Cordierite
Cordierite is an oxide-based engineering ceramic. It can have a fairly low density and a moderately low thermal conductivity among oxide-based engineering ceramics.
The properties of cordierite include four common variations. This page shows summary ranges across all of them. For more specific values, follow the links immediately below. The graph bars on the material properties cards further below compare cordierite to other oxide-based engineering ceramics (top) and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.
Mechanical Properties
Compressive (Crushing) Strength
420 MPa 61 x 103 psi
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
62 GPa 8.9 x 106 psi
Flexural Strength
17 to 32 MPa 2.4 to 4.7 x 103 psi
Fracture Toughness
2.0 MPa-m1/2 1.8 x 103 psi-in1/2
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
190 MPa 28 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Maximum Temperature: Mechanical
1150 °C 2100 °F
Maximum Thermal Shock
290 to 390 °C 550 to 740 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
800 to 850 J/kg-K 0.19 to 0.2 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
1.3 to 1.7 W/m-K 0.72 to 1.0 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
2.9 to 4.8 µm/m-K
Other Material Properties
Density
2.0 to 2.2 g/cm3 120 to 140 lb/ft3
Dielectric Constant (Relative Permittivity) At 1 MHz
4.7
Dielectric Strength (Breakdown Potential)
7.7 kV/mm 0.3 V/mil
Electrical Resistivity Order of Magnitude
9.5 10x Ω-m
Common Calculations
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
15 to 17 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
59 to 67 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
24 to 27 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
33 to 38 points
Thermal Diffusivity
0.74 to 1.0 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
47 to 78 points
Followup Questions
Further Reading
IEC 60672-3: Ceramic and glass-insulating materials - Part 3: Specifications for individual materials
Springer Handbook of Condensed Matter and Materials Data, W. Martienssen and H. Warlimont (editors), 2005