Materials / Compare

Plastic Nylon PA66 vs. Wood

Compare Plastic Nylon PA66 vs. Wood strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.

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Plastic Nylon PA66Bulk polymer (molded or machined)
WoodNatural
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Mechanical
Yield strength85MPasourcetypical, drynot given (tensile used)
Ultimate tensile strengthnot sourced99MPasourcemodulus of rupture (no direct tensile value)
Compressive strengthnot sourced46.6MPasourcecompression parallel to grain (maximum crushing strength), 12% MC
Flexural strengthnot sourced99MPasourcemodulus of rupture (static bending), 12% MC
Elongation at break30%sourcenominal strain at break, drynot sourced
Young's modulus (stiffness)3GPasourcetypical, dry12.5GPasourcebending MOE, parallel to grain
Density1,130kg/m³sourcetypicalnot sourced
Strength to weight75.2kN·m/kgnot sourced
Stiffness to weight2.65MN·m/kgnot sourced
Poisson's ratio0.4sourcebase material: unfilled polyamide (PA), conditioned, maker design-guide family value (Covestro Table 3-1)0.35sourcemu_LR (red oak group, ~12% MC)
Shear modulus1.07GPa4.63GPa4.32x stiffer in shear
Bulk modulus5GPa13.9GPa
Speed of sound1,629m/snot sourced
Thermal
Thermal conductivity0.33W/m·Ksourcetypical0.18W/m·Ksourceacross grain, 12% MC (Table 4-7, approximate)
Thermal expansion98µm/m·Ksourcelongitudinal, 23-55 °C3.1–4.5µm/m·Ksourceparallel to grain, ovendry wood, range across species
100 mm part over a 50 °C swing490µm growth19µm growth25.8x less
Specific heat1,700J/kg·Ksourcetypical1,700J/kg·Ksourcesolid wood (all species), 12% MC, 27 C
Heats up and cools (diffusivity)0.172mm²/snot sourced
Thermal shock resistance57.2W/m244W/m4.26x more resistant
Melting point260°CsourceDSCnot sourced
Max service temperature101°CsourceIEC 60216 temperature index, 20000 hnot sourced
Values forBASF Ultramid A3K (PA66, unreinforced injection-moulding grade), Product Information 02/2026, dry values (ISO methods)Northern red oak (Quercus rubra), clear straight-grained specimens at 12% MC, parallel to grain unless stated; USDA FPL Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 (2021) Ch. 4 and Ch. 5

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 PA66 stronger than Wood?

Wood is stronger: its tensile strength is 99 MPa against yield strength 85 MPa for Plastic Nylon PA66 (16%).

Which is stiffer, Plastic Nylon PA66 or Wood?

Wood is stiffer: Young's modulus 12.5 GPa against 3 GPa for Plastic Nylon PA66, so the same part in Wood deflects less under the same load.

Which conducts heat better, Plastic Nylon PA66 or Wood?

Plastic Nylon PA66 conducts heat better: 0.33 W/m·K against 0.18 W/m·K for Wood.

Which expands less with temperature?

Wood expands less: 3.8 µm/m·K against 98 µm/m·K for Plastic Nylon PA66.

Among 59 materials

1k10k0.1110100Density (kg/m³)Young's modulus (GPa)Plastic PLAPlastic PETGPlastic ABSPlastic TPUPlastic NylonAluminumSteelIronTitaniumSteel AISI 1018Stainless 304Stainless 316Aluminum 6061-T6Aluminum 7075-T6Brass C360Copper C110GlassSteel AISI 1045Steel AISI 4340Steel A992Stainless 303Stainless 17-4PHAluminum 2024-T351Aluminum 5052-H32Aluminum 7050-T7451Titanium Ti-6Al-4VBrass C260Nickel Inconel 718Magnesium AZ31B-H24Zinc Zamak 3Plastic ABS (bulk/injection)Plastic PolycarbonatePlastic POM/AcetalPlastic Nylon PA6Plastic PEEKPlastic UHMWPEPlastic HDPEPlastic PolypropylenePlastic PMMAFDM ASAFDM PolycarbonateFDM PAHT-CFFDM HIPSSLA Resin Tough 2000SLS PA12 NylonDMLS AlSi10Mg AluminumDMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI TitaniumDMLS 316L Stainless SteelDMLS 17-4PH Stainless SteelPlastic Nylon PA66
Stiffness against density
1k10k101001kDensity (kg/m³)Yield strength (MPa)Plastic PLAPlastic PETGPlastic ABSPlastic TPUPlastic NylonRubberAluminumSteelIronTitaniumSteel AISI 1018Stainless 304Stainless 316Aluminum 6061-T6Aluminum 7075-T6Brass C360Copper C110GlassSteel AISI 1045Steel AISI 4340Steel A992Stainless 303Stainless 17-4PHAluminum 2024-T351Aluminum 5052-H32Aluminum 7050-T7451Titanium Ti-6Al-4VBrass C260Nickel Inconel 718Magnesium AZ31B-H24Zinc Zamak 3Plastic ABS (bulk/injection)Plastic PolycarbonatePlastic POM/AcetalPlastic Nylon PA6Plastic PEEKPlastic PTFEPlastic UHMWPEPlastic HDPEPlastic PolypropylenePlastic PMMAFDM ASAFDM PolycarbonateFDM PAHT-CFFDM HIPSSLA Resin Tough 2000SLA Resin Elastic 50ASLS PA12 NylonDMLS AlSi10Mg AluminumDMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI TitaniumDMLS 316L Stainless SteelDMLS 17-4PH Stainless SteelBrickPlastic Nylon PA66
Strength against density

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