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Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) vs. Steel AISI 1018
Compare Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) vs. Steel AISI 1018 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 | 372MPasourceproducer-stated, cold drawn |
| Ultimate tensile strength | not sourced | 441MPasourceproducer-stated, cold drawn |
| Flexural strength | 65MPasourcetypical, 23 °C | not sourced |
| Elongation at break | 10%sourcenominal strain at break, 23 °C | 15%sourcein 2 in (50.8 mm) |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 2.3GPasourcetypical | 200GPasourcebase material: AISI 1025 plain carbon steel (MIL-HDBK-5J design value; ASTM A108 bar is the cold-finished carbon-steel bar spec that also covers 1018) |
| Density | 1,040kg/m³sourcetypical | 7,861kg/m³sourcebase material: AISI 1025 plain carbon steel (MIL-HDBK-5J design value; ASTM A108 bar is the cold-finished carbon-steel bar spec that also covers 1018) |
| Strength to weight | 43.3kN·m/kg | 47.3kN·m/kg9% higher |
| Stiffness to weight | 2.21MN·m/kg | 25.4MN·m/kg11.5x higher |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.39sourcetypical, ABS family (Covestro Part and Mold Design guide, Table 3-1) | 0.32sourcebase material: AISI 1025 plain carbon steel (MIL-HDBK-5J design value; ASTM A108 bar is the cold-finished carbon-steel bar spec that also covers 1018) |
| Shear modulus | 0.827GPa | 75.7GPa91.5x stiffer in shear |
| Bulk modulus | 3.48GPa | 185GPa |
| Speed of sound | 1,487m/s | 5,043m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.17W/m·Ksourcetypical | 51.9W/m·Ksourcebase material: AISI 1025 plain carbon steel (MIL-HDBK-5J design value; ASTM A108 bar is the cold-finished carbon-steel bar spec that also covers 1018) |
| Thermal expansion | 80–110µm/m·Ksourcerange | 12µm/m·Ksourcebase material: unalloyed carbon steel, Ovako family table (S275JR, 'none alloyed structural steels', C <= 0.21%); mean 20-300 °C |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 475µm growth | 60µm growth7.92x less |
| Specific heat | not sourced | 486J/kg·Ksourcebase material: AISI 1025 plain carbon steel (MIL-HDBK-5J design value; ASTM A108 bar is the cold-finished carbon-steel bar spec that also covers 1018) |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | not sourced | 13.6mm²/s |
| Thermal shock resistance | 21.4W/m | 5,473W/m256x more resistant |
| 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) | AISI 1018 cold drawn bar (Niagara LaSalle, cold-finished bar producer) |
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 Steel AISI 1018?
Steel AISI 1018 is stronger: its yield strength is 372 MPa against 45 MPa for Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) (8.27x).
Which is lighter, Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) or Steel AISI 1018?
Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) is lighter: 1,040 kg/m³ against 7,861 kg/m³ for Steel AISI 1018.
Which is stiffer, Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) or Steel AISI 1018?
Steel AISI 1018 is stiffer: Young's modulus 200 GPa against 2.3 GPa for Plastic ABS (bulk/injection), so the same part in Steel AISI 1018 deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) or Steel AISI 1018?
For the same stiffness or strength: Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) is lighter for a stiff panel or plate, strong beam, strong panel or plate; Steel AISI 1018 is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), strong rod or tie.
| Part that must be | Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) | Steel AISI 1018 |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | 11.5x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff beam (bending) | 23% heavier | lighter |
| Stiff panel or plate | lighter | 1.71x heavier |
| Strong rod or tie | 9% heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | lighter | 1.85x heavier |
| Strong panel or plate | lighter | 2.63x 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 Steel AISI 1018?
Steel AISI 1018 conducts heat better: 51.9 W/m·K against 0.17 W/m·K for Plastic ABS (bulk/injection).
Which expands less with temperature?
Steel AISI 1018 expands less: 12 µm/m·K against 95 µm/m·K for Plastic ABS (bulk/injection).
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