Materials / Compare
Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) vs. Plastic TPU
Compare Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) vs. Plastic TPU 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 | not given (tensile used) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | not sourced | 23.7MPasourcetypical, stress at break |
| Flexural strength | 65MPasourcetypical, 23 °C | 4.1MPasourcetypical |
| Elongation at break | 10%sourcenominal strain at break, 23 °C | not sourced |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 2.3GPasourcetypical34.3x stiffer | 0.067GPasourcetypical |
| Density | 1,040kg/m³sourcetypical17% lighter | 1,220kg/m³sourcetypical |
| Strength to weight | 43.3kN·m/kg2.23x higher | 19.4kN·m/kg |
| Stiffness to weight | 2.21MN·m/kg40.3x higher | 0.0549MN·m/kg |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.39sourcetypical, ABS family (Covestro Part and Mold Design guide, Table 3-1) | not sourced |
| Shear modulus | 0.827GPa | not sourced |
| Bulk modulus | 3.48GPa | not sourced |
| Speed of sound | 1,487m/s | 234m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.17W/m·Ksourcetypical | not sourced |
| Thermal expansion | 80–110µm/m·Ksourcerange | not sourced |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 475µm growth | not sourced |
| Specific heat | not sourced | not sourced |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | not sourced | not sourced |
| Thermal shock resistance | 21.4W/m | not sourced |
| Melting point | not sourced | 217°Csourcetypical |
| Max service temperature | 94°CsourceHDT 1.8 MPa (annealed 4 h/80 °C) | 50.3°CsourceHDT 0.455 MPa (printed specimens) |
| Values for | INEOS Styrolution Terluran GP-22 general-purpose injection-molding ABS, ISO typical values (TDS revision 08/01/2022) | Ultimaker TPU 95A, 3D-printed specimens, XY (flat); Ultimaker S5 Pro, engineering intent profile, 0.15 mm layer height, AA 0.4 print core, 100% infill, Cura 4.9, printed one-at-a-time, conditioned >=24 h at room temperature. TDS (file v5.00), April 29, 2022. |
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.
Plastic TPU is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.
Questions
Is Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) stronger than Plastic TPU?
Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) is stronger: its yield strength is 45 MPa against tensile strength 23.7 MPa for Plastic TPU (1.9x).
Which is lighter, Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) or Plastic TPU?
Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) is lighter: 1,040 kg/m³ against 1,220 kg/m³ for Plastic TPU.
Which is stiffer, Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) or Plastic TPU?
Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) is stiffer: Young's modulus 2.3 GPa against 0.067 GPa for Plastic TPU, so the same part in Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) or Plastic TPU?
For the same stiffness or strength: Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), stiff panel or plate, strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate.
| Part that must be | Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) | Plastic TPU |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | lighter | 40.3x heavier |
| Stiff beam (bending) | lighter | 6.87x heavier |
| Stiff panel or plate | lighter | 3.81x heavier |
| Strong rod or tie | lighter | 2.23x heavier |
| Strong beam | lighter | 1.8x heavier |
| Strong panel or plate | lighter | 1.62x 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).