Materials / Compare
Plastic PEEK vs. Wood
Compare Plastic PEEK 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 | 98MPasourcetypical, tensile yield | not given (tensile used) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | not sourced | 99MPasourcemodulus of rupture (no direct tensile value) |
| Compressive strength | 125MPasourcetypical, 23 C | 46.6MPasourcecompression parallel to grain (maximum crushing strength), 12% MC |
| Flexural strength | 165MPasourcetypical, flexural stress at yield, 23 C | 99MPasourcemodulus of rupture (static bending), 12% MC |
| Elongation at break | 25%sourcetypical, at break | not sourced |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 4GPasourcetypical (nominal) | 12.5GPasourcebending MOE, parallel to grain |
| Density | 1,300kg/m³sourcetypical (crystalline) | not sourced |
| Strength to weight | 75.4kN·m/kg | not sourced |
| Stiffness to weight | 3.08MN·m/kg | not sourced |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.38sourcetypical | 0.35sourcemu_LR (red oak group, ~12% MC) |
| Shear modulus | 1.45GPa | 4.63GPa3.19x stiffer in shear |
| Bulk modulus | 5.56GPa | 13.9GPa |
| Speed of sound | 1,754m/s | not sourced |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.29W/m·Ksourcetypical, average, 23 C | 0.18W/m·Ksourceacross grain, 12% MC (Table 4-7, approximate) |
| Thermal expansion | 55µm/m·Ksourceaverage of flow/cross-flow, below Tg (<143 C) | 3.1–4.5µm/m·Ksourceparallel to grain, ovendry wood, range across species |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 275µm growth | 19µm growth14.5x less |
| Specific heat | 2,200J/kg·Ksourcetypical, 23 °C, DSC (Victrex PEEK 450G TDS, revision Jul 2012) | 1,700J/kg·Ksourcesolid wood (all species), 12% MC, 27 C |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 0.101mm²/s | not sourced |
| Thermal shock resistance | 80.1W/m | 244W/m3.04x more resistant |
| Melting point | 343°Csourcetypical, DSC | not sourced |
| Glass transition | 143°Csourceonset (midpoint 150 C) | not sourced |
| Max service temperature | 240°CsourceUL 746B RTI, mechanical strength (continuous use index) | not sourced |
| Values for | Victrex PEEK 450G (unreinforced, injection moulded), Victrex TDS rev. March 2026; Poisson from Victrex fluid-management flyer (2020-07) | 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 PEEK stronger than Wood?
Wood is stronger: its tensile strength is 99 MPa against yield strength 98 MPa for Plastic PEEK (1%).
Which is stiffer, Plastic PEEK or Wood?
Wood is stiffer: Young's modulus 12.5 GPa against 4 GPa for Plastic PEEK, so the same part in Wood deflects less under the same load.
Which conducts heat better, Plastic PEEK or Wood?
Plastic PEEK conducts heat better: 0.29 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 55 µm/m·K for Plastic PEEK.