Materials / Compare
Glass vs. Plastic Nylon PA6
Compare Glass vs. Plastic Nylon PA6 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 given (tensile used) | 90MPasourcetypical, dry |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 41MPasourcetypical mean surface tensile stress at fracture (MOR), 60 s load, weathered, 50% breakage probability | not sourced |
| Flexural strength | 41MPasourcemean MOR (same value as tensile) | not sourced |
| Elongation at break | not sourced | 10%sourcenominal strain at break, dry |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 72GPasourcetypical | 3.5GPasourcetypical, dry |
| Density | 2,500kg/m³sourcetypical | 1,130kg/m³sourcetypical2.21x lighter |
| Strength to weight | 16.4kN·m/kg | 79.6kN·m/kg4.86x higher |
| Stiffness to weight | 28.8MN·m/kg9.3x higher | 3.1MN·m/kg |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.22sourcetypical | 0.4sourcebase material: unfilled polyamide (PA), conditioned, maker design-guide family value (Covestro Table 3-1) |
| Shear modulus | 29.5GPa23.6x stiffer in shear | 1.25GPa |
| Bulk modulus | 42.9GPa | 5.83GPa |
| Speed of sound | 5,367m/s | 1,760m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.937W/m·Ksourcetypical at 75 F | 0.33W/m·Ksourcetypical |
| Thermal expansion | 8.3µm/m·Ksourcetypical, 75-575 F | 102µm/m·Ksourcelongitudinal, 23-55 °C |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 41.5µm growth12.3x less | 510µm growth |
| Specific heat | 880J/kg·Ksourcetypical at 75 F | 1,700J/kg·Ksourcetypical |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 0.426mm²/s2.48x faster | 0.172mm²/s |
| Thermal shock resistance | 50.1W/m | 49.9W/m |
| Melting point | not sourced | 220°CsourceDSC |
| Max service temperature | 511°Csourcestrain point (ASTM C336) - stress-relaxation onset, not a rated service limit | 87°CsourceIEC 60216 temperature index, 20000 h |
| Values for | Annealed soda-lime-silica float glass, Pilkington North America Technical Bulletin ATS-129 (04/2025) | BASF Ultramid B3S (PA6, unreinforced injection-moulding grade), Product Information 02/2026, dry values (ISO methods) |
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 Glass stronger than Plastic Nylon PA6?
Plastic Nylon PA6 is stronger: its yield strength is 90 MPa against tensile strength 41 MPa for Glass (2.2x).
Which is lighter, Glass or Plastic Nylon PA6?
Plastic Nylon PA6 is lighter: 1,130 kg/m³ against 2,500 kg/m³ for Glass.
Which is stiffer, Glass or Plastic Nylon PA6?
Glass is stiffer: Young's modulus 72 GPa against 3.5 GPa for Plastic Nylon PA6, so the same part in Glass deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, Glass or Plastic Nylon PA6?
For the same stiffness or strength: Glass is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), stiff panel or plate; Plastic Nylon PA6 is lighter for a strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate.
| Part that must be | Glass | Plastic Nylon PA6 |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | lighter | 9.3x heavier |
| Stiff beam (bending) | lighter | 2.05x heavier |
| Stiff panel or plate | lighter | 24% heavier |
| Strong rod or tie | 4.86x heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | 3.74x heavier | lighter |
| Strong panel or plate | 3.28x 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, Glass or Plastic Nylon PA6?
Glass conducts heat better: 0.937 W/m·K against 0.33 W/m·K for Plastic Nylon PA6.
Which expands less with temperature?
Glass expands less: 8.3 µm/m·K against 102 µm/m·K for Plastic Nylon PA6.