Materials / Compare
Brick vs. Plastic Polycarbonate
Compare Brick vs. Plastic Polycarbonate 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) | 65MPasourcetypical, tensile yield |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 5.1MPasourcemodulus of rupture (no direct tensile value) | 65MPasourcetypical, stress at break |
| Compressive strength | 77.9MPasourcemean unit compressive strength, solid extruded brick (survey mean; SD 30.8 MPa) | not sourced |
| Flexural strength | not sourced | 97MPasourcetypical, flexural strength |
| Elongation at break | not sourced | 125%sourcetypical, strain at break |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | not sourced | 2.4GPasourcetypical |
| Density | 2,082kg/m³sourceface brick density row used for k (BIA notes most fired clay brick 120-130 lb/ft3) | 1,200kg/m³sourcetypical |
| Strength to weight | 2.45kN·m/kg | 54.2kN·m/kg22.1x higher |
| Stiffness to weight | not sourced | 2MN·m/kg |
| Poisson's ratio | not sourced | 0.38sourcetypical, polycarbonate family (Covestro Part and Mold Design guide, Table 3-1) |
| Shear modulus | not sourced | 0.87GPa |
| Bulk modulus | not sourced | 3.33GPa |
| Speed of sound | not sourced | 1,414m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.92–1.12W/m·Ksourcerange for 130 lb/ft3 face brick (ASHRAE 2013 via BIA) | 0.2W/m·Ksourcetypical, through-plane, 23 C |
| Thermal expansion | 7.2µm/m·KsourceTMS Code average coefficient, clay/shale unit masonry | 65µm/m·Ksourcetypical, 23-55 C, parallel and normal |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 36µm growth9.03x less | 325µm growth |
| Specific heat | 837J/kg·Ksourcevalue used in BIA heat-capacity sample calculation | 1,172J/kg·Ksourcetypical (guide value), Bayer ASTM datasheet for Makrolon 2405, ASTM D 2766 |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 0.585mm²/s4.12x faster | 0.142mm²/s |
| Thermal shock resistance | not sourced | 51.7W/m |
| Glass transition | not sourced | 144°Csourcetypical, DSC 10 C/min |
| Max service temperature | not sourced | 125°CsourceUL 746B RTI, tensile strength, 1.5 mm |
| 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 | Covestro Makrolon 2405 general-purpose PC (MVR 19), Covestro technical datasheet version 2026-09-28, typical values |
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 Polycarbonate?
Plastic Polycarbonate is stronger: its yield strength is 65 MPa against tensile strength 5.1 MPa for Brick (12.7x).
Which is lighter, Brick or Plastic Polycarbonate?
Plastic Polycarbonate is lighter: 1,200 kg/m³ against 2,082 kg/m³ for Brick.
Which is lighter for the same job, Brick or Plastic Polycarbonate?
For the same stiffness or strength: Plastic Polycarbonate is lighter for a strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate.
| Part that must be | Brick | Plastic Polycarbonate |
|---|---|---|
| Strong rod or tie | 22.1x heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | 9.47x heavier | lighter |
| Strong panel or plate | 6.19x 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 Polycarbonate?
Brick conducts heat better: 1.02 W/m·K against 0.2 W/m·K for Plastic Polycarbonate.
Which expands less with temperature?
Brick expands less: 7.2 µm/m·K against 65 µm/m·K for Plastic Polycarbonate.