Materials / Compare
Brick vs. Glass
Compare Brick vs. Glass strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.
| Try it on a partA panel to run stress or thermal on, free in your browser | Open in LessCAD | Open in LessCAD |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical | ||
| Yield strength | not given (tensile used) | not given (tensile used) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 5.1MPasourcemodulus of rupture (no direct tensile value) | 41MPasourcetypical mean surface tensile stress at fracture (MOR), 60 s load, weathered, 50% breakage probability |
| Compressive strength | 77.9MPasourcemean unit compressive strength, solid extruded brick (survey mean; SD 30.8 MPa) | not sourced |
| Flexural strength | not sourced | 41MPasourcemean MOR (same value as tensile) |
| Elongation at break | not sourced | not sourced |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | not sourced | 72GPasourcetypical |
| Density | 2,082kg/m³sourceface brick density row used for k (BIA notes most fired clay brick 120-130 lb/ft3) | 2,500kg/m³sourcetypical |
| Strength to weight | 2.45kN·m/kg | 16.4kN·m/kg6.7x higher |
| Stiffness to weight | not sourced | 28.8MN·m/kg |
| Poisson's ratio | not sourced | 0.22sourcetypical |
| Shear modulus | not sourced | 29.5GPa |
| Bulk modulus | not sourced | 42.9GPa |
| Speed of sound | not sourced | 5,367m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.92–1.12W/m·Ksourcerange for 130 lb/ft3 face brick (ASHRAE 2013 via BIA) | 0.937W/m·Ksourcetypical at 75 F |
| Thermal expansion | 7.2µm/m·KsourceTMS Code average coefficient, clay/shale unit masonry | 8.3µm/m·Ksourcetypical, 75-575 F |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 36µm growth15% less | 41.5µm growth |
| Specific heat | 837J/kg·Ksourcevalue used in BIA heat-capacity sample calculation | 880J/kg·Ksourcetypical at 75 F |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 0.585mm²/s37% faster | 0.426mm²/s |
| Thermal shock resistance | not sourced | 50.1W/m |
| Max service temperature | not sourced | 511°Csourcestrain point (ASTM C336) - stress-relaxation onset, not a rated service limit |
| Values for | Solid extruded clay/shale brick units (BIA 1993 manufacturer survey, TN 3A 2024); face brick of 130 lb/ft3 for thermal properties (BIA TN 4, from ASHRAE 2013); CTE is the TMS Code value for clay/shale masonry | Annealed soda-lime-silica float glass, Pilkington North America Technical Bulletin ATS-129 (04/2025) |
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 Brick stronger than Glass?
Glass is stronger: its tensile strength is 41 MPa against 5.1 MPa for Brick (8.04x).
Which is lighter, Brick or Glass?
Brick is lighter: 2,082 kg/m³ against 2,500 kg/m³ for Glass.
Which is lighter for the same job, Brick or Glass?
For the same stiffness or strength: Glass is lighter for a strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate.
| Part that must be | Brick | Glass |
|---|---|---|
| Strong rod or tie | 6.7x heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | 3.34x heavier | lighter |
| Strong panel or plate | 2.36x heavier | lighter |
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, Brick or Glass?
Brick conducts heat better: 1.02 W/m·K against 0.937 W/m·K for Glass.
Which expands less with temperature?
Brick expands less: 7.2 µm/m·K against 8.3 µm/m·K for Glass.