Materials / Compare
Brick vs. Plastic PMMA
Compare Brick vs. Plastic PMMA strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.
| Try it on a partA sample part 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) | 80MPasourcetypical, 23 °C |
| Compressive strength | 77.9MPasourcemean unit compressive strength, solid extruded brick (survey mean; SD 30.8 MPa) | 110MPasourcecompressive yield stress, typical |
| Flexural strength | not sourced | 115MPasourcetypical |
| Elongation at break | not sourced | 5.5%sourcetypical |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | not sourced | 3.3GPasourcetypical, short-term |
| Density | 2,082kg/m³sourceface brick density row used for k (BIA notes most fired clay brick 120-130 lb/ft3) | 1,190kg/m³sourcetypical |
| Strength to weight | 2.45kN·m/kg | 67.2kN·m/kg27.4x higher |
| Stiffness to weight | not sourced | 2.77MN·m/kg |
| Poisson's ratio | not sourced | 0.37sourcetypical |
| Shear modulus | not sourced | 1.2GPa |
| Bulk modulus | not sourced | 4.23GPa |
| Speed of sound | not sourced | 1,665m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.92–1.12W/m·Ksourcerange for 130 lb/ft3 face brick (ASHRAE 2013 via BIA) | 0.19W/m·Ksourcetypical |
| Thermal expansion | 7.2µm/m·KsourceTMS Code average coefficient, clay/shale unit masonry | 70µm/m·Ksource0-50 °C |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 36µm growth9.72x less | 350µm growth |
| Specific heat | 837J/kg·Ksourcevalue used in BIA heat-capacity sample calculation | 1,470J/kg·Ksourcetypical |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 0.585mm²/s5.39x faster | 0.109mm²/s |
| Thermal shock resistance | not sourced | 41.5W/m |
| Max service temperature | not sourced | 80°Csourcemax. permanent service temperature |
| 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 | Röhm PLEXIGLAS GS 0F00 cast acrylic sheet, typical values at 23 °C / 50 % RH (Röhm Technical Information Ref. No. 211-1) |
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 Plastic PMMA?
Plastic PMMA is stronger: its tensile strength is 80 MPa against 5.1 MPa for Brick (15.7x).
Which is lighter, Brick or Plastic PMMA?
Plastic PMMA is lighter: 1,190 kg/m³ against 2,082 kg/m³ for Brick.
Which is lighter for the same job, Brick or Plastic PMMA?
For the same stiffness or strength: Plastic PMMA is lighter for a strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate.
| Part that must be | Brick | Plastic PMMA |
|---|---|---|
| Strong rod or tie | 27.4x heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | 11x heavier | lighter |
| Strong panel or plate | 6.93x 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 Plastic PMMA?
Brick conducts heat better: 1.02 W/m·K against 0.19 W/m·K for Plastic PMMA.
Which expands less with temperature?
Brick expands less: 7.2 µm/m·K against 70 µm/m·K for Plastic PMMA.