6061 Aluminum vs. PET
6061 aluminum and PET belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. 6061 aluminum is a metal, while PET is a polymeric material. Therefore, their performance will be even more dissimilar than would be suggested by the difference in properties. There are 11 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (28, in this case) are not shown.
For each property being compared, the top bar is 6061 aluminum and the bottom bar is PET.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 69 | |
| 3.5 to 11 |
| Elongation at Break, % | 3.4 to 20 | |
| 2.5 to 70 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 130 to 410 | |
| 60 to 140 |
Thermal Properties
| Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C | 170 | |
| 80 |
| Melting Onset (Solidus), °C | 580 | |
| 260 |
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 900 | |
| 1000 to 1150 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Density, g/cm3 | 2.7 | |
| 1.4 to 1.6 |
Common Calculations
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 14 | |
| 1.2 to 4.4 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 50 | |
| 32 to 54 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 13 to 42 | |
| 12 to 27 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 21 to 45 | |
| 25 to 41 |