Materials / Compare

Concrete vs. Plywood

Compare Concrete vs. Plywood strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.

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ConcreteCast
PlywoodNatural
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Mechanical
Yield strengthnot sourcednot given (tensile used)
Ultimate tensile strengthnot sourced41.4MPasourcemodulus of rupture (no direct tensile value)
Compressive strength27.6MPasourcespecified compressive strength class (f'c), not a measured typicalnot sourced
Flexural strengthnot sourced41.4MPasourcestatic bending MOR (Douglas-fir); range 33.72-42.61 across species
Elongation at breaknot sourcednot sourced
Young's modulus (stiffness)not sourced7.45GPasourcestatic bending MOE of the panel (Douglas-fir); range 6.96-8.55 across species
Density2,240–2,400kg/m³sourcerange for normalweight concretenot sourced
Strength to weightnot sourcednot sourced
Stiffness to weightnot sourcednot sourced
Poisson's ratio0.15–0.2sourcegeneral range at normal ambient conditions (overall 0.11-0.32)not sourced
Shear modulusnot sourcednot sourced
Bulk modulusnot sourcednot sourced
Speed of soundnot sourcednot sourced
Thermal
Thermal conductivity0.9W/m·Ksourcetypical (comparative value)0.12W/m·KsourceAPA-recommended design value (Douglas-fir plywood), as reported by FPL/ORNL
Thermal expansion8–12µm/m·Ksourcetypical range for portland cement concrete (aggregate dependent)3.1–4.5µm/m·Ksourcebase material: solid wood parallel to grain, ovendry, range across species
100 mm part over a 50 °C swing50µm growth19µm growth2.63x less
Specific heat900J/kg·Ksourcetypical (NIST guidance for thermal analysis)1,700J/kg·Ksourcebase material: solid wood (all species), 12% MC, 27 C
Heats up and cools (diffusivity)0.431mm²/snot sourced
Thermal shock resistancenot sourcednot sourced
Max service temperature65°Csourcecode long-term temperature limit (ASME Code, concrete containments)not sourced
Values forNormal-weight portland cement concrete, strength class f'c = 4000 psi (28 MPa) per NRMCA CIP 35; density NRMCA CIP 36; thermal conductivity USDA FPL Wood Handbook; service temperature ORNL/NRC reviewDouglas-fir plywood sheathing (construction plywood per PS 1), static bending properties from USDA FPL Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 Ch. 12 Table 12-2 (Biblis 2000)

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

Which conducts heat better, Concrete or Plywood?

Concrete conducts heat better: 0.9 W/m·K against 0.12 W/m·K for Plywood.

Which expands less with temperature?

Plywood expands less: 3.8 µm/m·K against 10 µm/m·K for Concrete.

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 2000SLS PA12 NylonDMLS AlSi10Mg AluminumDMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI TitaniumDMLS 316L Stainless SteelDMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel
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 50ASLS PA12 NylonDMLS AlSi10Mg AluminumDMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI TitaniumDMLS 316L Stainless SteelDMLS 17-4PH Stainless SteelBrick
Strength against density

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