Materials / Compare

SLS PA12 Nylon vs. Plywood

Compare SLS PA12 Nylon vs. Plywood strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.

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SLS PA12 Nylon3D printed (SLS)
PlywoodNatural
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Mechanical
Yield strengthnot given (tensile used)not given (tensile used)
Ultimate tensile strength48MPasourcetypical41.4MPasourcemodulus of rupture (no direct tensile value)
Flexural strengthnot sourced41.4MPasourcestatic bending MOR (Douglas-fir); range 33.72-42.61 across species
Elongation at break18%sourcetypicalnot sourced
Young's modulus (stiffness)1.65GPasourcetypical7.45GPasourcestatic bending MOE of the panel (Douglas-fir); range 6.96-8.55 across species
Density930kg/m³sourcetypicalnot sourced
Strength to weight51.6kN·m/kgnot sourced
Stiffness to weight1.77MN·m/kgnot sourced
Poisson's rationot sourcednot sourced
Shear modulusnot sourcednot sourced
Bulk modulusnot sourcednot sourced
Speed of sound1,332m/snot sourced
Thermal
Thermal conductivitynot sourced0.12W/m·KsourceAPA-recommended design value (Douglas-fir plywood), as reported by FPL/ORNL
Thermal expansionnot sourced3.1–4.5µm/m·Ksourcebase material: solid wood parallel to grain, ovendry, range across species
100 mm part over a 50 °C swingnot sourced19µm growth
Specific heatnot sourced1,700J/kg·Ksourcebase material: solid wood (all species), 12% MC, 27 C
Heats up and cools (diffusivity)not sourcednot sourced
Thermal shock resistancenot sourcednot sourced
Melting point176°Csourcetypicalnot sourced
Max service temperature64°CsourceHDT 1.8 MPa, X orientationnot sourced
Values forEOS PA 2200 (PA12) Material Data Sheet, process parameter 'Balance' at 120 µm layer thickness, X orientation, dry (conditioned values not given). Live MDS status 04.10.2026, last changed 10.09.2026; PDF via ?topdf=... link on the same page.Douglas-fir plywood sheathing (construction plywood per PS 1), static bending properties from USDA FPL Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 Ch. 12 Table 12-2 (Biblis 2000)

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.

SLS PA12 Nylon is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.

Questions

Is SLS PA12 Nylon stronger than Plywood?

SLS PA12 Nylon is stronger: its tensile strength is 48 MPa against 41.4 MPa for Plywood (16%).

Which is stiffer, SLS PA12 Nylon or Plywood?

Plywood is stiffer: Young's modulus 7.45 GPa against 1.65 GPa for SLS PA12 Nylon, so the same part in Plywood deflects less under the same load.

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 Nylon PA66Plastic PEEKPlastic UHMWPEPlastic HDPEPlastic PolypropylenePlastic PMMAFDM ASAFDM PolycarbonateFDM PAHT-CFFDM HIPSSLA Resin Tough 2000DMLS AlSi10Mg AluminumDMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI TitaniumDMLS 316L Stainless SteelDMLS 17-4PH Stainless SteelSLS PA12 Nylon
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 Nylon PA66Plastic PEEKPlastic PTFEPlastic UHMWPEPlastic HDPEPlastic PolypropylenePlastic PMMAFDM ASAFDM PolycarbonateFDM PAHT-CFFDM HIPSSLA Resin Tough 2000SLA Resin Elastic 50ADMLS AlSi10Mg AluminumDMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI TitaniumDMLS 316L Stainless SteelDMLS 17-4PH Stainless SteelBrickSLS PA12 Nylon
Strength against density

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