Materials / Compare

Brick vs. SLS PA12 Nylon

Compare Brick vs. SLS PA12 Nylon strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.

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BrickNatural
SLS PA12 Nylon3D printed (SLS)
Try it on a partA sample part to run stress or thermal on, free in your browserOpen in LessCADOpen in LessCAD
Mechanical
Yield strengthnot given (tensile used)not given (tensile used)
Ultimate tensile strength5.1MPasourcemodulus of rupture (no direct tensile value)48MPasourcetypical
Compressive strength77.9MPasourcemean unit compressive strength, solid extruded brick (survey mean; SD 30.8 MPa)not sourced
Elongation at breaknot sourced18%sourcetypical
Young's modulus (stiffness)not sourced1.65GPasourcetypical
Density2,082kg/m³sourceface brick density row used for k (BIA notes most fired clay brick 120-130 lb/ft3)930kg/m³sourcetypical
Strength to weight2.45kN·m/kg51.6kN·m/kg21.1x higher
Stiffness to weightnot sourced1.77MN·m/kg
Poisson's rationot sourcednot sourced
Shear modulusnot sourcednot sourced
Bulk modulusnot sourcednot sourced
Speed of soundnot sourced1,332m/s
Thermal
Thermal conductivity0.92–1.12W/m·Ksourcerange for 130 lb/ft3 face brick (ASHRAE 2013 via BIA)not sourced
Thermal expansion7.2µm/m·KsourceTMS Code average coefficient, clay/shale unit masonrynot sourced
100 mm part over a 50 °C swing36µm growthnot sourced
Specific heat837J/kg·Ksourcevalue used in BIA heat-capacity sample calculationnot sourced
Heats up and cools (diffusivity)0.585mm²/snot sourced
Thermal shock resistancenot sourcednot sourced
Melting pointnot sourced176°Csourcetypical
Max service temperaturenot sourced64°CsourceHDT 1.8 MPa, X orientation
Values forSolid 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 masonryEOS PA 2200 (PA12) Material Data Sheet, process parameter 'Balance' at 120 µm layer thickness, X orientation, dry (conditioned values not given). Live MDS status 04.10.2026, last changed 10.09.2026; PDF via ?topdf=... link on the same page.

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.

SLS PA12 Nylon is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.

Questions

Is Brick stronger than SLS PA12 Nylon?

SLS PA12 Nylon is stronger: its tensile strength is 48 MPa against 5.1 MPa for Brick (9.41x).

Which is lighter, Brick or SLS PA12 Nylon?

SLS PA12 Nylon is lighter: 930 kg/m³ against 2,082 kg/m³ for Brick.

Which is lighter for the same job, Brick or SLS PA12 Nylon?

For the same stiffness or strength: SLS PA12 Nylon is lighter for a strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate.

Part that must beBrickSLS PA12 Nylon
Strong rod or tie21.1x heavierlighter
Strong beam9.98x heavierlighter
Strong panel or plate6.87x heavierlighter

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).

Among 59 materials

1k10k0.1110100Density (kg/m³)Young's modulus (GPa)Plastic PLAPlastic PETGPlastic ABSPlastic TPUPlastic NylonAluminumSteelIronTitaniumSteel AISI 1018Stainless 304Stainless 316Aluminum 6061-T6Aluminum 7075-T6Brass C360Copper C110GlassSteel AISI 1045Steel AISI 4340Steel A992Stainless 303Stainless 17-4PHAluminum 2024-T351Aluminum 5052-H32Aluminum 7050-T7451Titanium Ti-6Al-4VBrass C260Nickel Inconel 718Magnesium AZ31B-H24Zinc Zamak 3Plastic ABS (bulk/injection)Plastic PolycarbonatePlastic POM/AcetalPlastic Nylon PA6Plastic Nylon PA66Plastic PEEKPlastic UHMWPEPlastic HDPEPlastic PolypropylenePlastic PMMAFDM ASAFDM PolycarbonateFDM PAHT-CFFDM HIPSSLA Resin Tough 2000DMLS AlSi10Mg AluminumDMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI TitaniumDMLS 316L Stainless SteelDMLS 17-4PH Stainless SteelSLS PA12 Nylon
Stiffness against density
1k10k101001kDensity (kg/m³)Yield strength (MPa)Plastic PLAPlastic PETGPlastic ABSPlastic TPUPlastic NylonRubberAluminumSteelIronTitaniumSteel AISI 1018Stainless 304Stainless 316Aluminum 6061-T6Aluminum 7075-T6Brass C360Copper C110GlassSteel AISI 1045Steel AISI 4340Steel A992Stainless 303Stainless 17-4PHAluminum 2024-T351Aluminum 5052-H32Aluminum 7050-T7451Titanium Ti-6Al-4VBrass C260Nickel Inconel 718Magnesium AZ31B-H24Zinc Zamak 3Plastic ABS (bulk/injection)Plastic PolycarbonatePlastic POM/AcetalPlastic Nylon PA6Plastic Nylon PA66Plastic PEEKPlastic PTFEPlastic UHMWPEPlastic HDPEPlastic PolypropylenePlastic PMMAFDM ASAFDM PolycarbonateFDM PAHT-CFFDM HIPSSLA Resin Tough 2000SLA Resin Elastic 50ADMLS AlSi10Mg AluminumDMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI TitaniumDMLS 316L Stainless SteelDMLS 17-4PH Stainless SteelBrickSLS PA12 Nylon
Strength against density

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