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MDF vs. EN AC-43500 Aluminum

MDF and EN AC-43500 aluminum belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. MDF is a polymeric material, while EN AC-43500 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 EN AC-43500 aluminum.

Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)EN AC-43500 (AlSi10MnMg) Cast Aluminum
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 4.0
72
Elongation at Break, % 0.5
4.5 to 13
Poisson's Ratio 0.25
0.33
Shear Modulus, GPa 2.5
27
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 18
220 to 300

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1700
900
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 0.3
140
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 12
22

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm3 0.75
2.6

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 3.0
16
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 71
54
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 6.7
24 to 33
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 20
32 to 39
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 0.24
60
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 27
10 to 14