Materials / Compare
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel vs. Wood
Compare DMLS 316L Stainless Steel vs. Wood 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 | not given (tensile used) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 640MPasourcetypical, as manufactured, horizontal | 99MPasourcemodulus of rupture (no direct tensile value) |
| Compressive strength | not sourced | 46.6MPasourcecompression parallel to grain (maximum crushing strength), 12% MC |
| Flexural strength | not sourced | 99MPasourcemodulus of rupture (static bending), 12% MC |
| Elongation at break | 40%sourcetypical at break, as manufactured, horizontal | not sourced |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 185GPasourcetypical, as built, horizontal (XY); EOSINT M280-400W / M290-400W, 316L_Surface 1.0, 20 µm (2014 sheet) | 12.5GPasourcebending MOE, parallel to grain |
| Density | 7,900kg/m³sourcepart density (ISO 3369, not labelled min or typical), EOS M 290, 40 µm FlexLine | not sourced |
| Strength to weight | 67.1kN·m/kg | not sourced |
| Stiffness to weight | 23.4MN·m/kg | not sourced |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.3sourcebase material: austenitic stainless steels incl. 1.4404 (316L), design value | 0.35sourcemu_LR (red oak group, ~12% MC) |
| Shear modulus | 71.2GPa15.4x stiffer in shear | 4.63GPa |
| Bulk modulus | 154GPa | 13.9GPa |
| Speed of sound | 4,839m/s | not sourced |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 16.2W/m·Ksourcebase material: wrought 316/316L (Cleveland-Cliffs), at 100 °C | 0.18W/m·Ksourceacross grain, 12% MC (Table 4-7, approximate) |
| Thermal expansion | 15.7µm/m·Ksourcemean 25-100 °C, ASTM E228 | 3.1–4.5µm/m·Ksourceparallel to grain, ovendry wood, range across species |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 78.6µm growth | 19µm growth4.14x less |
| Specific heat | 500J/kg·Ksourcebase material: wrought 316/316L (Cleveland-Cliffs), 0-100 °C | 1,700J/kg·Ksourcesolid wood (all species), 12% MC, 27 C |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 4.1mm²/s | not sourced |
| Thermal shock resistance | 2,067W/m8.47x more resistant | 244W/m |
| Values for | EOS StainlessSteel 316L (powder 9011-0032), EOS M 290, ParameterSet 316L 20µm Surface M290/400W, as manufactured, horizontal; ISO 6892-1 | Northern red oak (Quercus rubra), clear straight-grained specimens at 12% MC, parallel to grain unless stated; USDA FPL Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 (2021) Ch. 4 and Ch. 5 |
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 Wood?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is stronger: its yield strength is 530 MPa against tensile strength 99 MPa for Wood (5.35x).
Which is stiffer, DMLS 316L Stainless Steel or Wood?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel is stiffer: Young's modulus 185 GPa against 12.5 GPa for Wood, so the same part in DMLS 316L Stainless Steel deflects less under the same load.
Which conducts heat better, DMLS 316L Stainless Steel or Wood?
DMLS 316L Stainless Steel conducts heat better: 16.2 W/m·K against 0.18 W/m·K for Wood.
Which expands less with temperature?
Wood expands less: 3.8 µm/m·K against 15.7 µm/m·K for DMLS 316L Stainless Steel.