Materials / Compare

Plywood vs. Steel AISI 4340

Compare Plywood vs. Steel AISI 4340 strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.

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PlywoodNatural
Steel AISI 4340Wrought
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Mechanical
Yield strengthnot given (tensile used)1,035MPasourcetypical, transverse
Ultimate tensile strength41.4MPasourcemodulus of rupture (no direct tensile value)1,140MPasourcetypical, transverse
Flexural strength41.4MPasourcestatic bending MOR (Douglas-fir); range 33.72-42.61 across speciesnot sourced
Elongation at breaknot sourced18%sourcetypical, transverse
Young's modulus (stiffness)7.45GPasourcestatic bending MOE of the panel (Douglas-fir); range 6.96-8.55 across species200GPasourceMIL-HDBK-5J design value (AISI 4340, quenched and tempered)
Densitynot sourced7,840kg/m³sourcetypical
Strength to weightnot sourced132kN·m/kg
Stiffness to weightnot sourced25.5MN·m/kg
Poisson's rationot sourced0.32sourceMIL-HDBK-5J design value (AISI 4340, quenched and tempered)
Shear modulusnot sourced75.7GPa
Bulk modulusnot sourced185GPa
Speed of soundnot sourced5,049m/s
Thermal
Thermal conductivity0.12W/m·KsourceAPA-recommended design value (Douglas-fir plywood), as reported by FPL/ORNL37.5W/m·Ksourcetypical
Thermal expansion3.1–4.5µm/m·Ksourcebase material: solid wood parallel to grain, ovendry, range across species11.3µm/m·Ksourcemean, -18 to 93 °C
100 mm part over a 50 °C swing19µm growth2.97x less56.5µm growth
Specific heat1,700J/kg·Ksourcebase material: solid wood (all species), 12% MC, 27 C448J/kg·Ksourcetypical
Heats up and cools (diffusivity)not sourced10.7mm²/s
Thermal shock resistancenot sourced11,678W/m
Values forDouglas-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)Carpenter (Latrobe) Lescalloy 4340 VAC-ARC datasheet; mechanical row for 1100 °F temper; physical properties grade-level

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 4340?

Steel AISI 4340 is stronger: its yield strength is 1,035 MPa against tensile strength 41.4 MPa for Plywood (25x).

Which is stiffer, Plywood or Steel AISI 4340?

Steel AISI 4340 is stiffer: Young's modulus 200 GPa against 7.45 GPa for Plywood, so the same part in Steel AISI 4340 deflects less under the same load.

Which conducts heat better, Plywood or Steel AISI 4340?

Steel AISI 4340 conducts heat better: 37.5 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 11.3 µm/m·K for Steel AISI 4340.

Among 59 materials

1k10k0.1110100Density (kg/m³)Young's modulus (GPa)Plastic PLAPlastic PETGPlastic ABSPlastic TPUPlastic NylonAluminumSteelIronTitaniumSteel AISI 1018Stainless 304Stainless 316Aluminum 6061-T6Aluminum 7075-T6Brass C360Copper C110GlassSteel AISI 1045Steel A992Stainless 303Stainless 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 SteelSteel AISI 4340
Stiffness against density
1k10k101001kDensity (kg/m³)Yield strength (MPa)Plastic PLAPlastic PETGPlastic ABSPlastic TPUPlastic NylonRubberAluminumSteelIronTitaniumSteel AISI 1018Stainless 304Stainless 316Aluminum 6061-T6Aluminum 7075-T6Brass C360Copper C110GlassSteel AISI 1045Steel A992Stainless 303Stainless 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 SteelBrickSteel AISI 4340
Strength against density

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