Aluminum 3003-O vs. Plywood

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

Mechanical	Aluminum 3003-O	Plywood
Yield strength	40MPa1	not given (tensile used)
Ultimate tensile strength	110MPa1	modulus of rupture41.4MPa2
Flexural strength	not sourced	static bending MOR41.4MPa2
Elongation at break	30%1	not sourced
Young's modulus (stiffness)	69GPa19.26x stiffer	7.45GPa2
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	Plywood
Thermal conductivity	193W/m·K1	0.12W/m·K3
Thermal expansion	23.2µm/m·K1	base material3.1–4.5µm/m·K4
100 mm part over a 50 °C swing	116µm growth	19µm growth6.11x less
Specific heat	not sourced	base material1,700J/kg·K4
Heats up and cools (diffusivity)	not sourced	not sourced
Thermal shock resistance	not sourced	not sourced
Melting point	melting range640–655°C1	not sourced

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

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.
Plywood: Douglas-fir plywood sheathing (construction plywood per PS 1), static bending properties from USDA FPL Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 Ch. 12 Table 12-2 (Biblis 2000)

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
Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-282), Chapter 12: Mechanical Properties of Wood-Based Composite MaterialsUSDA Forest Products LaboratoryPlywood · Ultimate tensile strength: modulus of rupture (no direct tensile value)Plywood · Flexural strength: static bending MOR (Douglas-fir); range 33.72-42.61 across speciesPlywood · Young's modulus (stiffness): static bending MOE of the panel (Douglas-fir); range 6.96-8.55 across species
3
Thermal Properties of Wood and Wood Panel Products for Use in Buildings (1988)USDA Forest Products Laboratoryarchived copyPlywood · Thermal conductivity: APA-recommended design value (Douglas-fir plywood), as reported by FPL/ORNL
4
Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-282), Chapter 4: Moisture Relations and Physical Properties of WoodUSDA Forest Products LaboratoryPlywood · Thermal expansion: base material: solid wood parallel to grain, ovendry, range across speciesPlywood · Specific heat: base material: solid wood (all species), 12% MC, 27 C

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 Plywood?

Plywood is stronger: its tensile strength is 41.4 MPa against yield strength 40 MPa for Aluminum 3003-O (3%).

Which is stiffer, Aluminum 3003-O or Plywood?

Aluminum 3003-O is stiffer: Young's modulus 69 GPa against 7.45 GPa for Plywood, so the same part in Aluminum 3003-O deflects less under the same load.

Thermal

Which conducts heat better, Aluminum 3003-O or Plywood?

Aluminum 3003-O conducts heat better: 193 W/m·K against 0.12 W/m·K for Plywood.

Which expands less with temperature?

Plywood expands less: 3.8 µm/m·K against 23.2 µm/m·K for Aluminum 3003-O.