Materials / Compare
Titanium vs. Wood
Compare Titanium vs. Wood strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.
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|---|---|---|
| Mechanical | ||
| Yield strength | 885MPasourcetypical, plate (>0.187 in), annealed, 0.2% offset | not given (tensile used) |
| Ultimate tensile strength | 940MPasourcetypical, plate, annealed | 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 | 16%sourcetypical, in 2 in., plate annealed | not sourced |
| Young's modulus (stiffness) | 107–122GPasourcetypical range, 20 °C | 12.5GPasourcebending MOE, parallel to grain |
| Density | 4,430kg/m³sourcenominal | not sourced |
| Strength to weight | 200kN·m/kg | not sourced |
| Stiffness to weight | 25.8MN·m/kg | not sourced |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.342sourcemean of TIMET measurements | 0.35sourcemu_LR (red oak group, ~12% MC) |
| Shear modulus | 42.7GPa9.21x stiffer in shear | 4.63GPa |
| Bulk modulus | 121GPa | 13.9GPa |
| Speed of sound | 5,084m/s | not sourced |
| Thermal | ||
| Thermal conductivity | 6.6W/m·Ksourcetypical, 20 °C, mill annealed | 0.18W/m·Ksourceacross grain, 12% MC (Table 4-7, approximate) |
| Thermal expansion | 9µm/m·Ksourcetypical, mean 0-100 °C | 3.1–4.5µm/m·Ksourceparallel to grain, ovendry wood, range across species |
| 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing | 45µm growth | 19µm growth2.37x less |
| Specific heat | 580J/kg·Ksourcetypical, 20 °C | 1,700J/kg·Ksourcesolid wood (all species), 12% MC, 27 C |
| Heats up and cools (diffusivity) | 2.57mm²/s | not sourced |
| Thermal shock resistance | 3,730W/m15.3x more resistant | 244W/m |
| Melting point | 1,630–1,650°Csourcemelting range | not sourced |
| Max service temperature | 400°Csourceupper recommended use temperature | not sourced |
| Values for | TIMETAL 6-4 (Ti-6Al-4V Grade 5) annealed plate typical (TIMET properties manual) + TIMET datasheet TMC-0150 physical properties | 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 Titanium stronger than Wood?
Titanium is stronger: its yield strength is 885 MPa against tensile strength 99 MPa for Wood (8.94x).
Which is stiffer, Titanium or Wood?
Titanium is stiffer: Young's modulus 115 GPa against 12.5 GPa for Wood, so the same part in Titanium deflects less under the same load.
Which conducts heat better, Titanium or Wood?
Titanium conducts heat better: 6.6 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 9 µm/m·K for Titanium.