Material Properties for Strings, Plates and Membranes
Overview
This page provides a table of approximate density, Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio for some common natural and synthetic materials (solids, liquids, fibers) at room temperature, at sea level. Note that these values may vary depending on various factors such as temperature, atmospheric pressure, alloy composition, etc...
Value ranges are given for some materials in cases where their physical composition may vary either due to variance in the natural formation of compounds or (as in the case of alloys and synthetic materials) due to their base ingredients being mixed in different proportions. Woods (which have their own page) and natural fibers, especially, can have physical properties which vary greatly depending on the environmental conditions in their area of origin.
For definitions of density, Young's modulus and the poisson coefficient see the object properties page.
Tables of Material Properties
Metals
| Material | Density kg/m^3 | Young N/m^2 | poisson |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminium | 2700 | 7.0e10 | 0.35 |
| Bismuth | 9780 | 3.2e10 | 0.38 |
| Brass | 8500 | 1.0e11 - 1.25e11 | 0.33 |
| Bronze | 7400 - 8900 | 9.6e10 - 1.2e11 | 0.34 |
| Cesium | 1930 | 1.7e9 | 0.3 |
| Copper | 8940 | 1.1e11 - 1.28e11 | 0.35 |
| Gold | 19300 | 7.9e10 | 0.43 |
| Iridium | 22560 | 5.2e11 | 0.26 |
| Iron | 7870 | 1.9e11 - 2.11e11 | 0.30 |
| Lead | 11340 | 1.6e10 | 0.43 |
| Lithium | 534 | 4.9e9 | 0.36 |
| Magnesium | 1740 | 4.3e10 | 0.29 |
| Mercury | 13600 | 2.85e10 | (0.5)* |
| Nickel | 8900 | 2.1e11 | 0.30 |
| Osmium | 22570 | 5.5e11 | 0.25 |
| Platinum | 21450 | 1.68e11 | 0.39 |
| Silver | 10500 | 8.3e10 | 0.37 |
| Steel | 7700 | 2.0e11 | 0.31 |
| Tin | 7310 | 4.7e10 | 0.35 |
| Titanium | 4540 | 1.2e11 | 0.34 |
| Tungsten | 19250 | 4.11e11 | 0.28 |
| Zinc | 7100 | 1.08e11 | 0.25 |
*incompressible materials such as liquids are considered to have a poisson ratio of 0.5
Minerals and Stone
| Material | Density kg/m^3 | Young N/m^2 | poisson |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenic | 5700 | 8.0e9 | -* |
| Diamond | 3500 | 1.22e12 | 0.2 |
| Granite | 2700 | 1.0e10 - 7.0e10 | 0.1 - 0.3 |
| Graphite | 1400 - 2250 | 1.7e11 - 3.4e11 | 0.13 |
| Limestone | 2700 | 1.5e10 - 5.5e10 | 0.18 - 0.33 |
| Marble | 2560 - 2760 | 5.0e10 - 7.0e10 | 0.1 - 0.22 |
| Quartz | 2650 | 7.6e10 - 9.7e10 | 0.17 |
| Sandstone | 2000 | 1.0e9 - 2.0e10 | 0.21 - 0.38 |
| Sapphire | 3980 | 3.45e11 | 0.25 - 0.28 |
| Shale | 2500 | 1.0e9 - 7.0e10 | 0.2 - 0.4 |
| Silicon | 2330 | 1.3e11 - 1.88e11 | 0.36 |
| Uranium | 19100 | 2.08e11 | 0.23 |
*arsenic has a highly variable poisson ratio depending on the direction of stress
Fibers
| Material | Density kg/m^3 | Young N/m^2 | poisson |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon Fiber | 1400 | 8.9e11 - 1.3e12 | 0.25 |
| Catgut | 1300 | 5.5e9 - 6.5e9 | -* |
| Flax Fiber | 1450 | 5.0e10 - 7.0e10 | 0.4 |
| Hemp Fiber | 1480 | 3.0e10 - 8.0e10 | 0.4 |
| Horse Hair | 1200 - 1400 | 4.9e9 - 7.0e9 | -* |
| Nylon | 1150 - 1200 | 4.5e9 - 5.5e9 | 0.4 |
| Silkworm Silk | 1300 - 1380 | 5.0e9 - 6.0e9 | 0.4 |
| Spider Silk | 1300 | 2.0e9 - 5.0e9 | 0.4 |
*natural fibers without a measured poisson coefficient can be considered to have a value of 0.4 for this parameter
Other Materials
| Material | Density kg/m^3 | Young N/m^2 | poisson |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bone | 1900 | 9.0e9 - 1.8e10 | 0.15 |
| Carrot | 1140 | 1.36e6 | 0.15 - 0.35 |
| Concrete | 1680 - 3000 | 3.0e10 - 5.0e10 | 0.1 - 0.2 |
| Cork | 200 - 250 | 2.0e7 | 0* |
| Glass (Borosilicate) | 2300 | 6.2e10 - 8.1e10 | 0.2 |
| Glass (Soda-Lime) | 2500 | 7.2e10 - 7.4e10 | 0.23 |
| Ice | 920 | 1.2e10 | 0.33 |
| Marshmallow | 370 | 2.9e4 | -** |
| Olive Oil | 920 | 1.35e9 | (0.5)*** |
| Rubber (hard) | 1100 - 1200 | 1.0e7 - 2.3e9 | 0.48 - 0.5 |
| Rubber (soft) | 950 | 3.0e6 - 5.0e6 | 0.48 - 0.5 |
| Seawater | 1020 | 2.34e9 | (0.5)*** |
| Tooth Enamel | 2900 | 8.3e10 | 0.28 |
| Water | 1000 | 2.15e9 | (0.5)*** |
(*) Cork can often have a negative poisson value
(**) Data for marshmallow is not partial - we suggest a value near zero, similar to cork.
(***) Incompressible materials such as liquids are considered to have a poisson ratio of 0.5.