Materials / Compare
Glass vs. DMLS 316L Stainless Steel
Compare Glass vs. DMLS 316L 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) | 530MPasourcetypical, as manufactured, horizontal |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 41MPasourcetypical mean surface tensile stress at fracture (MOR), 60 s load, weathered, 50% breakage probability | 640MPasourcetypical, as manufactured, horizontal |
| Flexural strength | 41MPasourcemean MOR (same value as tensile) | not sourced |
| Elongation at break | not sourced | 40%sourcetypical at break, as manufactured, horizontal |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 72GPasourcetypical | 185GPasourcetypical, as built, horizontal (XY); EOSINT M280-400W / M290-400W, 316L_Surface 1.0, 20 µm (2014 sheet) |
| Density | 2,500kg/m³sourcetypical | 7,900kg/m³sourcepart density (ISO 3369, not labelled min or typical), EOS M 290, 40 µm FlexLine |
| Strength to weight | 16.4kN·m/kg | 67.1kN·m/kg4.09x higher |
| Stiffness to weight | 28.8MN·m/kg23% higher | 23.4MN·m/kg |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.22sourcetypical | 0.3sourcebase material: austenitic stainless steels incl. 1.4404 (316L), design value |
| Shear modulus | 29.5GPa | 71.2GPa2.41x stiffer in shear |
| Bulk modulus | 42.9GPa | 154GPa |
| Speed of sound | 5,367m/s | 4,839m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.937W/m·Ksourcetypical at 75 F | 16.2W/m·Ksourcebase material: wrought 316/316L (Cleveland-Cliffs), at 100 °C |
| Thermal expansion | 8.3µm/m·Ksourcetypical, 75-575 F | 15.7µm/m·Ksourcemean 25-100 °C, ASTM E228 |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 41.5µm growth1.89x less | 78.6µm growth |
| Specific heat | 880J/kg·Ksourcetypical at 75 F | 500J/kg·Ksourcebase material: wrought 316/316L (Cleveland-Cliffs), 0-100 °C |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 0.426mm²/s | 4.1mm²/s9.63x faster |
| Thermal shock resistance | 50.1W/m | 2,067W/m41.2x 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 316L (powder 9011-0032), EOS M 290, ParameterSet 316L 20µm Surface M290/400W, as manufactured, horizontal; ISO 6892-1 |
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 Glass stronger than DMLS 316L Stainless Steel?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is stronger: its yield strength is 530 MPa against tensile strength 41 MPa for Glass (12.9x).
Which is lighter, Glass or DMLS 316L Stainless Steel?
Glass is lighter: 2,500 kg/m³ against 7,900 kg/m³ for DMLS 316L Stainless Steel.
Which is stiffer, Glass or DMLS 316L Stainless Steel?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is stiffer: Young's modulus 185 GPa against 72 GPa for Glass, so the same part in DMLS 316L Stainless Steel deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, Glass or DMLS 316L 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 316L Stainless Steel is lighter for a strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate.
| Part that must be | Glass | DMLS 316L Stainless Steel |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | lighter | 23% heavier |
| Stiff beam (bending) | lighter | 1.97x heavier |
| Stiff panel or plate | lighter | 2.31x heavier |
| Strong rod or tie | 4.09x heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | 1.74x heavier | lighter |
| Strong panel or plate | 14% 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 316L Stainless Steel?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel conducts heat better: 16.2 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 15.7 µm/m·K for DMLS 316L Stainless Steel.