Materials / Compare
Plastic Nylon vs. Wood
Compare Plastic Nylon vs. Wood 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 | 63.1MPasourcetypical | not given (tensile used) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 63.1MPasourcetypical, peak stress (= stress at yield) | 99MPasourcemodulus of rupture (no direct tensile value) |
| Compressive strength | not sourced | 46.6MPasourcecompression parallel to grain (maximum crushing strength), 12% MC |
| Flexural strength | 82.9MPasourcetypical | 99MPasourcemodulus of rupture (static bending), 12% MC |
| Elongation at break | not sourced | not sourced |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 2.33GPasourcetypical | 12.5GPasourcebending MOE, parallel to grain |
| Density | 1,140kg/m³sourcetypical | not sourced |
| Strength to weight | 55.4kN·m/kg | not sourced |
| Stiffness to weight | 2.04MN·m/kg | not sourced |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.4sourcebase material: unfilled polyamide (PA), conditioned, maker design-guide family value (Covestro Table 3-1) | 0.35sourcemu_LR (red oak group, ~12% MC) |
| Shear modulus | 0.833GPa | 4.63GPa5.56x stiffer in shear |
| Bulk modulus | 3.89GPa | 13.9GPa |
| Speed of sound | 1,430m/s | not sourced |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.33W/m·Ksourcebase material: unreinforced BASF Ultramid PA66 (A3K) and PA6 (B3S), 23 C (same value for both) | 0.18W/m·Ksourceacross grain, 12% MC (Table 4-7, approximate) |
| Thermal expansion | 98–102µm/m·Ksourcebase material: unreinforced BASF Ultramid PA66 (A3K, 98) and PA6 (B3S, 102), 23-55 C | 3.1–4.5µm/m·Ksourceparallel to grain, ovendry wood, range across species |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 500µm growth | 19µm growth26.3x less |
| Specific heat | 1,700J/kg·Ksourcebase material: unreinforced BASF Ultramid PA66 (A3K) and PA6 (B3S), 23 C (same value for both) | 1,700J/kg·Ksourcesolid wood (all species), 12% MC, 27 C |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 0.17mm²/s | not sourced |
| Thermal shock resistance | 53.6W/m | 244W/m4.55x more resistant |
| Melting point | 188°Csourcetypical | not sourced |
| Glass transition | 55.1°Csourcetypical | not sourced |
| Max service temperature | 89.2°CsourceHDT 0.455 MPa (printed specimens) | not sourced |
| Values for | Ultimaker Nylon, 3D-printed specimens, XY (flat), conditioned >=24 h at room temperature; Ultimaker S5 Pro, engineering intent profile, 0.15 mm layer height, AA 0.4 print core, 100% infill, Cura 4.9, printed one-at-a-time, conditioned >=24 h at room temperature. TDS v2.00, April 20, 2022. | 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.
Plastic Nylon is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.
Questions
Is Plastic Nylon stronger than Wood?
Wood is stronger: its tensile strength is 99 MPa against yield strength 63.1 MPa for Plastic Nylon (1.57x).
Which is stiffer, Plastic Nylon or Wood?
Wood is stiffer: Young's modulus 12.5 GPa against 2.33 GPa for Plastic Nylon, so the same part in Wood deflects less under the same load.
Which conducts heat better, Plastic Nylon or Wood?
Plastic Nylon 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 100 µm/m·K for Plastic Nylon.