Aluminum 3003-O vs. Drywall

Compare Aluminum 3003-O vs. Drywall strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.

Mechanical	Aluminum 3003-O	Drywall
Yield strength	40MPa1	not given (tensile used)
Ultimate tensile strength	110MPa1	1–2MPa2
Compressive strength	not sourced	2.4MPa3
Elongation at break	30%1	not sourced
Young's modulus (stiffness)	69GPa1	1–2GPa2
Density	2,730kg/m³1	not sourced
Strength to weight	14.7kN·m/kg	not sourced
Stiffness to weight	25.3MN·m/kg	not sourced
Poisson's ratio	not sourced	not sourced
Shear modulus	not sourced	not sourced
Bulk modulus	not sourced	not sourced
Speed of sound	5,027m/s	not sourced

Stiffness against densityHigher and further left: stiffer for its weight

Strength against densityHigher and further left: stronger for its weight

Thermal	Aluminum 3003-O	Drywall
Thermal conductivity	193W/m·K1	not sourced
Thermal expansion	23.2µm/m·K1	16.7µm/m·K339% less
100 mm part over a 50 °C swing	116µm growth	83.5µm growth39% less
Specific heat	not sourced	1,090J/kg·K3
Heats up and cools (diffusivity)	not sourced	not sourced
Thermal shock resistance	not sourced	not sourced
Melting point	melting range640–655°C1	not sourced
Max service temperature	not sourced	52°C4

Thermal conductivity against densityHigher and further left: spreads more heat for its weight

Thermal expansion against thermal conductivityLower and further right: warps less when heated

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Sources4 documents: Kaiser Aluminum, USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Gypsum Association, USG

Aluminum 3003-O: 3003-O (annealed) aluminium-manganese alloy, the heat-exchanger tube and brazing alloy, Kaiser Aluminum Tube & Pipe Alloy 3003 Technical Data (Rev. 05/06), typical properties; specific heat from the NIST cryogenic 3003-F fit at 293 K.
Drywall: 1/2 in. (12.7 mm) regular gypsum board (ASTM C1396), Gypsum Association GA-235-2019 typical/minimum properties; tensile and E from USDA FPL-co-authored review; service limit from USG Sheetrock 1/2 in. submittal

1
Alloy 3003 Tube & Pipe Technical Data, Rev. 05/06Kaiser Aluminumarchived copyAluminum 3003-O · Yield strength: typical, O, 0.0625 in specimenAluminum 3003-O · Ultimate tensile strength: typical, OAluminum 3003-O · Elongation at break: typical, O, in 4DAluminum 3003-O · Young's modulus (stiffness): typicalAluminum 3003-O · Density: nominal, 20 °CAluminum 3003-O · Thermal conductivity: typical, O, 20 °CAluminum 3003-O · Thermal expansion: typical, mean 20-100 °CAluminum 3003-O · Melting point: melting range
2
Mechanical Properties of Gypsum Board at Elevated TemperaturesUSDA Forest Products LaboratoryDrywall · Ultimate tensile strength: ambient range reported in review (Australian studies)Drywall · Young's modulus (stiffness): ambient range reported in review (Australian studies)
3
GA-235-2023 Gypsum Board Typical Mechanical and Physical PropertiesGypsum AssociationDrywall · Compressive strength: typical, 70 F / 50% RHDrywall · Thermal expansion: typical, unrestrained, 3.3-32 CDrywall · Specific heat: typical (from ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals, per GA)
4
Sheetrock Brand UltraLight Panels Submittal Sheet (WB2501)USGarchived copyDrywall · Max service temperature: manufacturer sustained-exposure limit

Each number points to the document that states it, with the exact basis. Values without a number are computed from the sourced ones. "Not sourced" means no citable source states it (or only a specification minimum); figures computed from it are left out too.

Questions

Mechanical

Is Aluminum 3003-O stronger than Drywall?

Aluminum 3003-O is stronger: its yield strength is 40 MPa against tensile strength 1.5 MPa for Drywall (26.7x).

Which is stiffer, Aluminum 3003-O or Drywall?

Aluminum 3003-O is stiffer: Young's modulus 69 GPa against 1.5 GPa for Drywall, so the same part in Aluminum 3003-O deflects less under the same load.

Thermal

Which expands less with temperature?

Drywall expands less: 16.7 µm/m·K against 23.2 µm/m·K for Aluminum 3003-O.