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2024 Aluminum vs. MDF

2024 aluminum and MDF belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. 2024 aluminum is a metal, while MDF is a polymeric material. Therefore, their performance will be even more dissimilar than would be suggested by the difference in properties. There are 15 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (18, in this case) are not shown. Please note that the two materials have significantly dissimilar densities. This means that additional care is required when interpreting the data, because some material properties are based on units of mass, while others are based on units of area or volume.

For each property being compared, the top bar is 2024 aluminum and the bottom bar is MDF.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 71
4.0
Elongation at Break, % 4.0 to 16
0.5
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.25
Shear Modulus, GPa 27
2.5
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 200 to 540
18

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 880
1700
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 120
0.3
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 23
12

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm3 3.0
0.75

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
3.0
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 46
71
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 18 to 50
6.7
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 25 to 49
20
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 46
0.24
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 8.6 to 24
27