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Zamak 3 vs. HDPE

Zamak 3 and HDPE belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. Zamak 3 is a metal, while HDPE is a polymeric material. Therefore, their performance will be even more dissimilar than would be suggested by the difference in properties. There are 7 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (32, 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 Zamak 3 and the bottom bar is HDPE.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Material Properties

Density, g/cm3 6.4
1.0 to 1.3
Elongation at Break, % 11
2.5 to 100
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 95
90
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 410
1330 to 2400
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 12
6.9 to 17
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 15
19 to 32
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 280
24 to 80