PMMA vs. Soda-lime Glass
PMMA and soda-lime glass belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. PMMA is a polymeric material, while soda-lime glass is ceramic. 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.
For each property being compared, the top bar is PMMA and the bottom bar is soda-lime glass.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
| Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 3.2 | |
| 70 to 71 |
| Shear Modulus, GPa | 1.7 | |
| 29 |
| Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 71 | |
| 41 to 180 |
Thermal Properties
| Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 1260 | |
| 720 to 800 |
| Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 0.19 | |
| 1.0 to 1.1 |
| Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K | 76 | |
| 8.8 to 9.0 |
Electrical Properties
| Dielectric Strength (Breakdown Potential), kV/mm | 30 | |
| 13 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
| Density, g/cm3 | 1.2 | |
| 2.4 |
| Refractive Index | 1.5 | |
| 1.5 |
Common Calculations
| Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 1.5 | |
| 16 |
| Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points | 42 | |
| 56 |
| Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 17 | |
| 4.6 to 20 |
| Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 32 | |
| 11 to 28 |
| Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 0.13 | |
| 0.51 to 0.6 |
| Thermal Shock Resistance, points | 21 | |
| 4.7 to 20 |