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MDF vs. 5050 Aluminum

MDF and 5050 aluminum belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. MDF is a polymeric material, while 5050 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 (19, 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 5050 aluminum.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 4.0
68
Elongation at Break, % 0.5
1.7 to 22
Poisson's Ratio 0.25
0.33
Shear Modulus, GPa 2.5
26
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 18
140 to 250

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1700
900
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 0.3
190
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 12
24

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm3 0.75
2.7

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 3.0
14
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 71
50
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 6.7
15 to 26
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 20
22 to 33
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 0.24
79
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 27
6.3 to 11