Materials / Compare
Plastic PLA vs. Plywood Compare Plastic PLA vs. Plywood strength, stiffness, weight and thermal properties.
Plastic PLA Plastic PETG Plastic ABS Plastic TPU Plastic Nylon Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) Plastic Polycarbonate Plastic POM/Acetal Plastic Nylon PA6 Plastic Nylon PA66 Plastic PEEK Plastic PTFE Plastic UHMWPE Plastic HDPE Plastic Polypropylene Plastic PMMA Plastic PBT GF30 Plastic PPS GF40 Plastic LCP GF30 Rubber Wood Aluminum Aluminum 6061-T6 Aluminum 7075-T6 Aluminum 2024-T351 Aluminum 5052-H32 Aluminum 7050-T7451 Aluminum A380 Aluminum 6063-T6 Aluminum 1100-O Aluminum 3003-O Aluminum ADC12 Steel Steel AISI 1018 Steel AISI 1045 Steel AISI 4340 Steel A992 Iron Titanium Titanium Ti-6Al-4V Stainless Steel 304 Stainless Steel 316 Stainless Steel 303 Stainless Steel 17-4PH Brass C360 Brass C260 Copper C110 Copper C10100 Copper C12200 Glass Nickel Inconel 718 Magnesium AZ31B-H24 Magnesium AZ91D Zinc Zamak 3 FDM ASA FDM Polycarbonate FDM PAHT-CF FDM HIPS SLA Resin Standard SLA Resin Tough 2000 SLA Resin Elastic 50A SLS PA12 Nylon DMLS AlSi10Mg Aluminum DMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI Titanium DMLS 316L Stainless Steel DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel Concrete Brick Plywood Drywall PCB Laminate FR-4 PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes Silicon Ceramic Alumina 96% Ceramic Aluminum Nitride Solder SAC305 Plastic PLA 3D printed (FDM) Plastic PLA Plastic PETG Plastic ABS Plastic TPU Plastic Nylon Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) Plastic Polycarbonate Plastic POM/Acetal Plastic Nylon PA6 Plastic Nylon PA66 Plastic PEEK Plastic PTFE Plastic UHMWPE Plastic HDPE Plastic Polypropylene Plastic PMMA Plastic PBT GF30 Plastic PPS GF40 Plastic LCP GF30 Rubber Wood Aluminum Aluminum 6061-T6 Aluminum 7075-T6 Aluminum 2024-T351 Aluminum 5052-H32 Aluminum 7050-T7451 Aluminum A380 Aluminum 6063-T6 Aluminum 1100-O Aluminum 3003-O Aluminum ADC12 Steel Steel AISI 1018 Steel AISI 1045 Steel AISI 4340 Steel A992 Iron Titanium Titanium Ti-6Al-4V Stainless Steel 304 Stainless Steel 316 Stainless Steel 303 Stainless Steel 17-4PH Brass C360 Brass C260 Copper C110 Copper C10100 Copper C12200 Glass Nickel Inconel 718 Magnesium AZ31B-H24 Magnesium AZ91D Zinc Zamak 3 FDM ASA FDM Polycarbonate FDM PAHT-CF FDM HIPS SLA Resin Standard SLA Resin Tough 2000 SLA Resin Elastic 50A SLS PA12 Nylon DMLS AlSi10Mg Aluminum DMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI Titanium DMLS 316L Stainless Steel DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel Concrete Brick Plywood Drywall PCB Laminate FR-4 PCB Board FR-4, 2 copper planes Silicon Ceramic Alumina 96% Ceramic Aluminum Nitride Solder SAC305 Plywood Natural Mechanical Plastic PLA Plywood Yield strength 52.5 MPa not given (tensile used) Ultimate tensile strength 52.5 MPa modulus of rupture 41.4 MPa Flexural strength 96.8 MPa 2.34x stronger in bending static bending MOR 41.4 MPa Elongation at break 7.8 % not sourced Young's modulus (stiffness) 3.25 GPa 7.45 GPa 2.29x stiffer Density 1,240 kg/m³ not sourced Strength to weight 42.3 kN·m/kg not sourced Stiffness to weight 2.62 MN·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 1,619 m/s not sourced
1k 10k 0.1 1 10 100 Density (kg/m³) Young's modulus (GPa) Plastic PETG Plastic ABS Plastic TPU Plastic Nylon Wood Aluminum Steel Iron Titanium Steel AISI 1018 Stainless Steel 304 Stainless Steel 316 Aluminum 6061-T6 Aluminum 7075-T6 Brass C360 Copper C110 Copper C10100 Copper C12200 Glass Steel AISI 1045 Steel AISI 4340 Steel A992 Stainless Steel 303 Stainless Steel 17-4PH Aluminum 2024-T351 Aluminum 5052-H32 Aluminum 7050-T7451 Titanium Ti-6Al-4V Brass C260 Nickel Inconel 718 Magnesium AZ31B-H24 Zinc Zamak 3 Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) Plastic Polycarbonate Plastic POM/Acetal Plastic Nylon PA6 Plastic Nylon PA66 Plastic PEEK Plastic UHMWPE Plastic HDPE Plastic Polypropylene Plastic PMMA FDM ASA FDM Polycarbonate FDM PAHT-CF FDM HIPS SLA Resin Standard SLA Resin Tough 2000 SLS PA12 Nylon DMLS AlSi10Mg Aluminum DMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI Titanium DMLS 316L Stainless Steel DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel Concrete PCB Laminate FR-4 Silicon Ceramic Alumina 96% Ceramic Aluminum Nitride Aluminum A380 Aluminum 6063-T6 Aluminum 1100-O Aluminum 3003-O Aluminum ADC12 Magnesium AZ91D Solder SAC305 Plastic PBT GF30 Plastic PPS GF40 Plastic LCP GF30 Plastic PLA Stiffness against densityHigher and further left: stiffer for its weight 1k 10k 10 100 1k Density (kg/m³) Yield strength (MPa) Plastic PETG Plastic ABS Plastic TPU Plastic Nylon Rubber Wood Aluminum Steel Iron Titanium Steel AISI 1018 Stainless Steel 304 Stainless Steel 316 Aluminum 6061-T6 Aluminum 7075-T6 Brass C360 Copper C110 Copper C10100 Copper C12200 Glass Steel AISI 1045 Steel AISI 4340 Steel A992 Stainless Steel 303 Stainless Steel 17-4PH Aluminum 2024-T351 Aluminum 5052-H32 Aluminum 7050-T7451 Titanium Ti-6Al-4V Brass C260 Nickel Inconel 718 Magnesium AZ31B-H24 Zinc Zamak 3 Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) Plastic Polycarbonate Plastic POM/Acetal Plastic Nylon PA6 Plastic Nylon PA66 Plastic PEEK Plastic PTFE Plastic UHMWPE Plastic HDPE Plastic Polypropylene Plastic PMMA FDM ASA FDM Polycarbonate FDM PAHT-CF FDM HIPS SLA Resin Standard SLA Resin Tough 2000 SLA Resin Elastic 50A SLS PA12 Nylon DMLS AlSi10Mg Aluminum DMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI Titanium DMLS 316L Stainless Steel DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel Brick PCB Laminate FR-4 Silicon Ceramic Alumina 96% Aluminum A380 Aluminum 6063-T6 Aluminum 1100-O Aluminum 3003-O Aluminum ADC12 Magnesium AZ91D Solder SAC305 Plastic PBT GF30 Plastic PPS GF40 Plastic LCP GF30 Plastic PLA Strength against densityHigher and further left: stronger for its weight
Thermal Plastic PLA Plywood Thermal conductivity base material 0.13 W/m·K 0.12 W/m·K Thermal expansion not sourced base material 3.1–4.5 µm/m·K 100 mm part over a 50 °C swing not sourced 19 µm growth Specific heat base material 1,200 J/kg·K base material 1,700 J/kg·K 42% higher Heats up and cools (diffusivity) 0.0874 mm²/s not sourced Thermal shock resistance not sourced not sourced Melting point 152 °C not sourced Glass transition 59.1 °C not sourced Max service temperature HDT 0.455 MPa 58.8 °C not sourced
1k 10k 0.1 1 10 100 Density (kg/m³) Thermal conductivity (W/m·K) Plastic PETG Plastic ABS Plastic Nylon Rubber Wood Aluminum Steel Iron Titanium Steel AISI 1018 Stainless Steel 304 Stainless Steel 316 Aluminum 6061-T6 Aluminum 7075-T6 Brass C360 Copper C110 Copper C10100 Copper C12200 Glass Steel AISI 1045 Steel AISI 4340 Steel A992 Stainless Steel 303 Stainless Steel 17-4PH Aluminum 2024-T351 Aluminum 5052-H32 Aluminum 7050-T7451 Titanium Ti-6Al-4V Brass C260 Nickel Inconel 718 Magnesium AZ31B-H24 Zinc Zamak 3 Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) Plastic Polycarbonate Plastic POM/Acetal Plastic Nylon PA6 Plastic Nylon PA66 Plastic PEEK Plastic PTFE Plastic UHMWPE Plastic HDPE Plastic Polypropylene Plastic PMMA FDM ASA FDM Polycarbonate FDM HIPS SLA Resin Standard DMLS AlSi10Mg Aluminum DMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI Titanium DMLS 316L Stainless Steel DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel Concrete Brick PCB Laminate FR-4 Silicon Ceramic Alumina 96% Ceramic Aluminum Nitride Aluminum A380 Aluminum 6063-T6 Aluminum 1100-O Aluminum 3003-O Aluminum ADC12 Magnesium AZ91D Solder SAC305 Plastic PBT GF30 Plastic PPS GF40 Plastic LCP GF30 Plastic PLA Thermal conductivity against densityHigher and further left: spreads more heat for its weight 0.1 1 10 100 10 100 Thermal conductivity (W/m·K) Thermal expansion (µm/m·K) Plastic PETG Plastic ABS Plastic Nylon Wood Aluminum Steel Iron Titanium Steel AISI 1018 Stainless Steel 304 Stainless Steel 316 Aluminum 6061-T6 Aluminum 7075-T6 Brass C360 Copper C110 Copper C10100 Copper C12200 Glass Steel AISI 1045 Steel AISI 4340 Steel A992 Stainless Steel 303 Stainless Steel 17-4PH Aluminum 2024-T351 Aluminum 5052-H32 Aluminum 7050-T7451 Titanium Ti-6Al-4V Brass C260 Nickel Inconel 718 Magnesium AZ31B-H24 Zinc Zamak 3 Plastic ABS (bulk/injection) Plastic Polycarbonate Plastic POM/Acetal Plastic Nylon PA6 Plastic Nylon PA66 Plastic PEEK Plastic PTFE Plastic UHMWPE Plastic HDPE Plastic Polypropylene Plastic PMMA FDM ASA FDM Polycarbonate FDM HIPS SLA Resin Standard DMLS AlSi10Mg Aluminum DMLS Ti-6Al-4V ELI Titanium DMLS 316L Stainless Steel DMLS 17-4PH Stainless Steel Concrete Brick PCB Laminate FR-4 Silicon Ceramic Alumina 96% Ceramic Aluminum Nitride Aluminum A380 Aluminum 6063-T6 Aluminum 1100-O Aluminum 3003-O Aluminum ADC12 Magnesium AZ91D Solder SAC305 Plastic PBT GF30 Plastic PPS GF40 Plastic LCP GF30 Plywood Thermal expansion against thermal conductivityLower and further right: warps less when heated
Sources 5 documents: UltiMaker, USDA Forest Products Laboratory, NatureWorks
Plastic PLA Ultimaker PLA, 3D-printed specimens, XY (flat) orientation; Ultimaker S5 Pro, engineering intent profile, 0.15 mm layer height, AA 0.4 print core, 100% infill, Cura 4.9, printed one-at-a-time, conditioned >=24 h at room temperature. TDS dated April 20, 2022.
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 Ultimaker PLA Technical Data Sheet, v5.00 UltiMaker archived copy Plastic PLA · Yield strength: typicalPlastic PLA · Ultimate tensile strength: typical, peak stress (= stress at yield)Plastic PLA · Flexural strength: typicalPlastic PLA · Elongation at break: typicalPlastic PLA · Young's modulus (stiffness): typicalPlastic PLA · Density: typicalPlastic PLA · Melting point: typicalPlastic PLA · Glass transition: typicalPlastic PLA · Max service temperature: HDT 0.455 MPa (printed specimens)2 Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-282), Chapter 12: Mechanical Properties of Wood-Based Composite Materials USDA Forest Products Laboratory Plywood · 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 Engineering Properties of Ingeo Biopolymer NatureWorks archived copy Plastic PLA · Thermal conductivity: base material: NatureWorks Ingeo biopolymer, amorphous sheet, 25 °CPlastic PLA · Specific heat: base material: NatureWorks Ingeo biopolymer, amorphous sheet, 25 °C4 Thermal Properties of Wood and Wood Panel Products for Use in Buildings (1988) USDA Forest Products Laboratory archived copy Plywood · Thermal conductivity: APA-recommended design value (Douglas-fir plywood), as reported by FPL/ORNL5 Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-282), Chapter 4: Moisture Relations and Physical Properties of Wood USDA Forest Products Laboratory Plywood · 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.
Plastic PLA is 3D printed: its properties depend on build direction and print settings; these are typical values.
Questions Mechanical Is Plastic PLA stronger than Plywood? Plastic PLA is stronger: its yield strength is 52.5 MPa against tensile strength 41.4 MPa for Plywood (27%).
Which is stiffer, Plastic PLA or Plywood? Plywood is stiffer: Young's modulus 7.45 GPa against 3.25 GPa for Plastic PLA, so the same part in Plywood deflects less under the same load.
Thermal Which conducts heat better, Plastic PLA or Plywood? Plastic PLA conducts heat better: 0.13 W/m·K against 0.12 W/m·K for Plywood.