Materials / Compare

Plastic TPU vs. Plywood

Compare Plastic TPU vs. Plywood strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.

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Plastic TPU3D printed (FDM)
PlywoodNatural
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Mechanical
Yield strengthnot given (tensile used)not given (tensile used)
Ultimate tensile strength23.7MPasourcetypical, stress at break41.4MPasourcemodulus of rupture (no direct tensile value)
Flexural strength4.1MPasourcetypical41.4MPasourcestatic bending MOR (Douglas-fir); range 33.72-42.61 across species
Elongation at breaknot sourcednot sourced
Young's modulus (stiffness)0.067GPasourcetypical7.45GPasourcestatic bending MOE of the panel (Douglas-fir); range 6.96-8.55 across species
Density1,220kg/m³sourcetypicalnot sourced
Strength to weight19.4kN·m/kgnot sourced
Stiffness to weight0.0549MN·m/kgnot sourced
Poisson's rationot sourcednot sourced
Shear modulusnot sourcednot sourced
Bulk modulusnot sourcednot sourced
Speed of sound234m/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 point217°Csourcetypicalnot sourced
Max service temperature50.3°CsourceHDT 0.455 MPa (printed specimens)not sourced
Values forUltimaker TPU 95A, 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 29, 2022.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.

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

Questions

Is Plastic TPU stronger than Plywood?

Plywood is stronger: its tensile strength is 41.4 MPa against 23.7 MPa for Plastic TPU (1.75x).

Which is stiffer, Plastic TPU or Plywood?

Plywood is stiffer: Young's modulus 7.45 GPa against 0.067 GPa for Plastic TPU, 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 NylonAluminumSteelIronTitaniumSteel AISI 1018Stainless Steel 304Stainless Steel 316Aluminum 6061-T6Aluminum 7075-T6Brass C360Copper C110GlassSteel AISI 1045Steel AISI 4340Steel A992Stainless Steel 303Stainless Steel 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 2000SLS PA12 NylonDMLS AlSi10Mg AluminumDMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI TitaniumDMLS 316L Stainless SteelDMLS 17-4PH Stainless SteelPlastic TPU
Stiffness against density
1k10k101001kDensity (kg/m³)Yield strength (MPa)Plastic PLAPlastic PETGPlastic ABSPlastic NylonRubberAluminumSteelIronTitaniumSteel AISI 1018Stainless Steel 304Stainless Steel 316Aluminum 6061-T6Aluminum 7075-T6Brass C360Copper C110GlassSteel AISI 1045Steel AISI 4340Steel A992Stainless Steel 303Stainless Steel 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 50ASLS PA12 NylonDMLS AlSi10Mg AluminumDMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI TitaniumDMLS 316L Stainless SteelDMLS 17-4PH Stainless SteelBrickPlastic TPU
Strength against density

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