Materials / Compare
Concrete vs. Plastic Polycarbonate
Compare Concrete 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 sourced | 65MPasourcetypical, tensile yield |
| Ultimate tensile strength | not sourced | 65MPasourcetypical, stress at break |
| Compressive strength | 27.6MPasourcespecified compressive strength class (f'c), not a measured typical | 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 | 2,240–2,400kg/m³sourcerange for normalweight concrete | 1,200kg/m³sourcetypical |
| Strength to weight | not sourced | 54.2kN·m/kg |
| Stiffness to weight | not sourced | 2MN·m/kg |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.15–0.2sourcegeneral range at normal ambient conditions (overall 0.11-0.32) | 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 | 0.9W/m·Ksourcetypical (comparative value) | 0.2W/m·Ksourcetypical, through-plane, 23 C |
| Thermal expansion | 8–12µm/m·Ksourcetypical range for portland cement concrete (aggregate dependent) | 65µm/m·Ksourcetypical, 23-55 C, parallel and normal |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 50µm growth6.5x less | 325µm growth |
| Specific heat | 900J/kg·Ksourcetypical (NIST guidance for thermal analysis) | 1,172J/kg·Ksourcetypical (guide value), Bayer ASTM datasheet for Makrolon 2405, ASTM D 2766 |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 0.431mm²/s3.03x 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 | 65°Csourcecode long-term temperature limit (ASME Code, concrete containments) | 125°CsourceUL 746B RTI, tensile strength, 1.5 mm |
| Values for | Normal-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 review | 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
Which is lighter, Concrete or Plastic Polycarbonate?
Plastic Polycarbonate is lighter: 1,200 kg/m³ against 2,320 kg/m³ for Concrete.
Which conducts heat better, Concrete or Plastic Polycarbonate?
Concrete conducts heat better: 0.9 W/m·K against 0.2 W/m·K for Plastic Polycarbonate.
Which expands less with temperature?
Concrete expands less: 10 µm/m·K against 65 µm/m·K for Plastic Polycarbonate.