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Drywall vs. Stainless 304

Compare Drywall vs. Stainless 304 strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.

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DrywallNatural
Stainless 304Wrought
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Mechanical
Yield strengthnot given (tensile used)241MPasourcetypical, annealed, 70 °F (21 °C)
Ultimate tensile strength1–2MPasourceambient range reported in review (Australian studies)586MPasourcetypical, annealed, 70 °F (21 °C)
Compressive strength2.4MPasourcetypical, 70 F / 50% RHnot sourced
Elongation at breaknot sourced55%sourcetypical, annealed, in 2 in. (50.8 mm)
Young's modulus (stiffness)1–2GPasourceambient range reported in review (Australian studies)193GPasourcetypical, in tension
Densitynot sourced8,030kg/m³sourcetypical
Strength to weightnot sourced30kN·m/kg
Stiffness to weightnot sourced24MN·m/kg
Poisson's rationot sourced0.3sourcedesign value (structural stainless steels)
Shear modulusnot sourced74.2GPa
Bulk modulusnot sourced161GPa
Speed of soundnot sourced4,903m/s
Thermal
Thermal conductivitynot sourced16.2W/m·Ksourceat 100 °C
Thermal expansion16.7µm/m·Ksourcetypical, unrestrained, 3.3-32 C16.9µm/m·Ksourcemean, 0–100 °C
100 mm part over a 50 °C swing83.5µm growth1% less84.5µm growth
Specific heat1,090J/kg·Ksourcetypical (from ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals, per GA)500J/kg·Ksourcemean, 0–100 °C
Heats up and cools (diffusivity)not sourced4.03mm²/s
Thermal shock resistancenot sourced838W/m
Melting pointnot sourced1,399–1,454°Csourcemelting range
Max service temperature52°Csourcemanufacturer sustained-exposure limit899°Csourcecontinuous, oxidation (scaling) limit in air
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. submittalType 304, annealed flat-rolled (Cleveland-Cliffs 304/304L Product Data Bulletin, May 2021); Poisson's ratio from the Nickel Institute/SCI structural stainless design manual

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 Stainless 304?

Stainless 304 is stronger: its yield strength is 241 MPa against tensile strength 1.5 MPa for Drywall (161x).

Which is stiffer, Drywall or Stainless 304?

Stainless 304 is stiffer: Young's modulus 193 GPa against 1.5 GPa for Drywall, so the same part in Stainless 304 deflects less under the same load.

Which expands less with temperature?

Drywall expands less: 16.7 µm/m·K against 16.9 µm/m·K for Stainless 304.

Among 59 materials

1k10k0.1110100Density (kg/m³)Young's modulus (GPa)Plastic PLAPlastic PETGPlastic ABSPlastic TPUPlastic NylonAluminumSteelIronTitaniumSteel AISI 1018Stainless 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 SteelStainless 304
Stiffness against density
1k10k101001kDensity (kg/m³)Yield strength (MPa)Plastic PLAPlastic PETGPlastic ABSPlastic TPUPlastic NylonRubberAluminumSteelIronTitaniumSteel AISI 1018Stainless 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 SteelBrickStainless 304
Strength against density

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