Materials / Compare
Plastic Nylon PA6 vs. Titanium
Compare Plastic Nylon PA6 vs. Titanium 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 | 90MPasourcetypical, dry | 885MPasourcetypical, plate (>0.187 in), annealed, 0.2% offset |
| Ultimate tensile strength | not sourced | 940MPasourcetypical, plate, annealed |
| Elongation at break | 10%sourcenominal strain at break, dry | 16%sourcetypical, in 2 in., plate annealed |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 3.5GPasourcetypical, dry | 107–122GPasourcetypical range, 20 °C |
| Density | 1,130kg/m³sourcetypical | 4,430kg/m³sourcenominal |
| Strength to weight | 79.6kN·m/kg | 200kN·m/kg2.51x higher |
| Stiffness to weight | 3.1MN·m/kg | 25.8MN·m/kg8.34x higher |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.4sourcebase material: unfilled polyamide (PA), conditioned, maker design-guide family value (Covestro Table 3-1) | 0.342sourcemean of TIMET measurements |
| Shear modulus | 1.25GPa | 42.7GPa34.1x stiffer in shear |
| Bulk modulus | 5.83GPa | 121GPa |
| Speed of sound | 1,760m/s | 5,084m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.33W/m·Ksourcetypical | 6.6W/m·Ksourcetypical, 20 °C, mill annealed |
| Thermal expansion | 102µm/m·Ksourcelongitudinal, 23-55 °C | 9µm/m·Ksourcetypical, mean 0-100 °C |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 510µm growth | 45µm growth11.3x less |
| Specific heat | 1,700J/kg·Ksourcetypical | 580J/kg·Ksourcetypical, 20 °C |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 0.172mm²/s | 2.57mm²/s15x faster |
| Thermal shock resistance | 49.9W/m | 3,730W/m74.7x more resistant |
| Melting point | 220°CsourceDSC | 1,630–1,650°Csourcemelting range |
| Max service temperature | 87°CsourceIEC 60216 temperature index, 20000 h | 400°Csourceupper recommended use temperature |
| Values for | BASF Ultramid B3S (PA6, unreinforced injection-moulding grade), Product Information 02/2026, dry values (ISO methods) | 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 Nylon PA6 stronger than Titanium?
Titanium is stronger: its yield strength is 885 MPa against 90 MPa for Plastic Nylon PA6 (9.83x).
Which is lighter, Plastic Nylon PA6 or Titanium?
Plastic Nylon PA6 is lighter: 1,130 kg/m³ against 4,430 kg/m³ for Titanium.
Which is stiffer, Plastic Nylon PA6 or Titanium?
Titanium is stiffer: Young's modulus 115 GPa against 3.5 GPa for Plastic Nylon PA6, so the same part in Titanium deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, Plastic Nylon PA6 or Titanium?
For the same stiffness or strength: Plastic Nylon PA6 is lighter for a stiff panel or plate, strong panel or plate; Titanium is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), strong rod or tie, strong beam.
| Part that must be | Plastic Nylon PA6 | Titanium |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | 8.34x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff beam (bending) | 46% heavier | lighter |
| Stiff panel or plate | lighter | 23% heavier |
| Strong rod or tie | 2.51x heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | 17% heavier | lighter |
| Strong panel or plate | lighter | 25% 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 Nylon PA6 or Titanium?
Titanium conducts heat better: 6.6 W/m·K against 0.33 W/m·K for Plastic Nylon PA6.
Which expands less with temperature?
Titanium expands less: 9 µm/m·K against 102 µm/m·K for Plastic Nylon PA6.