Materials / Compare
Plastic HDPE vs. DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel
Compare Plastic HDPE vs. DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel 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 | 861MPasourcemean, as built, horizontal (N=72) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | not sourced | 886MPasourcemean, as built, horizontal (N=72) |
| Elongation at break | not sourced | 19.9%sourcemean at break, as built, horizontal |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 0.9GPasourcetypical, tensile modulus 23 °C ISO 527 | 197GPasourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition H 900 (Cleveland-Cliffs) |
| Density | 950kg/m³sourcetypical, ISO 1183 | 7,790kg/m³sourcemean part density (ISO 3369) |
| Strength to weight | 25.3kN·m/kg | 110kN·m/kg4.37x higher |
| Stiffness to weight | 0.947MN·m/kg | 25.3MN·m/kg26.7x higher |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.4–0.45sourcebase material: high-density polyethylene family (INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA, Typical Engineering Properties of HDPE) | 0.272sourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, all conditions (Cleveland-Cliffs) |
| Shear modulus | 0.316GPa | 77.4GPa245x stiffer in shear |
| Bulk modulus | 2GPa | 144GPa |
| Speed of sound | 973m/s | 5,029m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.4–0.49W/m·Ksourcebase material: high-density polyethylene family (INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA, Typical Engineering Properties of HDPE) | 17.9W/m·Ksourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition H 900, at 149 °C (Cleveland-Cliffs) |
| Thermal expansion | 120µm/m·Ksourcebase material: high-density polyethylene family (INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA, Typical Engineering Properties of HDPE) | 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 | 600µm growth | 52µm growth11.5x less |
| Specific heat | 2,250J/kg·Ksourcebase material: high-density polyethylene family (INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA, Typical Engineering Properties of HDPE) | 460J/kg·Ksourcebase material: wrought 17-4 PH, Condition A, 0-100 °C (Cleveland-Cliffs) |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 0.208mm²/s | 5mm²/s24x faster |
| Thermal shock resistance | 56.9W/m | 5,474W/m96.3x more resistant |
| Values for | LyondellBasell Hostalen 23050 B high density polyethylene, typical ISO values | 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 Plastic HDPE stronger than DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is stronger: its yield strength is 861 MPa against 24 MPa for Plastic HDPE (35.9x).
Which is lighter, Plastic HDPE or DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
Plastic HDPE is lighter: 950 kg/m³ against 7,790 kg/m³ for DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel.
Which is stiffer, Plastic HDPE or DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is stiffer: Young's modulus 197 GPa against 0.9 GPa for Plastic HDPE, so the same part in DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, Plastic HDPE or DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
For the same stiffness or strength: Plastic HDPE is lighter for a stiff panel or plate, strong panel or plate; DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), strong rod or tie, strong beam.
| Part that must be | Plastic HDPE | DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | 26.7x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff beam (bending) | 1.8x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff panel or plate | lighter | 36% heavier |
| Strong rod or tie | 4.37x heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | 33% heavier | lighter |
| Strong panel or plate | lighter | 37% heavier |
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, Plastic HDPE or DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel?
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel conducts heat better: 17.9 W/m·K against 0.445 W/m·K for Plastic HDPE.
Which expands less with temperature?
DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel expands less: 10.4 µm/m·K against 120 µm/m·K for Plastic HDPE.
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