Materials / Compare
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel vs. Plastic PBT GF30
Compare DMLS 316L Stainless Steel vs. Plastic PBT GF30 strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.
| Try it on a partA bracket to run stress or thermal on, free in your browser | Open in LessCAD | Open in LessCAD |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical | ||
| Yield strength | 530MPasourcetypical, as manufactured, horizontal | not given (tensile used) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 640MPasourcetypical, as manufactured, horizontal | 140MPasourcestress at break, 23 °C |
| Flexural strength | not sourced | 210MPasourcetypical, 23 °C |
| Elongation at break | 40%sourcetypical at break, as manufactured, horizontal | 3%sourcestrain at break, 23 °C |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 185GPasourcetypical, as built, horizontal (XY); EOSINT M280-400W / M290-400W, 316L_Surface 1.0, 20 µm (2014 sheet) | 9.8GPasourcetypical, 23 °C |
| Density | 7,900kg/m³sourcepart density (ISO 3369, not labelled min or typical), EOS M 290, 40 µm FlexLine | 1,530kg/m³sourcetypical |
| Strength to weight | 67.1kN·m/kg | 91.5kN·m/kg36% higher |
| Stiffness to weight | 23.4MN·m/kg3.66x higher | 6.41MN·m/kg |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.3sourcebase material: austenitic stainless steels incl. 1.4404 (316L), design value | not sourced |
| Shear modulus | 71.2GPa | not sourced |
| Bulk modulus | 154GPa | not sourced |
| Speed of sound | 4,839m/s | 2,531m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 16.2W/m·Ksourcebase material: wrought 316/316L (Cleveland-Cliffs), at 100 °C | 0.27W/m·Ksourcetypical (DIN 52612-1) |
| Thermal expansion | 15.7µm/m·Ksourcemean 25-100 °C, ASTM E228 | 25µm/m·Ksourcelongitudinal (flow), mean 23-55 °C |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 78.6µm growth1.59x less | 125µm growth |
| Specific heat | 500J/kg·Ksourcebase material: wrought 316/316L (Cleveland-Cliffs), 0-100 °C | 1,050J/kg·Ksourcetypical, 23 °C |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 4.1mm²/s24.4x faster | 0.168mm²/s |
| Thermal shock resistance | 2,067W/m | not sourced |
| Melting point | not sourced | 223°CsourceDSC (ISO 11357) |
| Max service temperature | not sourced | 205°CsourceHDT 1.8 MPa |
| Values for | EOS StainlessSteel 316L (powder 9011-0032), EOS M 290, ParameterSet 316L 20µm Surface M290/400W, as manufactured, horizontal; ISO 6892-1 | BASF Ultradur B 4300 G6 (PBT, 30% glass fibre), injection moulding grade; product information sheet 09/2026, typical values for uncoloured product at 23 °C. |
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.
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.
Questions
Is DMLS 316L Stainless Steel stronger than Plastic PBT GF30?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is stronger: its yield strength is 530 MPa against tensile strength 140 MPa for Plastic PBT GF30 (3.79x).
Which is lighter, DMLS 316L Stainless Steel or Plastic PBT GF30?
Plastic PBT GF30 is lighter: 1,530 kg/m³ against 7,900 kg/m³ for DMLS 316L Stainless Steel.
Which is stiffer, DMLS 316L Stainless Steel or Plastic PBT GF30?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is stiffer: Young's modulus 185 GPa against 9.8 GPa for Plastic PBT GF30, so the same part in DMLS 316L Stainless Steel deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, DMLS 316L Stainless Steel or Plastic PBT GF30?
For the same stiffness or strength: DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension); Plastic PBT GF30 is lighter for a stiff beam (bending), stiff panel or plate, strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate.
| Part that must be | DMLS 316L Stainless Steel | Plastic PBT GF30 |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | lighter | 3.66x heavier |
| Stiff beam (bending) | 19% heavier | lighter |
| Stiff panel or plate | 1.94x heavier | lighter |
| Strong rod or tie | 36% heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | 2.13x heavier | lighter |
| Strong panel or plate | 2.65x 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, DMLS 316L Stainless Steel or Plastic PBT GF30?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel conducts heat better: 16.2 W/m·K against 0.27 W/m·K for Plastic PBT GF30.
Which expands less with temperature?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel expands less: 15.7 µm/m·K against 25 µm/m·K for Plastic PBT GF30.