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Grade FDC Steel vs. MDF

Grade FDC steel and MDF belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. Grade FDC steel 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 14 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (15, 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 grade FDC steel and the bottom bar is MDF.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 190
4.0
Poisson's Ratio 0.29
0.25
Shear Modulus, GPa 80
2.5
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 1680
18

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 470
1700
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 51
0.3
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 13
12

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm3 7.8
0.75

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 13
3.0
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 24
71
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 60
6.7
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 40
20
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 14
0.24
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 50
27