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MDF vs. 3104 Aluminum

MDF and 3104 aluminum belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. MDF is a polymeric material, while 3104 aluminum is a metal. 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 (17, 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 MDF and the bottom bar is 3104 aluminum.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 4.0
70
Elongation at Break, % 0.5
1.1 to 20
Poisson's Ratio 0.25
0.33
Shear Modulus, GPa 2.5
26
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 18
170 to 310

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1700
900
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 0.3
160
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 12
23

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm3 0.75
2.8

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 3.0
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 71
50
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 6.7
17 to 31
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 20
25 to 37
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 0.24
64
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 27
7.6 to 13