Plastic PBT GF30 vs. Plywood

Compare Plastic PBT GF30 vs. Plywood strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.

Plastic PBT GF30Bulk polymer (molded or machined)

Mechanical	Plastic PBT GF30	Plywood
Yield strength	not given (tensile used)	not given (tensile used)
Ultimate tensile strength	stress at break140MPa1	modulus of rupture41.4MPa2
Flexural strength	210MPa15.08x stronger in bending	static bending MOR41.4MPa2
Elongation at break	strain at break3%1	not sourced
Young's modulus (stiffness)	9.8GPa132% stiffer	7.45GPa2
Density	1,530kg/m³1	not sourced
Strength to weight	91.5kN·m/kg	not sourced
Stiffness to weight	6.41MN·m/kg	not sourced
Poisson's ratio	not sourced	not sourced
Shear modulus	not sourced	not sourced
Bulk modulus	not sourced	not sourced
Speed of sound	2,531m/s	not sourced

Stiffness against densityHigher and further left: stiffer for its weight

Strength against densityHigher and further left: stronger for its weight

Thermal	Plastic PBT GF30	Plywood
Thermal conductivity	0.27W/m·K1	0.12W/m·K3
Thermal expansion	longitudinal25µm/m·K1	base material3.1–4.5µm/m·K4
100 mm part over a 50 °C swing	125µm growth	19µm growth6.58x less
Specific heat	1,050J/kg·K1	base material1,700J/kg·K41.62x higher
Heats up and cools (diffusivity)	0.168mm²/s	not sourced
Thermal shock resistance	not sourced	not sourced
Melting point	DSC223°C1	not sourced
Max service temperature	HDT 1.8 MPa205°C1	not sourced

Thermal conductivity against densityHigher and further left: spreads more heat for its weight

Thermal expansion against thermal conductivityLower and further right: warps less when heated

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Sources4 documents: BASF, USDA Forest Products Laboratory

Plastic PBT GF30: BASF Ultradur B 4300 G6 (PBT, 30% glass fibre), injection moulding grade; product information sheet 09/2026, typical values for uncoloured product at 23 °C.
Plywood: Douglas-fir plywood sheathing (construction plywood per PS 1), static bending properties from USDA FPL Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 Ch. 12 Table 12-2 (Biblis 2000)

1
Ultradur B 4300 G6 Product InformationBASFPlastic PBT GF30 · Ultimate tensile strength: stress at break, 23 °CPlastic PBT GF30 · Flexural strength: typical, 23 °CPlastic PBT GF30 · Elongation at break: strain at break, 23 °CPlastic PBT GF30 · Young's modulus (stiffness): typical, 23 °CPlastic PBT GF30 · Density: typicalPlastic PBT GF30 · Thermal conductivity: typical (DIN 52612-1)Plastic PBT GF30 · Thermal expansion: longitudinal (flow), mean 23-55 °CPlastic PBT GF30 · Specific heat: typical, 23 °CPlastic PBT GF30 · Melting point: DSC (ISO 11357)Plastic PBT GF30 · Max service temperature: HDT 1.8 MPa
2
Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-282), Chapter 12: Mechanical Properties of Wood-Based Composite MaterialsUSDA Forest Products LaboratoryPlywood · Ultimate tensile strength: modulus of rupture (no direct tensile value)Plywood · Flexural strength: static bending MOR (Douglas-fir); range 33.72-42.61 across speciesPlywood · Young's modulus (stiffness): static bending MOE of the panel (Douglas-fir); range 6.96-8.55 across species
3
Thermal Properties of Wood and Wood Panel Products for Use in Buildings (1988)USDA Forest Products Laboratoryarchived copyPlywood · Thermal conductivity: APA-recommended design value (Douglas-fir plywood), as reported by FPL/ORNL
4
Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-282), Chapter 4: Moisture Relations and Physical Properties of WoodUSDA Forest Products LaboratoryPlywood · Thermal expansion: base material: solid wood parallel to grain, ovendry, range across speciesPlywood · Specific heat: base material: solid wood (all species), 12% MC, 27 C

Each number points to the document that states it, with the exact basis. Values without a number are computed from the sourced ones. "Not sourced" means no citable source states it (or only a specification minimum); figures computed from it are left out too.

Questions

Mechanical

Is Plastic PBT GF30 stronger than Plywood?

Plastic PBT GF30 is stronger: its tensile strength is 140 MPa against 41.4 MPa for Plywood (3.38x).

Which is stiffer, Plastic PBT GF30 or Plywood?

Plastic PBT GF30 is stiffer: Young's modulus 9.8 GPa against 7.45 GPa for Plywood, so the same part in Plastic PBT GF30 deflects less under the same load.

Thermal

Which conducts heat better, Plastic PBT GF30 or Plywood?

Plastic PBT GF30 conducts heat better: 0.27 W/m·K against 0.12 W/m·K for Plywood.

Which expands less with temperature?

Plywood expands less: 3.8 µm/m·K against 25 µm/m·K for Plastic PBT GF30.