MakeItFrom.com
Menu (ESC)

PS vs. Balsa

PS belongs to the thermoplastics classification, while balsa belongs to the wood-based materials. There are 14 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (13, 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 PS and the bottom bar is balsa.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 1.9 to 2.9
3.0
Elongation at Break, % 1.8 to 40
1.2
Poisson's Ratio 0.4 to 0.41
0.38
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 32 to 44
14

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 1250 to 1400
1700
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 0.14 to 0.22
0.1
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 80 to 98
6.5

Electrical Properties

Dielectric Strength (Breakdown Potential), kV/mm 18 to 20
4.9

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm3 1.0
0.13

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 1.0 to 1.5
13
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 8.5 to 12
30
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 22 to 26
99
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 0.11 to 0.15
0.45
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 11 to 15
51