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Thermoplastic PI vs. Balsa

Thermoplastic PI belongs to the thermoplastics classification, while balsa belongs to the wood-based materials. There are 8 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 thermoplastic PI and the bottom bar is balsa.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Material Properties

Density, g/cm3 1.4 to 1.5
0.13
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 3.7 to 20
3.0
Elongation at Break, % 1.8 to 7.5
1.2
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 970 to 1100
1700
Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 1.5 to 7.9
13
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 22 to 42
30
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 36 to 57
99
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 110 to 220
14