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Drywall vs. Glass

Compare Drywall vs. Glass strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.

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DrywallNatural
GlassNatural
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Mechanical
Yield strengthnot given (tensile used)not given (tensile used)
Ultimate tensile strength1–2MPasourceambient range reported in review (Australian studies)41MPasourcetypical mean surface tensile stress at fracture (MOR), 60 s load, weathered, 50% breakage probability
Compressive strength2.4MPasourcetypical, 70 F / 50% RHnot sourced
Flexural strengthnot sourced41MPasourcemean MOR (same value as tensile)
Elongation at breaknot sourcednot sourced
Young's modulus (stiffness)1–2GPasourceambient range reported in review (Australian studies)72GPasourcetypical
Densitynot sourced2,500kg/m³sourcetypical
Strength to weightnot sourced16.4kN·m/kg
Stiffness to weightnot sourced28.8MN·m/kg
Poisson's rationot sourced0.22sourcetypical
Shear modulusnot sourced29.5GPa
Bulk modulusnot sourced42.9GPa
Speed of soundnot sourced5,367m/s
Thermal
Thermal conductivitynot sourced0.937W/m·Ksourcetypical at 75 F
Thermal expansion16.7µm/m·Ksourcetypical, unrestrained, 3.3-32 C8.3µm/m·Ksourcetypical, 75-575 F
100 mm part over a 50 °C swing83.5µm growth41.5µm growth2.01x less
Specific heat1,090J/kg·Ksourcetypical (from ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals, per GA)880J/kg·Ksourcetypical at 75 F
Heats up and cools (diffusivity)not sourced0.426mm²/s
Thermal shock resistancenot sourced50.1W/m
Max service temperature52°Csourcemanufacturer sustained-exposure limit511°Csourcestrain point (ASTM C336) - stress-relaxation onset, not a rated service limit
Values for1/2 in. (12.7 mm) regular gypsum board (ASTM C1396), Gypsum Association GA-235-2019 typical/minimum properties; tensile and E from USDA FPL-co-authored review; service limit from USG Sheetrock 1/2 in. submittalAnnealed soda-lime-silica float glass, Pilkington North America Technical Bulletin ATS-129 (04/2025)

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 Drywall stronger than Glass?

Glass is stronger: its tensile strength is 41 MPa against 1.5 MPa for Drywall (27.3x).

Which is stiffer, Drywall or Glass?

Glass is stiffer: Young's modulus 72 GPa against 1.5 GPa for Drywall, so the same part in Glass deflects less under the same load.

Which expands less with temperature?

Glass expands less: 8.3 µm/m·K against 16.7 µm/m·K for Drywall.

Among 59 materials

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Stiffness against density
1k10k101001kDensity (kg/m³)Yield strength (MPa)Plastic PLAPlastic PETGPlastic ABSPlastic TPUPlastic NylonRubberAluminumSteelIronTitaniumSteel AISI 1018Stainless 304Stainless 316Aluminum 6061-T6Aluminum 7075-T6Brass C360Copper C110Steel 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 SteelBrickGlass
Strength against density

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