Materials / Compare
Plastic HDPE vs. SLS PA12 Nylon
Compare Plastic HDPE vs. SLS PA12 Nylon strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.
| Try it on a partA bracket to run stress or thermal on, free in your browser | Open in LessCAD | Open in LessCAD |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical | ||
| Yield strength | 24MPasourcetypical, tensile stress at yield 23 °C, 50 mm/min ISO 527 | not given (tensile used) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | not sourced | 48MPasourcetypical |
| Elongation at break | not sourced | 18%sourcetypical |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 0.9GPasourcetypical, tensile modulus 23 °C ISO 527 | 1.65GPasourcetypical |
| Density | 950kg/m³sourcetypical, ISO 1183 | 930kg/m³sourcetypical |
| Strength to weight | 25.3kN·m/kg | 51.6kN·m/kg2.04x higher |
| Stiffness to weight | 0.947MN·m/kg | 1.77MN·m/kg1.87x higher |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.4–0.45sourcebase material: high-density polyethylene family (INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA, Typical Engineering Properties of HDPE) | not sourced |
| Shear modulus | 0.316GPa | not sourced |
| Bulk modulus | 2GPa | not sourced |
| Speed of sound | 973m/s | 1,332m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.4–0.49W/m·Ksourcebase material: high-density polyethylene family (INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA, Typical Engineering Properties of HDPE) | not sourced |
| Thermal expansion | 120µm/m·Ksourcebase material: high-density polyethylene family (INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA, Typical Engineering Properties of HDPE) | not sourced |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 600µm growth | not sourced |
| Specific heat | 2,250J/kg·Ksourcebase material: high-density polyethylene family (INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA, Typical Engineering Properties of HDPE) | not sourced |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 0.208mm²/s | not sourced |
| Thermal shock resistance | 56.9W/m | not sourced |
| Melting point | not sourced | 176°Csourcetypical |
| Max service temperature | not sourced | 64°CsourceHDT 1.8 MPa, X orientation |
| Values for | LyondellBasell Hostalen 23050 B high density polyethylene, typical ISO values | EOS PA 2200 (PA12) Material Data Sheet, process parameter 'Balance' at 120 µm layer thickness, X orientation, dry (conditioned values not given). Live MDS status 04.10.2026, last changed 10.09.2026; PDF via ?topdf=... link on the same page. |
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.
SLS PA12 Nylon is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.
Questions
Is Plastic HDPE stronger than SLS PA12 Nylon?
SLS PA12 Nylon is stronger: its tensile strength is 48 MPa against yield strength 24 MPa for Plastic HDPE (2x).
Which is lighter, Plastic HDPE or SLS PA12 Nylon?
SLS PA12 Nylon is lighter: 930 kg/m³ against 950 kg/m³ for Plastic HDPE.
Which is stiffer, Plastic HDPE or SLS PA12 Nylon?
SLS PA12 Nylon is stiffer: Young's modulus 1.65 GPa against 0.9 GPa for Plastic HDPE, so the same part in SLS PA12 Nylon deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, Plastic HDPE or SLS PA12 Nylon?
For the same stiffness or strength: SLS PA12 Nylon is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), stiff panel or plate, strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate.
| Part that must be | Plastic HDPE | SLS PA12 Nylon |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | 1.87x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff beam (bending) | 38% heavier | lighter |
| Stiff panel or plate | 25% heavier | lighter |
| Strong rod or tie | 2.04x heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | 1.62x heavier | lighter |
| Strong panel or plate | 44% 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).