Materials / Compare
Plastic ABS vs. Silicon
Compare Plastic ABS vs. Silicon strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.
| Try it on a partA sample part to run stress or thermal on, free in your browser | Open in LessCAD | Open in LessCAD |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical | ||
| Yield strength | 38.1MPasourcetypical | not given (tensile used) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 38.1MPasourcetypical, peak stress (= stress at yield) | 130MPasourcemodulus of rupture (bending fracture stress); brittle, no yield point |
| Flexural strength | 61.1MPasourcetypical | 130MPasourcemodulus of rupture |
| Elongation at break | 4.6%sourcetypical | not sourced |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 1.96GPasourcetypical | 131GPasourcetypical (single quoted value of an anisotropic crystal) |
| Density | 1,100kg/m³sourcetypical2.12x lighter | 2,329kg/m³sourcetypical |
| Strength to weight | 34.6kN·m/kg | 55.8kN·m/kg1.61x higher |
| Stiffness to weight | 1.78MN·m/kg | 56.2MN·m/kg31.5x higher |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.39sourcebase material: ABS family typical (Covestro Part and Mold Design guide, Table 3-1) | 0.221sourcetypical |
| Shear modulus | 0.706GPa | 53.6GPa76x stiffer in shear |
| Bulk modulus | 2.97GPa | 78.3GPa |
| Speed of sound | 1,336m/s | 7,500m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.17W/m·Ksourcebase material: INEOS Styrolution Terluran GP-22 injection-molding ABS, typical | 163W/m·Ksourcetypical at 313 K (40 °C) |
| Thermal expansion | 80–110µm/m·Ksourcebase material: INEOS Styrolution Terluran GP-22 injection-molding ABS, range | 2.62µm/m·Ksourcetypical at 300 K |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 475µm growth | 13.1µm growth36.3x less |
| Specific heat | not sourced | 732J/kg·Ksourcetypical |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | not sourced | 95.6mm²/s |
| Thermal shock resistance | 21.2W/m | 48,095W/m2,269x more resistant |
| Melting point | not sourced | 1,412°Csourcetypical |
| Glass transition | 101°Csourcetypical | not sourced |
| Max service temperature | 86.6°CsourceHDT 0.455 MPa (printed specimens) | 300°Csourceproducer's maximum application temperature (optical components) |
| Values for | Ultimaker ABS, 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 v5.00, April 20, 2022. | Synthetic single-crystal silicon (cubic, diamond structure), Korth Kristalle (crystal grower) material data; Korth usually supplies Floating Zone (FZ) material, Czochralski (Cz) also offered. Silicon is elastically anisotropic; the producer quotes one modulus and the solver is isotropic. |
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 ABS is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.
Questions
Is Plastic ABS stronger than Silicon?
Silicon is stronger: its tensile strength is 130 MPa against yield strength 38.1 MPa for Plastic ABS (3.41x).
Which is lighter, Plastic ABS or Silicon?
Plastic ABS is lighter: 1,100 kg/m³ against 2,329 kg/m³ for Silicon.
Which is stiffer, Plastic ABS or Silicon?
Silicon is stiffer: Young's modulus 131 GPa against 1.96 GPa for Plastic ABS, so the same part in Silicon deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, Plastic ABS or Silicon?
For the same stiffness or strength: Plastic ABS is lighter for a strong panel or plate; Silicon is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), stiff panel or plate, strong rod or tie, strong beam.
| Part that must be | Plastic ABS | Silicon |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | 31.5x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff beam (bending) | 3.86x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff panel or plate | 1.92x heavier | lighter |
| Strong rod or tie | 1.61x heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | 7% heavier | lighter |
| Strong panel or plate | lighter | 15% 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).
Which conducts heat better, Plastic ABS or Silicon?
Silicon conducts heat better: 163 W/m·K against 0.17 W/m·K for Plastic ABS.
Which expands less with temperature?
Silicon expands less: 2.62 µm/m·K against 95 µm/m·K for Plastic ABS.