Materials / Compare
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel vs. Steel AISI 1018
Compare DMLS 316L Stainless Steel vs. Steel AISI 1018 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 | 530MPasourcetypical, as manufactured, horizontal | 372MPasourceproducer-stated, cold drawn |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 640MPasourcetypical, as manufactured, horizontal | 441MPasourceproducer-stated, cold drawn |
| Elongation at break | 40%sourcetypical at break, as manufactured, horizontal | 15%sourcein 2 in (50.8 mm) |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 185GPasourcetypical, as built, horizontal (XY); EOSINT M280-400W / M290-400W, 316L_Surface 1.0, 20 µm (2014 sheet) | 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 | 7,900kg/m³sourcepart density (ISO 3369, not labelled min or typical), EOS M 290, 40 µm FlexLine | 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 | 67.1kN·m/kg42% higher | 47.3kN·m/kg |
| Stiffness to weight | 23.4MN·m/kg | 25.4MN·m/kg9% higher |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.3sourcebase material: austenitic stainless steels incl. 1.4404 (316L), design value | 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 | 71.2GPa | 75.7GPa6% stiffer in shear |
| Bulk modulus | 154GPa | 185GPa |
| Speed of sound | 4,839m/s | 5,043m/s |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 16.2W/m·Ksourcebase material: wrought 316/316L (Cleveland-Cliffs), at 100 °C | 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 | 15.7µm/m·Ksourcemean 25-100 °C, ASTM E228 | 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 | 78.6µm growth | 60µm growth31% less |
| Specific heat | 500J/kg·Ksourcebase material: wrought 316/316L (Cleveland-Cliffs), 0-100 °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) | 4.1mm²/s | 13.6mm²/s3.31x faster |
| Thermal shock resistance | 2,067W/m | 5,473W/m2.65x more resistant |
| Values for | EOS StainlessSteel 316L (powder 9011-0032), EOS M 290, ParameterSet 316L 20µm Surface M290/400W, as manufactured, horizontal; ISO 6892-1 | 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.
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.
Questions
Is DMLS 316L Stainless Steel stronger than Steel AISI 1018?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is stronger: its yield strength is 530 MPa against 372 MPa for Steel AISI 1018 (42%).
Which is lighter, DMLS 316L Stainless Steel or Steel AISI 1018?
Steel AISI 1018 is lighter: 7,861 kg/m³ against 7,900 kg/m³ for DMLS 316L Stainless Steel.
Which is stiffer, DMLS 316L Stainless Steel or Steel AISI 1018?
Steel AISI 1018 is stiffer: Young's modulus 200 GPa against 185 GPa for DMLS 316L Stainless Steel, so the same part in Steel AISI 1018 deflects less under the same load.
Which is lighter for the same job, DMLS 316L Stainless Steel or Steel AISI 1018?
For the same stiffness or strength: DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is lighter for a strong rod or tie, strong beam, strong panel or plate; Steel AISI 1018 is lighter for a stiff rod or tie (tension), stiff beam (bending), stiff panel or plate.
| Part that must be | DMLS 316L Stainless Steel | Steel AISI 1018 |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff rod or tie (tension) | 9% heavier | lighter |
| Stiff beam (bending) | 4% heavier | lighter |
| Stiff panel or plate | 3% heavier | lighter |
| Strong rod or tie | lighter | 42% heavier |
| Strong beam | lighter | 26% heavier |
| Strong panel or plate | lighter | 19% 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, DMLS 316L Stainless Steel or Steel AISI 1018?
Steel AISI 1018 conducts heat better: 51.9 W/m·K against 16.2 W/m·K for DMLS 316L Stainless Steel.
Which expands less with temperature?
Steel AISI 1018 expands less: 12 µm/m·K against 15.7 µm/m·K for DMLS 316L Stainless Steel.