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MDF vs. 5056 Aluminum

MDF and 5056 aluminum belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. MDF is a polymeric material, while 5056 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 (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 MDF and the bottom bar is 5056 aluminum.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 4.0
67
Elongation at Break, % 0.5
4.9 to 31
Poisson's Ratio 0.25
0.33
Shear Modulus, GPa 2.5
25
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 18
290 to 460

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1700
910
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 0.3
130
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
51
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 6.7
30 to 48
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 20
36 to 50
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 0.24
53
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 27
13 to 20