Materials / Compare
Brick vs. Plastic TPU
Compare Brick vs. Plastic TPU 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) | 23.7MPasourcetypical, 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 | 4.1MPasourcetypical |
| Elongation at break | not sourced | not sourced |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | not sourced | 0.067GPasourcetypical |
| Density | 2,082kg/m³sourceface brick density row used for k (BIA notes most fired clay brick 120-130 lb/ft3) | 1,220kg/m³sourcetypical |
| Strength to weight | 2.45kN·m/kg | 19.4kN·m/kg7.93x higher |
| Stiffness to weight | not sourced | 0.0549MN·m/kg |
| Poisson's ratio | not sourced | not sourced |
| Shear modulus | not sourced | not sourced |
| Bulk modulus | not sourced | not sourced |
| Speed of sound | not sourced | 234m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.92–1.12W/m·Ksourcerange for 130 lb/ft3 face brick (ASHRAE 2013 via BIA) | not sourced |
| Thermal expansion | 7.2µm/m·KsourceTMS Code average coefficient, clay/shale unit masonry | not sourced |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 36µm growth | not sourced |
| Specific heat | 837J/kg·Ksourcevalue used in BIA heat-capacity sample calculation | not sourced |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 0.585mm²/s | not sourced |
| Thermal shock resistance | not sourced | not sourced |
| Melting point | not sourced | 217°Csourcetypical |
| Max service temperature | not sourced | 50.3°CsourceHDT 0.455 MPa (printed specimens) |
| 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 | Ultimaker TPU 95A, 3D-printed specimens, XY (flat); Ultimaker S5 Pro, engineering intent profile, 0.15 mm layer height, AA 0.4 print core, 100% infill, Cura 4.9, printed one-at-a-time, conditioned >=24 h at room temperature. TDS (file v5.00), April 29, 2022. |
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.
Plastic TPU is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.
Questions
Is Brick stronger than Plastic TPU?
Plastic TPU is stronger: its tensile strength is 23.7 MPa against 5.1 MPa for Brick (4.65x).
Which is lighter, Brick or Plastic TPU?
Plastic TPU is lighter: 1,220 kg/m³ against 2,082 kg/m³ for Brick.
Which is lighter for the same job, Brick or Plastic TPU?
For the same stiffness or strength: Plastic TPU is lighter for a strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate.
| Part that must be | Brick | Plastic TPU |
|---|---|---|
| Strong rod or tie | 7.93x heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | 4.75x heavier | lighter |
| Strong panel or plate | 3.68x 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).