetypical (handbook physical constant) |
| Shear modulus | 0.827GPa | 25.7GPa31x stiffer in shear |
| Bulk modulus | 3.48GPa | 67GPa |
| Speed of sound | 1,487m/s | 5,030m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.17W/m·Ksourcetypical | 167W/m·Ksourcetypical, 20 °C |
| Thermal expansion | 80–110µm/m·Ksourcerange | 23.6µm/m·Ksourcetypical, mean 20-100 °C |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 475µm growth | 118µm growth4.03x less |
| Specific heat | not sourced | 896J/kg·Ksourcetypical, at 100 °C |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | not sourced | 69mm²/s |
| Thermal shock resistance | 21.4W/m | 19,159W/m897x more resistant |
| Melting point | not sourced | 582–652°Csourcesolidus-liquidus |
| Max service temperature | 94°CsourceHDT 1.8 MPa (annealed 4 h/80 °C) | not sourced |
| Values for | INEOS Styrolution Terluran GP-22 general-purpose injection-molding ABS, ISO typical values (TDS revision 08/01/2022) | 6061-T6/T651, Kaiser Aluminum typical properties (sheet, coil & plate datasheet); Poisson from MIL-HDBK-5J |
Every value links to the document that states it. "Not sourced" means no citable source states it (or only a specification minimum); figures computed from it are left out too.
Questions
Is Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) stronger than Aluminum?
Aluminum is stronger: its yield strength is 276 MPa against 45 MPa for Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) (6.13x).
Which is lighter, Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) or Aluminum?
Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) is lighter: 1,040 kg/m³ against 2,700 kg/m³ for Aluminum.
Which is stiffer, Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) or Aluminum?
Aluminum is stiffer: Young's modulus 68.3 GPa against 2.3 GPa for Plastic ABS (bulk/injection), so the same part in Aluminum deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) or Aluminum?
For the same stiffness or strength: Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) is lighter for a strong panel or plate; Aluminum is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), stiff panel or plate, strong rod or tie, strong beam.
| Part that must be | Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) | Aluminum |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | 11.4x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff beam (bending) | 2.1x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff panel or plate | 19% heavier | lighter |
| Strong rod or tie | 2.36x heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | 29% heavier | lighter |
| Strong panel or plate | lighter | 5% heavier |
For the same stiffness or strength, mass scales with density over stiffness (or strength) raised to a power set by how the part is loaded: 1 for a rod in tension, 1/2 for a beam in bending, 1/3 for a panel (the standard material-selection indices).
Which conducts heat better, Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) or Aluminum?
Aluminum conducts heat better: 167 W/m·K against 0.17 W/m·K for Plastic ABS (bulk/injection).
Which expands less with temperature?
Aluminum expands less: 23.6 µm/m·K against 95 µm/m·K for Plastic ABS (bulk/injection).