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Ductile Cast Iron vs. MDF

Ductile cast iron and MDF belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. Ductile cast iron is a metal, while MDF is a polymeric material. Therefore, their performance will be even more dissimilar than would be suggested by the difference in properties. There are 15 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (18, 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 ductile cast iron and the bottom bar is MDF.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 170 to 180
4.0
Elongation at Break, % 2.1 to 20
0.5
Poisson's Ratio 0.28 to 0.31
0.25
Shear Modulus, GPa 64 to 70
2.5
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 460 to 920
18

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 490
1700
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 31 to 36
0.3
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 11
12

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm3 7.1 to 7.5
0.75

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 12 to 14
3.0
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 24 to 26
71
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 17 to 35
6.7
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 18 to 29
20
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 8.9 to 10
0.24
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 17 to 35
27