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MDF vs. Grade 350 Maraging Steel

MDF and grade 350 maraging steel belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. MDF is a polymeric material, while grade 350 maraging steel is a metal. Therefore, their performance will be even more dissimilar than would be suggested by the difference in properties. There are 14 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (15, 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 grade 350 maraging steel.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Compressive (Crushing) Strength, MPa 10
750 to 2400
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 4.0
190
Elongation at Break, % 0.5
4.1 to 18
Poisson's Ratio 0.25
0.3
Shear Modulus, GPa 2.5
75
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 18
1140 to 2420

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1700
450
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 12
12

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm3 0.75
8.2

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 3.0
13
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 71
23
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 6.7
38 to 82
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 20
29 to 49
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 27
35 to 74