Materials / Compare
SLS PA12 Nylon vs. Steel AISI 1018
Compare SLS PA12 Nylon vs. Steel AISI 1018 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 | not given (tensile used) | 372MPasourceproducer-stated, cold drawn |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 48MPasourcetypical | 441MPasourceproducer-stated, cold drawn |
| Elongation at break | 18%sourcetypical | 15%sourcein 2 in (50.8 mm) |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 1.65GPasourcetypical | 200GPasourcebase material: AISI 1025 plain carbon steel (MIL-HDBK-5J design value; ASTM A108 bar is the cold-finished carbon-steel bar spec that also covers 1018) |
| Density | 930kg/m³sourcetypical | 7,861kg/m³sourcebase material: AISI 1025 plain carbon steel (MIL-HDBK-5J design value; ASTM A108 bar is the cold-finished carbon-steel bar spec that also covers 1018) |
| Strength to weight | 51.6kN·m/kg9% higher | 47.3kN·m/kg |
| Stiffness to weight | 1.77MN·m/kg | 25.4MN·m/kg14.3x higher |
| Poisson's ratio | not sourced | 0.32sourcebase material: AISI 1025 plain carbon steel (MIL-HDBK-5J design value; ASTM A108 bar is the cold-finished carbon-steel bar spec that also covers 1018) |
| Shear modulus | not sourced | 75.7GPa |
| Bulk modulus | not sourced | 185GPa |
| Speed of sound | 1,332m/s | 5,043m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | not sourced | 51.9W/m·Ksourcebase material: AISI 1025 plain carbon steel (MIL-HDBK-5J design value; ASTM A108 bar is the cold-finished carbon-steel bar spec that also covers 1018) |
| Thermal expansion | not sourced | 12µm/m·Ksourcebase material: unalloyed carbon steel, Ovako family table (S275JR, 'none alloyed structural steels', C <= 0.21%); mean 20-300 °C |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | not sourced | 60µm growth |
| Specific heat | not sourced | 486J/kg·Ksourcebase material: AISI 1025 plain carbon steel (MIL-HDBK-5J design value; ASTM A108 bar is the cold-finished carbon-steel bar spec that also covers 1018) |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | not sourced | 13.6mm²/s |
| Thermal shock resistance | not sourced | 5,473W/m |
| Melting point | 176°Csourcetypical | not sourced |
| Max service temperature | 64°CsourceHDT 1.8 MPa, X orientation | not sourced |
| Values for | EOS 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. | AISI 1018 cold drawn bar (Niagara LaSalle, cold-finished bar producer) |
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 Steel AISI 1018?
Steel AISI 1018 is stronger: its yield strength is 372 MPa against tensile strength 48 MPa for SLS PA12 Nylon (7.75x).
Which is lighter, SLS PA12 Nylon or Steel AISI 1018?
SLS PA12 Nylon is lighter: 930 kg/m³ against 7,861 kg/m³ for Steel AISI 1018.
Which is stiffer, SLS PA12 Nylon or Steel AISI 1018?
Steel AISI 1018 is stiffer: Young's modulus 200 GPa against 1.65 GPa for SLS PA12 Nylon, so the same part in Steel AISI 1018 deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, SLS PA12 Nylon or Steel AISI 1018?
For the same stiffness or strength: SLS PA12 Nylon is lighter for a stiff panel or plate, strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate; Steel AISI 1018 is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending).
| Part that must be | SLS PA12 Nylon | Steel AISI 1018 |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | 14.3x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff beam (bending) | 30% heavier | lighter |
| Stiff panel or plate | lighter | 1.71x heavier |
| Strong rod or tie | lighter | 9% heavier |
| Strong beam | lighter | 2.16x heavier |
| Strong panel or plate | lighter | 3.04x 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).