Materials / Compare
Plastic Polypropylene vs. Titanium
Compare Plastic Polypropylene vs. Titanium 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 | 33MPasourcetypical, tensile stress at yield ISO 527 | 885MPasourcetypical, plate (>0.187 in), annealed, 0.2% offset |
| Ultimate tensile strength | not sourced | 940MPasourcetypical, plate, annealed |
| Elongation at break | not sourced | 16%sourcetypical, in 2 in., plate annealed |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 1.45GPasourcetypical, tensile modulus ISO 527 | 107–122GPasourcetypical range, 20 °C |
| Density | 900kg/m³sourcetypical, 23 °C ISO 1183-1 | 4,430kg/m³sourcenominal |
| Strength to weight | 36.7kN·m/kg | 200kN·m/kg5.45x higher |
| Stiffness to weight | 1.61MN·m/kg | 25.8MN·m/kg16x higher |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.42sourcebase material: polypropylene homopolymer family (INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA, Typical Engineering Properties of Polypropylene) | 0.342sourcemean of TIMET measurements |
| Shear modulus | 0.511GPa | 42.7GPa83.6x stiffer in shear |
| Bulk modulus | 3.02GPa | 121GPa |
| Speed of sound | 1,269m/s | 5,084m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 0.17–0.22W/m·Ksourcebase material: polypropylene homopolymer family (INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA, Typical Engineering Properties of Polypropylene) | 6.6W/m·Ksourcetypical, 20 °C, mill annealed |
| Thermal expansion | 80–100µm/m·Ksourcebase material: polypropylene homopolymer family (INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA, Typical Engineering Properties of Polypropylene) | 9µm/m·Ksourcetypical, mean 0-100 °C |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 450µm growth | 45µm growth10x less |
| Specific heat | not sourced | 580J/kg·Ksourcetypical, 20 °C |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | not sourced | 2.57mm²/s |
| Thermal shock resistance | 28.6W/m | 3,730W/m130x more resistant |
| Melting point | not sourced | 1,630–1,650°Csourcemelting range |
| Max service temperature | 90°CsourceHDT 0.45 MPa (ISO 75B), unannealed | 400°Csourceupper recommended use temperature |
| Values for | LyondellBasell Moplen HP501H polypropylene homopolymer (general purpose), typical ISO values | TIMETAL 6-4 (Ti-6Al-4V Grade 5) annealed plate typical (TIMET properties manual) + TIMET datasheet TMC-0150 physical properties |
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 Polypropylene stronger than Titanium?
Titanium is stronger: its yield strength is 885 MPa against 33 MPa for Plastic Polypropylene (26.8x).
Which is lighter, Plastic Polypropylene or Titanium?
Plastic Polypropylene is lighter: 900 kg/m³ against 4,430 kg/m³ for Titanium.
Which is stiffer, Plastic Polypropylene or Titanium?
Titanium is stiffer: Young's modulus 115 GPa against 1.45 GPa for Plastic Polypropylene, so the same part in Titanium deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, Plastic Polypropylene or Titanium?
For the same stiffness or strength: Plastic Polypropylene is lighter for a stiff panel or plate; Titanium is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate.
| Part that must be | Plastic Polypropylene | Titanium |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | 16x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff beam (bending) | 1.81x heavier | lighter |
| Stiff panel or plate | lighter | 15% heavier |
| Strong rod or tie | 5.45x heavier | lighter |
| Strong beam | 1.82x heavier | lighter |
| Strong panel or plate | 5% heavier | lighter |
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 Polypropylene or Titanium?
Titanium conducts heat better: 6.6 W/m·K against 0.195 W/m·K for Plastic Polypropylene.
Which expands less with temperature?
Titanium expands less: 9 µm/m·K against 90 µm/m·K for Plastic Polypropylene.