Materials / Compare
Plastic HDPE vs. Titanium Ti-6Al-4V
Compare Plastic HDPE vs. Titanium Ti-6Al-4V 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 | 885MPasourcetypical, plate (>0.187 in), annealed, 0.2% offset |
| Ultimate tensile strength | not sourced | 940MPasourcetypical, plate, annealed |
| Elongation at break | not sourced | 16%sourcetypical, in 2 in., plate annealed |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 0.9GPasourcetypical, tensile modulus 23 °C ISO 527 | 107–122GPasourcetypical range, 20 °C |
| Density | 950kg/m³sourcetypical, ISO 1183 | 4,430kg/m³sourcenominal |
| Strength to weight | 25.3kN·m/kg | 200kN·m/kg7.91x higher |
| Stiffness to weight | 0.947MN·m/kg | 25.8MN·m/kg27.3x higher |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.4–0.45sourcebase material: high-density polyethylene family (INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA, Typical Engineering Properties of HDPE) | 0.342sourcemean of TIMET measurements |
| Shear modulus | 0.316GPa | 42.7GPa135x stiffer in shear |
| Bulk modulus | 2GPa | 121GPa |
| Speed of sound | 973m/s | 5,084m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.4–0.49W/m·Ksourcebase material: high-density polyethylene family (INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA, Typical Engineering Properties of HDPE) | 6.6W/m·Ksourcetypical, 20 °C, mill annealed |
| Thermal expansion | 120µm/m·Ksourcebase material: high-density polyethylene family (INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA, Typical Engineering Properties of HDPE) | 9µm/m·Ksourcetypical, mean 0-100 °C |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 600µm growth | 45µm growth13.3x less |
| Specific heat | 2,250J/kg·Ksourcebase material: high-density polyethylene family (INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA, Typical Engineering Properties of HDPE) | 580J/kg·Ksourcetypical, 20 °C |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 0.208mm²/s | 2.57mm²/s12.3x faster |
| Thermal shock resistance | 56.9W/m | 3,730W/m65.6x more resistant |
| Melting point | not sourced | 1,630–1,650°Csourcemelting range |
| Max service temperature | not sourced | 400°Csourceupper recommended use temperature |
| Values for | LyondellBasell Hostalen 23050 B high density polyethylene, typical ISO values | TIMETAL 6-4 (Ti-6Al-4V Grade 5) annealed plate typical (TIMET properties manual) + TIMET datasheet TMC-0150 physical properties |
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 Plastic HDPE stronger than Titanium Ti-6Al-4V?
Titanium Ti-6Al-4V is stronger: its yield strength is 885 MPa against 24 MPa for Plastic HDPE (36.9x).
Which is lighter, Plastic HDPE or Titanium Ti-6Al-4V?
Plastic HDPE is lighter: 950 kg/m³ against 4,430 kg/m³ for Titanium Ti-6Al-4V.
Which is stiffer, Plastic HDPE or Titanium Ti-6Al-4V?
Titanium Ti-6Al-4V is stiffer: Young's modulus 115 GPa against 0.9 GPa for Plastic HDPE, so the same part in Titanium Ti-6Al-4V deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, Plastic HDPE or Titanium Ti-6Al-4V?
For the same stiffness or strength: Titanium Ti-6Al-4V 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 | Titanium Ti-6Al-4V |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | 27.3x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff beam (bending) | 2.42x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff panel or plate | 8% heavier | lighter |
| Strong rod or tie | 7.91x heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | 2.38x heavier | lighter |
| Strong panel or plate | 30% 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, Plastic HDPE or Titanium Ti-6Al-4V?
Titanium Ti-6Al-4V conducts heat better: 6.6 W/m·K against 0.445 W/m·K for Plastic HDPE.
Which expands less with temperature?
Titanium Ti-6Al-4V expands less: 9 µm/m·K against 120 µm/m·K for Plastic HDPE.