Materials / Compare
FDM Polycarbonate vs. Wood
Compare FDM Polycarbonate 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 | 53.3MPasourcetypical | not given (tensile used) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 53.3MPasourcetypical, 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 | 89.4MPasourcetypical | 99MPasourcemodulus of rupture (static bending), 12% MC |
| Elongation at break | 9.2%sourcetypical | not sourced |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 2.39GPasourcetypical | 12.5GPasourcebending MOE, parallel to grain |
| Density | 1,180–1,200kg/m³sourcerange | not sourced |
| Strength to weight | 44.8kN·m/kg | not sourced |
| Stiffness to weight | 2.01MN·m/kg | not sourced |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.38sourcebase material: polycarbonate family typical (Covestro Part and Mold Design guide, Table 3-1) | 0.35sourcemu_LR (red oak group, ~12% MC) |
| Shear modulus | 0.867GPa | 4.63GPa5.34x stiffer in shear |
| Bulk modulus | 3.33GPa | 13.9GPa |
| Speed of sound | 1,418m/s | not sourced |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.2W/m·Ksourcebase material: Covestro Makrolon 2405 injection-molding PC, typical, through-plane, 23 °C | 0.18W/m·Ksourceacross grain, 12% MC (Table 4-7, approximate) |
| Thermal expansion | 65µm/m·Ksourcebase material: Covestro Makrolon 2405 injection-molding PC, typical, 23-55 °C, parallel | 3.1–4.5µm/m·Ksourceparallel to grain, ovendry wood, range across species |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 325µm growth | 19µm growth17.1x less |
| Specific heat | not sourced | 1,700J/kg·Ksourcesolid wood (all species), 12% MC, 27 C |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | not sourced | not sourced |
| Thermal shock resistance | 42.5W/m | 244W/m5.74x more resistant |
| Glass transition | 108°Csourcetypical | not sourced |
| Max service temperature | 105°CsourceHDT 0.455 MPa (printed specimens) | not sourced |
| Values for | Ultimaker PC, 3D-printed specimens, XY (flat); 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 (file v5.00), 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.
FDM Polycarbonate is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.
Questions
Is FDM Polycarbonate stronger than Wood?
Wood is stronger: its tensile strength is 99 MPa against yield strength 53.3 MPa for FDM Polycarbonate (1.86x).
Which is stiffer, FDM Polycarbonate or Wood?
Wood is stiffer: Young's modulus 12.5 GPa against 2.39 GPa for FDM Polycarbonate, so the same part in Wood deflects less under the same load.
Which conducts heat better, FDM Polycarbonate or Wood?
FDM Polycarbonate conducts heat better: 0.2 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 65 µm/m·K for FDM Polycarbonate.