PLA vs. Balsa
PLA belongs to the thermoplastics classification, while balsa belongs to the wood-based materials. There are 11 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (12, 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 PLA and the bottom bar is balsa.
Metric UnitsUS Customary Units
Mechanical Properties
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa | 3.5 | |
3.0 |
Elongation at Break, % | 6.0 | |
1.2 |
Shear Modulus, GPa | 2.4 | |
0.23 |
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa | 50 | |
14 |
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K | 1800 | |
1700 |
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K | 0.13 | |
0.1 |
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Density, g/cm3 | 1.3 | |
0.13 |
Common Calculations
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points | 1.6 | |
13 |
Strength to Weight: Axial, points | 11 | |
30 |
Strength to Weight: Bending, points | 24 | |
99 |
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s | 0.058 | |
0.45 |