Materials / Compare
Glass vs. DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel
Compare Glass vs. DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel 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) | 861MPasourcemean, as built, horizontal (N=72) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 41MPasourcetypical mean surface tensile stress at fracture (MOR), 60 s load, weathered, 50% breakage probability | 886MPasourcemean, as built, horizontal (N=72) |
| Flexural strength | 41MPasourcemean MOR (same value as tensile) | not sourced |
| Elongation at break | not sourced | 19.9%sourcemean at break, as built, horizontal |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 72GPasourcetypical | 197GPasourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition H 900 (Cleveland-Cliffs) |
| Density | 2,500kg/m³sourcetypical | 7,790kg/m³sourcemean part density (ISO 3369) |
| Strength to weight | 16.4kN·m/kg | 110kN·m/kg6.74x higher |
| Stiffness to weight | 28.8MN·m/kg14% higher | 25.3MN·m/kg |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.22sourcetypical | 0.272sourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, all conditions (Cleveland-Cliffs) |
| Shear modulus | 29.5GPa | 77.4GPa2.62x stiffer in shear |
| Bulk modulus | 42.9GPa | 144GPa |
| Speed of sound | 5,367m/s | 5,029m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.937W/m·Ksourcetypical at 75 F | 17.9W/m·Ksourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition H 900, at 149 °C (Cleveland-Cliffs) |
| Thermal expansion | 8.3µm/m·Ksourcetypical, 75-575 F | 10.4µm/m·Ksourcemean 25-100 °C, ASTM E228, AFTER atmospheric heat treatment (as-built value not published) |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 41.5µm growth25% less | 52µm growth |
| Specific heat | 880J/kg·Ksourcetypical at 75 F | 460J/kg·Ksourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition A, 0-100 °C (Cleveland-Cliffs) |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 0.426mm²/s | 5mm²/s11.7x faster |
| Thermal shock resistance | 50.1W/m | 5,474W/m109x more resistant |
| Max service temperature | 511°Csourcestrain point (ASTM C336) - stress-relaxation onset, not a rated service limit | not sourced |
| Values for | Annealed soda-lime-silica float glass, Pilkington North America Technical Bulletin ATS-129 (04/2025) | EOS StainlessSteel 17-4PH IndustryLine (powder 9011-0041), EOS M 290, 40 µm, default job 17-4PH_040_StainlessM291_100, as built, horizontal; ISO 6892 & ASTM E8M |
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 17-4PH Stainless Steel is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.
Questions
Is Glass stronger than DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is stronger: its yield strength is 861 MPa against tensile strength 41 MPa for Glass (21x).
Which is lighter, Glass or DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
Glass is lighter: 2,500 kg/m³ against 7,790 kg/m³ for DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel.
Which is stiffer, Glass or DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is stiffer: Young's modulus 197 GPa against 72 GPa for Glass, so the same part in DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, Glass or DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
For the same stiffness or strength: Glass is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), stiff panel or plate; DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is lighter for a strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate.
| Part that must be | Glass | DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | lighter | 14% heavier |
| Stiff beam (bending) | lighter | 1.88x heavier |
| Stiff panel or plate | lighter | 2.23x heavier |
| Strong rod or tie | 6.74x heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | 2.44x heavier | lighter |
| Strong panel or plate | 47% 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 DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel conducts heat better: 17.9 W/m·K against 0.937 W/m·K for Glass.
Which expands less with temperature?
Glass expands less: 8.3 µm/m·K against 10.4 µm/m·K for DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel.