Materials / Compare
Steel AISI 1018 vs. Wood
Compare Steel AISI 1018 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 | 372MPasourceproducer-stated, cold drawn | not given (tensile used) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 441MPasourceproducer-stated, cold drawn | 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 | 15%sourcein 2 in (50.8 mm) | not sourced |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 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) | 12.5GPasourcebending MOE, parallel to grain |
| Density | 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) | not sourced |
| Strength to weight | 47.3kN·m/kg | not sourced |
| Stiffness to weight | 25.4MN·m/kg | not sourced |
| Poisson's ratio | 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) | 0.35sourcemu_LR (red oak group, ~12% MC) |
| Shear modulus | 75.7GPa16.4x stiffer in shear | 4.63GPa |
| Bulk modulus | 185GPa | 13.9GPa |
| Speed of sound | 5,043m/s | not sourced |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 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) | 0.18W/m·Ksourceacross grain, 12% MC (Table 4-7, approximate) |
| Thermal expansion | 12µm/m·Ksourcebase material: unalloyed carbon steel, Ovako family table (S275JR, 'none alloyed structural steels', C <= 0.21%); mean 20-300 °C | 3.1–4.5µm/m·Ksourceparallel to grain, ovendry wood, range across species |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 60µm growth | 19µm growth3.16x less |
| Specific heat | 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) | 1,700J/kg·Ksourcesolid wood (all species), 12% MC, 27 C |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 13.6mm²/s | not sourced |
| Thermal shock resistance | 5,473W/m22.4x more resistant | 244W/m |
| Values for | AISI 1018 cold drawn bar (Niagara LaSalle, cold-finished bar producer) | 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.
Questions
Is Steel AISI 1018 stronger than Wood?
Steel AISI 1018 is stronger: its yield strength is 372 MPa against tensile strength 99 MPa for Wood (3.76x).
Which is stiffer, Steel AISI 1018 or Wood?
Steel AISI 1018 is stiffer: Young's modulus 200 GPa against 12.5 GPa for Wood, so the same part in Steel AISI 1018 deflects less under the same load.
Which conducts heat better, Steel AISI 1018 or Wood?
Steel AISI 1018 conducts heat better: 51.9 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 12 µm/m·K for Steel AISI 1018.