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ABS vs. Balsa

ABS belongs to the thermoplastics classification, while balsa belongs to the wood-based materials. There are 10 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (14, 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 ABS and the bottom bar is balsa.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Material Properties

Density, g/cm3 1.0 to 1.4
0.13
Dielectric Strength (Breakdown Potential), kV/mm 15 to 16
4.9
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 2.0 to 2.6
3.0
Elongation at Break, % 3.5 to 50
1.2
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 0.79 to 1.4
13
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 10 to 22
30
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 24 to 37
99
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 37 to 110
14
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 81 to 95
6.5
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 11 to 50
51