Materials / Compare
Plywood vs. Steel AISI 1018
Compare Plywood vs. Steel AISI 1018 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 | not given (tensile used) | 372MPasourceproducer-stated, cold drawn |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 41.4MPasourcemodulus of rupture (no direct tensile value) | 441MPasourceproducer-stated, cold drawn |
| Flexural strength | 41.4MPasourcestatic bending MOR (Douglas-fir); range 33.72-42.61 across species | not sourced |
| Elongation at break | not sourced | 15%sourcein 2 in (50.8 mm) |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 7.45GPasourcestatic bending MOE of the panel (Douglas-fir); range 6.96-8.55 across species | 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 | not sourced | 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 | not sourced | 47.3kN·m/kg |
| Stiffness to weight | not sourced | 25.4MN·m/kg |
| 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 | not sourced | 5,043m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.12W/m·KsourceAPA-recommended design value (Douglas-fir plywood), as reported by FPL/ORNL | 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 | 3.1–4.5µm/m·Ksourcebase material: solid wood parallel to grain, ovendry, range across species | 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 | 19µm growth3.16x less | 60µm growth |
| Specific heat | 1,700J/kg·Ksourcebase material: solid wood (all species), 12% MC, 27 C | 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 |
| Values for | 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) | 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.
Questions
Is Plywood stronger than Steel AISI 1018?
Steel AISI 1018 is stronger: its yield strength is 372 MPa against tensile strength 41.4 MPa for Plywood (8.99x).
Which is stiffer, Plywood or Steel AISI 1018?
Steel AISI 1018 is stiffer: Young's modulus 200 GPa against 7.45 GPa for Plywood, so the same part in Steel AISI 1018 deflects less under the same load.
Which conducts heat better, Plywood or Steel AISI 1018?
Steel AISI 1018 conducts heat better: 51.9 W/m·K against 0.12 W/m·K for Plywood.
Which expands less with temperature?
Plywood expands less: 3.8 µm/m·K against 12 µm/m·K for Steel AISI 1018.